City Architecture Forum – Mid Year Review 2026
For those who are unaware, this year marks the 35th anniversary of the City Architecture Forum. This is, of course, a significant milestone and is not only a mark of how well the Forum has endured but also how well it is regarded by both members and guests. This doesn’t mean we have been complacent, indeed, the ever changing environment that is at the heart of our organisation – the City of London itself – almost obliges us to stay fresh and relevant to embrace the ebbs and flows of economics, politics and development, and the associated changes in the property and construction industry. So, what has happened since our Chairman, Andrew Reynolds, provided the last members’ update at the end of 2025? I’m pleased to say we have made excellent progress with several new initiatives – all as part of what we have dubbed ‘CAF 2.0’ – principally developing a wider range of events (talks, tours and site visits) than ever before, a new website that we hope you are experiencing as a substantially better resource, more user friendly and accessible, making applications for events and membership so much more straightforward. I am writing this not long after having joined members and Gwyn Richards (Planning and Development Director) and Tom Nancollas (Assistant Director, Design) of the City Of London Corporation on a walk jointly organised to explore recently completed and upcoming projects in the Holborn and Fleet Valley area of the City (roughly the area bounded by Chancery lane, Holborn, Farringdon Street and Fleet Street), an event which I feel perfectly captures the spirit and essence of the Forum in its newest guise – a collaborative, inclusive fraternity which offers exclusive insights into the best of the City’s architecture presented by key figures invested in its development, and responsible for its stewardship. The positive influence of Jenny Adler-Potts, our Operations Director, and indeed a number of our Committee members, has helped to promote this change and I would encourage you to watch this space for news of upcoming future initiatives, events and activities, with the CAF Annual Dinner 2026 at the Chartered Accountants’ Hall, in Moorgate Place, on Wednesday 11 November as the stand out function in this anniversary year! In the last 6 months we have also launched the Conversazione (In Conversation With) series, the first being compered by Lee Mallett. The idea of this is to invite key figures in our industry to join us for drinks and dinner and a Michael Parkinson (the older generation will know who he is) or Graham Norton (for today’s viewers) style interview/fire side chat to hear their stories, reflections on the City, and their hopes and aspirations for its future in a more intimate and convivial setting. First guest was the renowned journalist and industry commentator, Paul Finch, who had us transfixed with stories of his own beginnings, his love of and involvement with the world of architecture, and his varied activities today. To mark our anniversary, we will be following this up with the rapidly approaching first ever CAF Summer Cocktail Party on 8 July, to be preceded directly by the next Conversazione, which will be – appropriately – with Michael Cassidy, the founding force behind the City Architecture Forum, who has of course enjoyed a long association and involvement with the City, and brought so much that is positive to it. We look forward to the prospect of seeing you there. The next 6 months will be a very busy period for CAF Committee members, who will be preparing a special publication to mark our anniversary. A lot of hard work is going into its design and content, into developing themes and topics with contributors and the editorial team and, of course, securing the necessary sponsorship to make it all happen. It promises to be a worthy successor to the last anniversary publication by the Forum in 2011, City Architecture: Redesigning the City of London 1991-2011. Our aim is to make this a much admired ‘calling card’ for the City’s representatives travelling the UK and the world, promoting its extraordinary architecture, dynamic and progressive energy. These are exciting times ahead for the City and the City Architecture Forum, and we very much hope you and your guests will continue to enjoy the benefits of membership and the unique offering we have.
