The Chicago-based practice has submitted early drawings to the City of London Corporation for the redevelopment of 1 Silk Street, to replace an office building tucked into the north-east corner of Chamberlin, Powell and Bons celebrated Brutalist landmark.SOMs 100,000m proposal would demolish the existing 1980s office building on the 0.57ha site, formerly home to law firm Linklaters, to make way for a 21-storey office building comprising two towers.According to the scoping report, the proposed development would comprise a single building capable of being viewed as two separate east and west elements and capable of subdivision into separate tenancies. The existing substructure would be retained as the foundations of the new development.AdvertisementThe mixed-use scheme would include landscaped terraces, new public routes through the site and new open space and commercial space at ground level. Source:Google EarthExisting building at 1 Silk StreetSOMs early visualisations form part of a scoping opinion request for the site, submitted by developer Lipton Rogers on behalf of investor La Salle.The existing 1 Silk Street building currently dominating the site consists of two interlinked towers designed by Fitzroy Robinson Partnership the 17-storey Milton House to the east and 13-storey Shire House to the west featuring heavily glazed faades.The buildings were internally and externally refurbished to designs by Sheppard Robson between 1994 and 1996.The proposed redevelopment is to ensure that offices at 1 Silk Street align with new requirements that come into force next year for commercial buildings to have a minimum EPC rating of C.AdvertisementIn the scoping report, 1 Silk Street is described by environmental consultants Trium as a utilitarian office building that does not represent the best work by either firm of well-known architects associated with its construction and refurbishment.The consultants explain: Architecturally, the building is not distinguished, nor does it present an innovative approach to office design; rather, its current condition reflects the office requirements of the time of its refurbishment in the mid-1990s.The existing building is not considered to have any architectural merit, and it detracts from the streetscape as a result of the inactive frontages and lack of permeability.The proposed development seeks to improve the ground floor experience and introduce a building of higher architectural quality, explains the report.A full planning application is expected to be submitted next year and, pending approval, completion is scheduled for 2032.SOM and La Salle have been contacted for comment.