Buro Happold collaborated with Foster + Partners on this prestigious new-build hotel in the heart of London’s West End. Situated at the east end of the Strand the hotel is built on the site of Marconi House, the historic building where the first public radio broadcast took place in 1922. By combining the restoration of the listed facade of Marconi House with a new Portland stone building, the design harmoniously integrates the existing structure with the contemporary additions.

How to retain the 1903 facade while constructing a new three-storey basement behind provided one of the major structural challenges. The basement solution was to contend with the additional constraints of the congested ‘island’ site between Aldwych and the Strand, an adjacent London Underground tunnel and the busy Kingsway underpass.

Part of the risk assessment involved 3D modelling of possible construction sequences together with calculations of ground movements. Another challenge was to create a column-free ground floor for the 10-storey triangular atrium, which houses the reception, bars and restaurants.