The Northcliffe, a Grade II listed landmark on Tudor Street in the City of London, once housed the headquarters and print works of the Daily Mail. Situated near Fleet Street, the building has been thoughtfully reimagined by architects JRA to appeal to tenants from the insurance, legal, fintech, social media, and technology sectors.
Originally constructed in the 1920s and redeveloped in 2001, the project carefully preserves the Daily Mail’s historic facades while introducing expanded office space across the top three floors. The retrofit enhances functionality with a reconfigured atrium, incorporating amenity areas, breakout spaces, and a café to foster a dynamic work environment.
With a BREEAM Outstanding rating and an EPC B certification, the Northcliffe exceeds RIBA’s 2030 embodied energy emissions targets.
Key enhancements include the preservation of the original façades alongside the expansion of office space on the upper floors. To improve accessibility, the main entrance has been relocated, leading into a revitalized reception area with inviting lounge spaces, a library, and a quiet room. The atrium has been elegantly upgraded, maintaining much of its original glazing while integrating new elements such as scenic lift cars and office floor projections, all seamlessly connected by a refurbished gantry.
Drawing inspiration from the 1920s, the reception and lounge feature bold geometric patterns, complemented by EPD-certified terrazzo flooring supplied by Opera Group. The striking entrance, with its intricate geometric-patterned terrazzo floor, creates a memorable first impression.
Designed with a post-pandemic future in mind, JRA has reimagined the Northcliffe by honoring its heritage while incorporating forward-thinking features throughout the office space. The transformation delivers 186,700 sq ft of retrofitted workspace, seamlessly blending sustainability with its post-industrial character.
The design prioritizes flexibility and well-being, offering diverse workspaces, adaptable layouts for social distancing, touch-free technology, and ample access to fresh air and natural light. Enhancing the experience further, three newly landscaped roof terraces provide outdoor amenities while fostering biodiversity for future tenants.
Addressing the climate crisis
A Life Cycle Assessment revealed that preserving the superstructure and building fabric reduced potential global warming impact by 53% compared to demolition. Sustainability was further enhanced with the addition of 40m² of solar panels, 9,800 sq ft of landscaped terraces featuring biodiverse planting, and 345 cycle spaces complemented by premium end-of-trip facilities. The building operates entirely on renewable energy, diverts all waste from landfills, and achieves over 55% greater water efficiency.
Key technologies and environmental features
- Air source heat pumps and heat recovery chillers using low-GWP refrigerants R32 and R454B, powering an all-electric building.
- Real-time air quality monitoring with BMS-linked CO2 sensors on all office floors.
Social sustainability
Prioritizing social sustainability, the project engaged businesses, residents, and City Corporation officers to ensure the design enhances its surroundings while preserving key sightlines. The revitalized Northcliffe now offers a café, a retail unit, and cycle parking, alongside improved lighting for artwork illustrating the newspaper industry's evolution. A dedicated ground-floor exhibition highlights the building’s rich history, reinforcing its role within the City of London and the Fleet Street BID.
Inclusive design and well-being
Designed to accommodate neurodiverse users, the building integrates a variety of work and amenity spaces, including lounge areas, a library, and a quiet room. Acoustic treatments in the reception and ceilings minimize noise disruption, while an extended atrium maximizes natural daylight and enhances spatial clarity. Open-plan layouts, break-out spaces, and glazed doors improve connectivity, fostering a comfortable and inclusive work environment. On levels five and six, terraces featuring a lush garden wall provide a tranquil backdrop for workspaces.
Inclusive accesibility
The Northcliffe ensures full accessibility with anti-slip circulation routes, step-free access, and lifts serving all floors—including the terraces. The main entrance features wheelchair-friendly bi-parting drum curved sliding doors, while an induction loop at reception and accessible toilets throughout the building enhance usability. Clear signage and wayfinding elements, including contrasting floor materials, high-visibility typography, and color differentiation, guide movement throughout the space.
For safety, three fire escape stairs are equipped with visually contrasting handrails and stair nosing. Wheelchair refuges in each lobby include two-way communication systems, ensuring accessible emergency response measures.
Material innovations
The project prioritized material efficiency by maximizing the retained structure, minimizing alterations, and using a Life Cycle Assessment to reduce embodied carbon through thoughtful material selection. A comprehensive responsible sourcing program ensured that all products aligned with low-carbon objectives, reinforcing the commitment to sustainability.
Durability and natural aesthetics guided the material choices, creating an inspiring and high-quality environment that connects to the natural world. The design incorporates terrazzo tiles embedded with marble chips, engineered oak flooring, and walnut-veneered timber slats on the reception ceiling. Glazed porcelain tiles were selected for their natural color and texture variations, adding richness and depth to the space.
A standout feature is the extensive use of handmade glazed terracotta, a natural raw material abundantly available in the UK. This choice significantly reduces embodied energy and transport emissions while offering exceptional durability and low maintenance. The terracotta’s jewel-toned glazing provides a refined, long-lasting finish in key areas, including lift lobbies, bathrooms, and changing rooms.
For the terraces, the architects opted for Kebony timber benches as a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwoods, which often have a high environmental footprint. Kebony, made from FSC-certified softwood treated with a bio-based waste product, retains the aesthetic appeal of natural timber while offering the strength of hardwood—without the ecological cost.
Collaboration between the ecologist, architect, and landscape designer played a key role in achieving BREEAM ecology credits and implementing ecological enhancements. Positioned in the heart of the city, The Northcliffe is designed to contribute to a future green corridor, fostering biodiversity within the Fleet Street BID regeneration zone—an area currently lacking in both green volume and density.
Words from John Robertson Architects, the lead designers and architects
Etain Fitzpatrick, Director at John Roberston Architects, said: “Our design approach has sought to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, while referring to The Northcliffe’s historic use as a journalistic and publishing hub. It also allows The Northcliffe to adapt to the requirements of the modern, post-pandemic workforce. To achieve this, we have extended two levels without any significant impact on views from street level and have provided a selection of attractive, landscaped external areas where tenants and visitors can meet and enjoy views across the river and towards the City of London.
The Northcliffe’s original structure– based on a steel-clad frame embedded in reconstituted stone and brickwork – has helped to guide our thinking on the refurbishment. This has resulted in a modern, open-plan, and highly sustainable workspace which is still respectful of the original building in its approach, with a strong sense of authenticity. For example, the relationship between the 1920s façade and the floorplates is immediately evident to occupiers. At a granular level, many of the Art Deco and neo-Egyptian architectural features of the original Northcliffe House have been subtly referenced in the geometric patterns and colour schemes used throughout the refurbished building.
The adaptive reuse of buildings once used to produce newspapers is in JRA’s DNA. In the case of The Northcliffe, we have drawn upon our experience of transforming legacy assets to maximise floorplate potential, thereby addressing the rapidly changing requirements of the office market while ensuring that key elements of the building’s original identity are retained.”
