Embracing its strategic location at the heart of Central London’s retail district, The Burlian sits at the intersection of two of the most important destination retail thoroughfares: New Bond Street and Oxford Street.
The Burlian is an extensive retrofit and extension of an existing 1970s, 6-storey concrete-framed building. Early stage collaboration with the design team explored a varying scale of building adaptation from extensive demolition to signification retention of the existing. This assessment concluded with the final proposal retaining 75% of the existing structure. This strategy substantially reduces the embodied carbon of the scheme whilst delivering a flexible, high-end building.
The scheme provides a flagship retail space on ground and first floors including a double-height Oxford Street frontage. High-end office spaces are provided on upper floors with a roof terrace which includes biodiverse planting. The office entrance is relocated from New Bond Street to Dering Street shifting the focus of the building to the new pedestrian connection from The Elizabeth Line to Oxford Street.
During the Victorian period, furniture makers A. J. Arrowsmith & Co. occupied what is now the site. This history of on-site craft and making has informed the architecture both internally and externally. Extensive use of joinery and crafted detailing alludes to this rich history and now adds another layer to create a robust place of its own.
The Burlian is an example of what can be achieved with a collaborative, contextual, retrofit first approach to create an architecture informed by the past but looking towards a more sustainable future.
Embracing its strategic location at the heart of Central London’s retail district, The Burlian sits at the intersection of two of the most important destination retail thoroughfares: New Bond Street and Oxford Street.
The Burlian is an extensive retrofit and extension of an existing 1970s, 6-storey concrete-framed building. Early stage collaboration with the design team explored a varying scale of building adaptation from extensive demolition to signification retention of the existing. This assessment concluded with the final proposal retaining 75% of the existing structure. This strategy substantially reduces the embodied carbon of the scheme whilst delivering a flexible, high-end building.
The scheme provides a flagship retail space on ground and first floors including a double-height Oxford Street frontage. High-end office spaces are provided on upper floors with a roof terrace which includes biodiverse planting. The office entrance is relocated from New Bond Street to Dering Street shifting the focus of the building to the new pedestrian connection from The Elizabeth Line to Oxford Street.
During the Victorian period, furniture makers A. J. Arrowsmith & Co. occupied what is now the site. This history of on-site craft and making has informed the architecture both internally and externally. Extensive use of joinery and crafted detailing alludes to this rich history and now adds another layer to create a robust place of its own.
The Burlian is an example of what can be achieved with a collaborative, contextual, retrofit first approach to create an architecture informed by the past but looking towards a more sustainable future.
Colin McColl
Director