Tour de force from City’s Planners
CAF’s inaugural planning tour of the intense development activity around Holborn and the Fleet Valley, led by Planning and Development Director Gwyn Richards with Assistant Director (Design) Tom Nancollas, was a sell-out success, evading rain until the last moment. Weaving south from Make Architects’ Holborn Gate scheme for Hoi Hup Realty, through medieval alleys and courts north of Fleet Street, ending up in the Hoop & Grapes on Farringdon Road for drinks and snacks (part of CO-RE’s Stonecutter Court, by TP Bennett), 40 CAF members were regaled with detailed insights into particular schemes and planning issues in this part of the City. The rich diversity of architecture and uses encountered en route, from preserved pubs to student housing (by Dominus), the new law courts and City police headquarters on Fleet Street (designed by Eric Parry Architects), plus many major new and retrofitted office schemes at various stages of evolution, and the conversion of the 40m-deep The London Tunnels, a unique leisure destination, accessed from Furnival Street, told its own tale of the area’s ongoing reinvigoration. Change and growth in the Fleet Valley, and in Holborn, is being helped by the Elizabeth Line station at Farringdon and a looming shortage of Grade A space across the Square Mile, now prompting record new planning applications. This part of the City is clearly rapidly reinventing itself – finally – after the departure of the newspaper industry nearly three decades ago. Design quality, the need for good growth, and the intended relationship with the City’s surrounding heritage and contemporary functions remain uppermost in the City planning team’s mind when it comes to considering a scheme’s merits. The application of visual technology has also evolved as a powerful tool when it comes to envisaging future development in places like the central cluster and the smaller cluster of the Fleet Valley, which it helped reveal the potential for. What was also clear was our guides’ professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment to the City and its evolution for the better, for which Forum members were grateful. CAF hopes this first walking tour sets a precedent that will further enhance understanding of the City’s built environment for all. Watch this space for future announcements.
Three-into-one at Angel Square
Architect AHMM’s reimagining of Angel Square in Islington for US developer Tishman Speyer has quickly attracted tech and social media tenants since its completion in November 2025. It offers a hotel-like welcome in an elegant, animated lobby that includes a new public café and a more direct visual relationship with Upper Street, benefitting from a glazed facade and 1,000 sq ft of extra pavement to ease congestion at the Angel’s traffic pinch point. Frequency Coffee forms part of the main lobby on a lower half level (see pic) as the site slopes down to City Road and is thriving as CAF members discovered on our recent tour, led by project lead and AHMM associate director, Alex Russell. The 200,000 sq ft scheme offers lessons for other new or refurbished office schemes, perhaps especially those in the City. It has a softer less obviously corporate character (including ambient music) that seems an appropriate response to the N1 location but also fits with cultural and generational shifts in expectations from London’s workspace and hotel offerings. Its Post-Modern predecessor, designed by Rock Townsend, offered 77,000 sq ft less workspace inefficiently in three buildings, each with separate cores set around a central court, with blank and fortress-like elevated ground floor facades limiting connections to Upper Street. There was some debate about whether this was worthy of preservation. But Islington planners took the view after detailed consideration, that its PoMo design was not one of the era’s finest and AHMM’s proposal was a worthy replacement. A light-coloured glass-reinforced concrete façade responds to the rhythm of the original structure, while glazed faience elements apply coloured highlights to the grid of the facade, reflecting colours in the nearby Angel context. The ground floor also accommodates the existing Angel underground ticket hall, while the previous central courtyard becomes a new single core for the whole scheme. A new public courtyard is introduced at the scheme’s northern end, linking through to Torrens Street, and providing access to affordable workspaces. The hope is when the adjacent bank hq to the north is redeveloped, more might be made of this new space, which is gated at night. Sitting directly under the LVMF’s protected view from Alexandra Palace to St Paul’s Cathedral, has meant there are spectacular uncluttered 360-degree views from Angel Square’s green and very pleasant 15,000 sq ft roof terrace, shorn of intrusive plantrooms. Like being on a clifftop, but in the heart of the city. Angel Square reinforces how good re-use can be, not just at extending the life of existing buildings, but also in offering more to the building’s new inhabitants, to the public and the surrounding city. That has to be good for all parties, and for Islington. City developers and architects take note. Main contractor: McLaren Planning: DP9 Structure engineer: AKT-II Façade engineer: Eckersley O’Callaghan M&E: Chapman BDSP Project manager: Third London Wall Cost consultant: Core Five Interior design: Michaelis Boyd Photo Credit @Rob Parrish Angel Square, main elevation to Upper Street Frequency Coffee café overlooking Upper Street Main facade detail, with entrance doors Roof terrace with 360-views over the city
Over the tracks at One Liverpool Street
