Pre-war steelworks re-used for London office scheme

Developer FORE Partnership has salvaged 100 tonnes of steel beams for its new mixed-use office on the South Bank of the River Thames. 

FORE and its consultant, Civic Engineers, decided to reuse the steel from a former House of Fraser building in Oxford for the retrofit of TBC London. 

The lead contractor, Wilmott Dixon, will incorporate the beams into the construction, making up 20% of the total steel used for the scheme. 

It is understood that this amount of reused steel is the largest ever used to construct a building. 

Inside the scheme

To support the reuse, Civic Engineers worked with the contractor on the House of Fraser refurbishment, McLaren Construction, and TBC London engineer Webb Yates on the transportation of the material. 

FORE anticipates that the remaining steel framing of the building will have at least 56% of recycled content.  

Full scope

Designed by architect Stiff + Trevillion, the site spans 10,200 sqm, with 8,135 sqm for workspaces, 1,520 sqm for retail, 877 sqm for terrace provisions, and 757 sqm for communal spaces. 

Willmott Dixon will strip back the five-storey structure and add three new floors, making eight floors with a ground and basement level. 

The firm expects to complete the development by 2024. 

On the steel reuse, Civic Engineers director Gareth Atkinson said: “It’s exciting working with clients and collaborators with this much vision. We’ve proved it isn’t ‘too difficult’. These types of deals can and should be brokered time and time again.“

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