Faryners House

Fletcher Priest Architects

• Architects

The design will see Faryners House, an outdated and disused 1970s office building located at 25 Monument Street at the intersection of Botolph Street and Pudding Lane, redeveloped to create modern, sustainable workspace with garden terraces, shared public amenities and a cultural offering.
Named after Thomas Farriner, whose bakery on Pudding Lane was the starting point for the Great Fire of London in 1666, Faryners House will enhance the attractiveness of this historic location and Grade 1 listed Monument. There has been a significant focus on improving accessibility and growing the historical understanding of the Monument and its location.

Conceptually, the new building comprises a sculptural ten-storey central cube with an enveloping spiral of garden terraces over six levels starting on Pudding Lane and stepping down towards the Monument. The central volume steps back along Monument Street and Botolph Lane to respect the sensitivity of the views to and from the Monument as well as the proximity to its neighbours. An inaccessible garden on the eastern edge of the building provides enhanced privacy for the residential neighbours, who have been carefully consulted throughout the project. The development aims to re-establish, in part, the vision of the original piazza.
The streetscape will be opened and improved for a better pedestrian experience. A new south-west facing pocket square with seating and planting on the corner of the building addresses The Monument and will serve as the entrance to the workplace. The hostile frontage of the existing building has been softened by the removal of the defensive perimeter trench and the introduction of level thresholds to all sides of the development.

Fletcher Priest Architects has taken a contextual approach to the building’s external treatment. The envelope design creates a dialogue with The Monument, with feature columns expressed externally across the facade. The different column conditions and depth of projections respond to the building’s orientation and sun exposure. Upstands provide privacy along the narrow lanes and strike a balance between solidity and glazing to achieve exceptional performance objectives. The design of the facade modules is kept consistent thus developing a kit of parts to streamline construction and installation processes. The use of precast masonry prioritises longevity, energy efficiency, and adaptability to evolving environmental conditions. This approach affords opportunities for intricate and subtle coloured aggregates and textures and establishes a distinct demarcation between elements designed for extended lifespans of 120+ years and those requiring regular maintenance and replacement.
In creating a new energy efficient building, Fletcher Priest Architects has sought to minimise upfront carbon emissions. This has involved retaining the existing basement of Faryners House, which preserves 30% of the mass of the current building. The redevelopment is targeting top sustainability certifications, including BREEAM ‘Outstanding’.

Cladding depths have been designed to provide optimum shading across each elevation with opening windows providing night purging and daytime natural mixed- mode ventilation. Plantrooms distributed on-floor create more energy-efficient floorplates. The all-electric building will use roof-mounted air-source heat-pumps, with decorative enclosures and louvres.
A cycle hub on the ground floor to the north-west corner of the building has level access from the street to improve accessibility and celebrate sustainable, healthy travel across the City and beyond. Shower and change facilities below the cycle parking are on the same level as the ground floor Visitor Centre and café, due to the sloping nature of the site.

Ed Williams, Managing Partner of Fletcher Priest Architects, said: “With support from the city planners and our client, we are delighted with this very contextual and cultural building celebrating this hugely significant site. Faryners House continues our passion for low energy, long-lasting and high-quality design appealing to the senses with six new gardens, a pocket square, fresh air, daylight and wonderful garden views for everyone. One of my grandchildren is studying the fire of London at school and is very excited about the new Visitor Centre in grandad’s building.”