The High-Tech six-storey Grade II-listed building was built in 1991 in the historic Shad Thames riverside location near Tower Bridge. It served as a showroom, office and apartment for Mellor, a designer well-known for his cutlery and metalwork. Mellor had handmade and hand-finished many of the building's non-structural elements. In 1996, Conran transformed the modular building into the headquarters for his design, retail and restaurant businesses, and it was later the base of his practice Conran and Partners, from the late 1990s until 2020. Squire & Partners has retrofitted the building’s workspace, updating the existing fabric and improving its sustainability credentials as well as restoring the external lead cladding.Advertisement Internally, an existing modular grid has been adapted with rooms added and the ground-floor foyer reimagined as a hub. Non-original paint has been stripped to reveal original concrete, while out-of-date carpet tiles have been replaced with timber flooring. The project reinstates the granite floors and recessed lighting originally designed by Hopkins, and new glazing has been installed to the existing window frame system. Crittall-style windows have been added to create meeting rooms, which have also been furnished with original Conran designs, referencing the building’s history. The former residential areas to the top two storeys have been converted to office space and a glazed conservatory reinstates a demolished structure. The basement now houses facilities for cyclists and a VRF (variable refrigerant flow) heating and cooling system powered by air-source heat pumps ensures energy efficiency. In 2020, Squire & Partners submitted plans to Southwark Council on behalf of the Shad Thames Partnership, proposing a three-storey rooftop extension and side and rear extension to the building. Under the plans, the building’s floorspace would have increased from 1,930m² to 3,300m².Advertisement However, the application was opposed by the Twentieth Century Society, which said it would cause ‘substantial harm’ to an ‘architecturally and historically significant building’ which is ‘an important exemplar of High-Tech architecture’. Historic England then stepped in to list the building, citing seven reasons to protect it. Reasons of architectural interest include its ‘carefully crafted design’, ‘sympathetic insertion into its dockland setting’ and ‘largely unaltered exterior’. Reasons of historical interest for the listing include it being ‘a significant building in the career of Sir Michael Hopkins, one of England’s post-war architects’, as well as for ‘its association to David Mellor and Sir Terence Conran, two of England’s most important post-war designers’. The Grade II listing meant that any works would require listed building consent on top of planning permission. Architect’s view The Conran Building at 22 Shad Thames is a design classic that we have long admired, and we had the privilege of reimagining the High-Tech architectural language to meet modern workspace demands while preserving its storied heritage. The revitalised building sets the standard for future projects in the area. Working with a recently listed building with a long design heritage called for a meticulous approach to retrofit. It was imperative that our intervention upgraded the building to meet the highest environmental standards to preserve its legacy into the future. We upgraded the existing light fittings to efficient LED systems, replaced the gas heating with an air-source heat pump for heating and cooling, provided cycling facilities to encourage active commuting, refurbished the existing window frames and replaced some of the glazing to upgrade the thermal performance of the building. Bettina Brehler, head of sustainability and partner, Squire & Partners   Client’s view Arguably the coolest building in Shad Thames with a superb design heritage, the Conran Building makeover by Squire & Partners proves that landmark buildings do not need to be knocked down; they can be sensitively repurposed and the architecture given a new lease of life. Chris Lanitis, co-founder and chief investment officer, Amazon Capital   Project data Location Shad Thames, London Start on site September 2022 Completion date April 2024 Gross internal floor area 1,925m2 Form of contract or procurement route Traditional Construction cost Undisclosed Architect Squire & Partners Client Amazon Capital, Lateral Structural engineer Webb Yates M&E consultant DSA Quantity surveyor PBC Planning and heritage consultant Montagu Evans Branding consultant Siren Design Project manager PBC Principal designer Shore Approved building inspector H+O Consulting Main contractor XConstruct CAD software used Revit Environmental performance data Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >2% Not assessed ­Percentage of floor area with daylight factor >5% Not assessed Onsite energy generation Nil Annual mains water consumption 3.1 m3/occupant (predicted) Airtightness at 50Pa Not assessed Heating and hot water load 6.74 kWh/m2/yr (predicted) Operational energy 78 kWh/m2/yr (predicted) Total energy load 116 kWh/m2/yr (predicted) Overall area weighted U-value Unchanged Predicted design life 15-20 years Embodied carbon Not assessed Whole-life carbon Not assessed Annual CO2 emissions 10.71 kgCO2eq/m2 Energy Performance Certificate rating B (43)