Type: Adaptive Use, Office
Developer: Hines United Kingdom
Owners: Hines European Value Fund 2
Designers: Barr Gazetas
Site Size: 127,455 square feet (11,841 sq m) (gross external area)
Date Acquired: March 5, 2020
Date Opened: September 4, 2023
Buildings: 127,455 square feet (11,841 sq m), 100 percent of site
Office Space: 78,240 square feet (7,269 sq m), net internal area
Retail Space: 18,460 square feet (1,715 sq m), net internal area
Parking (number of spaces): N/A
Open Space: 4,521 square feet (420 sq m) terraces
In the heart of London’s Covent Garden neighborhood, a complex of five Victorian-era structures—previously home to a seed merchant company, a brass and iron foundry, and a Nonconformist chapel, among other uses—have been restored and adapted into a single, cohesive office building with ground-floor retail and dining space. The three-year restoration preserved the property’s industrial heritage, yet it provides enough flexibility to meet the needs of today’s workforce.
Connecting these disparate buildings presented unique challenges for the design team at Barr Gazetas. “The biggest challenges were around construction typology and levels,” says Jonathan Allwood, director at the architecture firm. “The individual buildings were built as entirely separate entities, at different times, and in different ways. This ranges from 12 Dryden Street, [which] was constructed in 1841, through to 26 Drury Lane, [which] was destroyed during the Blitz and rebuilt in the mid-20th century.”
The complexity of “knitting these building together was challenging in both heritage and technical terms,” Allwood notes. However, the team successfully created a unified workspace while respecting each building’s individual character. “In the end, we were able to retain much of the historic plan form whilst linking them to create largely contiguous floorplates. This was about forming large enough openings between buildings to allow the spaces to feel connected and give views across to other parts of the building and, in particular, back to the atrium but leaving enough so that each zone was legible as an individual space with its own character.”
The design team restored original exterior features, including stonework, moldings, and exposed brickwork, to retain the buildings’ historic character. The internal floorplates were combined around a new central atrium to create open-plan spaces that support hybrid and activity-based work patterns. Numerous breakout areas and communal landscaped terraces offer places for informal meetings and relaxation.
The decision-making process for preservation versus modernization was guided by user experience. “The experience of the building user was paramount for us,” Allwood emphasizes. “It had to be inviting and seamless, so most of the significant interventions we made were about achieving [those qualities]. Creating the entrance off Dryden Street, forming the atrium, and adding vertical extensions with terraces meant reconstructing some of the upper levels of the building, but [that] was a necessary process in creating a world-class workspace.”
Sustainability was at the core of the development strategy, with a goal of achieving net zero carbon in operations. Retaining the existing structure and materials significantly reduced embodied carbon emissions, achieving a 61 percent carbon emission savings against baseline building regulations and exceeding the Greater London Authority minimum requirements for onsite reduction. When introducing new brickwork, the project team used lime mortar, which has a lower carbon footprint than cement and reabsorbs carbon over its lifetime.
The team balanced heritage preservation requirements with modern building performance standards through a strategic approach. “We started by implementing passive measures that reduce the building’s energy demand,” Allwood explains. “This [approach] included replacement of all windows with thermally efficient heritage-style units, and utilizing natural stack ventilation within the atrium . . . . We then specified the most efficient all-electric building systems we could and improved the thermal performance of the new-build envelope by 30 percent above building regulations requirements.”
Additional green strategies include planting more than 300 native plant species on the roof, incorporating smart systems for monitoring and optimizing energy and water use, and introducing nest boxes for local wildlife. The building uses 40 percent less water than the BREEAM baseline for water consumption and sources 100 percent of its office space energy from renewable sources.
The market response has been highly positive, with 100 percent of the office space pre-let to high-profile tenants. In addition to serving as Hines’ European headquarters, the complex provides workspace for fashion and fragrance firm PUIG and the tourism company Go-City. The ground-floor retail space has attracted premium tenants, such as Caravan, a casual all-day dining restaurant that chose Grainhouse for its largest London location to date.
A bespoke mobile app lets users book meeting rooms, grant visitors access, and take advantage of special offers and discounts from local businesses. Extensive bicycle storage and shower facilities encourage employees to use alternative forms of transportation. Working with the local council, Hines also contributed to the pedestrianization of Dryden Street, thus enhancing the public realm. The building has achieved BREEAM Excellent, WELL Platinum, and WiredScore Platinum certifications, and it won the 2024 British Council of Offices Regional Award for Best Corporate Workplace in London.
Grainhouse demonstrates how historical buildings can be repurposed to meet modern environmental standards and workplace expectations while preserving their architectural heritage. For Allwood, the project offers important lessons for the industry: “I would say that this project proved that retrofitted space doesn’t come second to new build [and] can actually surpass it. Restoring and reworking these buildings has created a hugely characterful environment that might once have been considered compromised but is now the type of space everyone wants. Really focusing on people, how they use the space, and how it makes them feel [have] been key to the building’s success.”
With more than 4,000 visitors in its first six months of operation, Grainhouse has quickly established itself as a key meeting point for London’s business community. The project demonstrates strong financial performance, with rent levels significantly outperforming comparable units in the area. Grainhouse has not only created a vibrant workplace but has also contributed to Covent Garden’s ongoing evolution as a cultural and business destination.
