2-4 Kingly Street
- Client: Shaftesbury Capital
- Architect: Rolfe Judd Architecture
- Contacts: John Osborn, Jan Donovan
- LPA: City of Westminster
The redevelopment of 1-4 Kingly Street and 3 Kingly Court involves the refurbishment and extension of four buildings, with the aim of creating unified, high-quality office spaces on the upper floors while retaining the bar and restaurant uses of the ground floor and basement.
The existing primary street facades were retained as part of the development, helping to preserve the appearance of the Kingly Street frontage and character of the wider Soho Conservation Area. The roof and rear infill extensions provides an uplift in office floor space and improves the overall usability of the upper floors. The extensions created a series of terraces that will act as valuable outdoor amenity spaces for future office users. These elements were sensitively designed to ensure that they would not be visible from street level along both Kingly Street and the Kingly Court passage.

The works focused on enhancing the quantity and quality of office space, responding to the needs of the Carnaby Estate by upgrading the existing buildings to contemporary standards. A key driver was the desire to provide level access throughout by introducing a new lift core and levelling the floor slabs which was challenging given the variety of façade styles across the site. Bi-folding and large sash window shop fronts at the ground floor have been replaced to harmonise with the urban environment, blurring the lines between internal and external dining and maximising natural ventilation where possible.
As well as the physical alterations to the building, this development also involved the change of use of the upper floors of 2 Kingly Street from low quality residential HMO use. To secure this change of use, a land use swap between donor sites 37 Marshall Street and 2 Ganton Street was achieved. As a result of this land use swap, two high quality permanent residential dwellings were secured within the local area. Furthermore, the land use swap also resulted in retaining the same quantum of office floor space within the CAZ designation, as well as delivering a more usable and higher quality space.


In terms of sustainability, the design incorporated energy efficiency measures following the ‘Lean, Clean and Green’ principles of the London Plan. These include enhancements to the building’s thermal performance, high-performance glazing, and the selection of efficient plant systems. Heat recovery, improved air and water distribution, and the use of daylight dimming systems reduce energy consumption. Air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels contribute to the building’s overall energy efficiency while the new terraces, living wall and meadow grade green roof provide a much-needed ecological uplift. The existing end of journey facilities have been enhanced and additional cycle parking spaces were provided to promote active travel opportunities for the future end users.
