Henry Wood House is a large modernist building extending from the North end of Regent Street to Portland Place. The central tower features restaurants, flexible offices for FORA, and the Treehouse Hotel.

Derwent London commissioned Ben Adams Architects to rejuvenate the facade of this 1960s icon, in parallel with FORA creating a new interior for their workspace. While the building’s structure remained robust after sixty years, its outer envelope had significantly deteriorated, with failing window systems and granite mosaic cladding.

This project posed a complex question: How can we breathe new life into an occupied building by repairing the entire façade, creating a new public realm at the ground floor, and safeguarding the next sixty years of a significant building on the West End skyline?

At ground level, a new public space adds planting, seating, and simplifies arrival at Treehouse Hotel. In an area where public open space is rare, this greener oasis offers a welcome pause in the urban landscape.

New windows enhance the building thermally and acoustically, and a sophisticated render system from Sto secures the existing cladding while providing a new façade that harmonizes with the Regent Street estate. Thousands of meters of vertical incisions and embedded aggregate chips create subtle contrasts, introducing innovative techniques new to the UK. Extensive training from Sto’s continental partners helped push this material in novel ways.

Portland stone end walls and accent bands were preserved, repaired, and cleaned to complement the limestone textured render panels arranged in horizontal and vertical bands.

Throughout the renovation, Treehouse Hotel remained open, with minimal disruption. The contractor maximized working time and minimized interference by installing a carrier board between the existing façade and the new render, significantly reducing the number of fixings required into the concrete frame.

The end result is a pleasing update that secures the longevity of this handsome building at a key gateway to the West End. Completing the project within budget and a month early is a testament to the technical expertise of the project team.

Richard Baldwin, Director of Development at Derwent London, praised the transformation: “Ben Adams Architects, with support from the other consultants and delivery by Knight Harwood, have transformed Henry Wood House into a magnificent landmark in the West End. The project has been delivered within budget, on time, and to the satisfaction of all the occupants of the building.”