5-7 Carnaby Street
- Client: Shaftesbury Capital
- Architect: Brimelow McSweeney Architects
- Contacts: John Osborn
- LPA: London Borough of Westminster
Located within the Soho Conservation Area, 5–7 Carnaby Street occupies a prominent position in one of Central London’s most vibrant and distinctive destinations. In 2022, planning permission was secured for a new eye-catching green wall and extension of the building.
The proposal placed the green wall at the heart of the architectural and environmental strategy, making use of the building’s west facing facade. It transforms a previously underutilised elevation into a defining feature of the streetscape. It is the first green wall of this scale along Carnaby Street, and it enhances the area’s tradition of bold visual identity, complementing its murals, public art and seasonal installations, while introducing urban greening.
The green wall required close collaboration with specialist planting consultants to develop an appropriate palette of species, integrated irrigation systems and maintenance strategy. The result is seasonally responsive facade that provides biodiversity and urban greening within a dense city environment.
The consented scheme also included the demolition of the existing top floor, previously constrained by limited headroom, and the sensitive construction of two additional storeys with terraces, improving wellbeing for the office users.
The completed development was a finalist in the 2025 British Council for Offices London Awards for Best Recycled/Refurbished Workspace, reflecting the project’s design quality and sustainability-led approach.
