The City of London Corporation has granted planning permission to J Safra Group for the refurbishment of 95 Queen Victoria Street, EC4V, now known as the Selso building. Savills project management team has been instructed by J Safra Group to deliver the scheme.
Comprising circa 90,000 sq ft of office space, the rebranded building will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment over six floors. The name Selso was born out of the site’s rich history; it is an abbreviation of Selig, Sonnenthal & Co, manufacturers and merchants of high quality machine tools that was founded in 1871 and occupied the site for many years.
Due for completion in Q1 2024, the sustainably considerate scheme will retain the original envelope and structure in order to reduce the embodied carbon, whilst significantly improving operational energy performance. People-centric design studio Sheppard Robson were architects on the original scheme in 2003 and have breathed new life into the building as part of the refurbishment.
Savills will advise on works including the installation of new energy efficient Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems with smart individual floor energy and air quality monitoring, along with attenuation tanks within the basement to facilitate the re-use of water for flushing and the irrigation of biophilia.
The works are also set to enhance user experience, adding a number of amenities focused on well-being. This includes plans for the top floor, which will be transformed into a biodiverse open roof terrace offering 360º views taking in St Paul’s Cathedral, the River Thames and the Tate Modern.
Other features of the building will include extensively refurbished cycle parking, changing rooms and electric charging for various modes of transport, as well as facilities for disabled users.
The project will target BREEAM Excellent, Wired Score Platinum, SmartScore, WELL ‘enablement’, in addition to net zero embodied carbon.
Cushman & Wakefield and BH2 have been appointed as marketing agents.
Jack Pugh, director in the Savills London project management team, comments: “Moving forward sustainably led refurbishment will be critical to the development of UK commercial office stock and 95 Queen Victoria Street is a great example of repositioning a prime building for a new era.”
Alistair Brown, Head of Lease Transactions & Advisory UK at Cushman & Wakefield, adds: “With its environmental credentials, comfortable environment and stunning roof top terrace, this truly is a new style building for a new way of working, creating a destination for users to work and socialise.”
Sam Boreham, Partner at BH2, says: “The incorporation of energy conservation measures and smart technology will generate a proposed 70% saving in embodied CO2 compared with the output from a new build. This will no doubt appeal to occupiers who continue on their flight to quality.”