CAF members were very pleased to be able to visit the nearly completed project at 1 Liverpool Street this week. Robert Kennett, Lee Higson and Rupert Willard from Eric Parry Architects together with Ben Stallward from Aviva Investors and Jonathan Emmines, Martin Bailey and Levan Sichinava from Mace gave an informative and interesting tour of the building which displayed their enthusiasm and commitment to the project of which they are justifiably very proud. The building was originally commissioned in 2012 by a joint venture between Aviva Investors and TfL as part of the Crossrail over site programme. Whilst constructing an office building in the City might normally be seen to be a reasonably straight forward task, the constraints associated with this site can be justifiably described as super-complex which has led to one of the most complicated projects ever undertaken in the City. A combination of the Metropolitan Line tunnel, Elizabeth Line tunnels and vent shaft, a sewer, a post-office tunnel, and a City of London utilities tunnel combine to create a spaghetti like configuration which leave just 25% of the site area available for building structure to hit the ground. These constraints have tested the ingenuity of the design team and contractor to the full extent. The site sits at a pivot point between Liverpool Street station with its engineering driven architectural language, Broadgate with its sleek and sophisticated curtain wall skin and the historic character of Finsbury Circus with its grand stone buildings. AVIVA’s building on the site was an unremarkable 1980’s office block which contributed little to the townscape in the area. The scale of recent development and the importance of the location as a key hub in the City map suggested that a building of scale would be appropriate on this site – a view which the City of London recognised and were keen to support. The approach to the design adopted by Eric Parry Architects has been masterful as the building mediates between the engineering driven station spaces and the more traditional Conservation Area. The south and west elevations respond to the surrounding Conservation Area, the west facing elevation closes the vista from Finsbury Circus and views of the elegant elevation can be enjoyed from the Gardens. The north elevation provides an animated backdrop to the newly pedestrianised Liverpool Street, while the east sits as a striking juxtaposition to the building’s four storey public house neighbour. The design is unarguably modern and responds effectively to both the sinuous glazing of 100 Broadgate and the heavy stonework of Finsbury Circus. The painted cast aluminium is an innovative cladding material, and one where the fine detail can be enjoyed and appreciated by both classicists and modernists. The composition of the elevations complies with the rules of good urban design, displaying a strong base, lighter body, an attic storey and a mansard roof. The clever insertion of higher floor to floor dimensions at levels 2 and 7 not only adds subtle finesse to the appearance, particularly at level 7, but also increases the internal ceiling height thereby providing tenants with a variety of floor plates to consider whilst adding further value to those floors. The use of cast aluminium is not common, and several manufacturers were considered before Gartner were chosen to inject some precision German engineering into the process. The painted finish is immaculate and there is absolutely no suggestion that the 9.5m high piers at ground level are anything other than single pieces despite having been welded together. The colour of the cladding is consistent across the whole building as its warm grey tones respond to the Portland stone facades of its neighbours. Given the depth of the façade and fine detail cast into the metal work, the building responds beautifully to changes in light which scatter stunning geometric patterns across its face. Apart from reflections in the triple glazed facade, the only colour on the building is a rich red detail around the ground and first floors which adds a strong and confident element to the composition. The mansard roof form responds to the traditional roofs of the Conservation Area, rather than the more recent Broadgate buildings which introduce stepped terraces. Whilst the materiality at this level is mainly glass and aluminium, wide dormer windows have been introduced which not only introduce a highly articulated roof form, but also minimise the amount of sloped glazing on office floors. Horizontal zig-zag aluminium louvres run between the dormer windows and introduce a visual solidity more associated with mansard roofs, whilst reducing solar gain and allowing longer views from inside the building to be fully appreciated. The cladding was largely unitised with the 6m wide dormer elements being brought to site to be craned into place as single units. Whilst some over site developments display their structure more clearly, 1 Liverpool Street has successfully embedded what is clearly an heroic structure into the building in a discrete and sophisticated way and the design team have created high quality office space in spite of the constraints. The presence of the tunnels immediately below ground level required lifts to upper floors to start at level 1, thereby allowing them to be located in the centre of the office floor plate. The entrance hall on Liverpool Street leads people towards escalators which rise to first floor where a dynamic café area and library will be well-used amenity space. Retail units wrap the rest of the ground floor at pavement level. End of journey facilities are located at first floor with two lifts to transport cycles from pavement level. 10 upper floors of office space wrap around the core which in turn wraps around the TFL vent shaft which rises to level 8 before being capped by the top 3 floors where reconfigured cores help maximise the office floor plates and allow roof terraces to be introduced. The total NIA floor area is 16,825 sq m. The sustainability credentials of the building are comprehensive as might be expected – BREEAM Outstanding, […]
2 Aldermanbury Square
We are sincerely grateful to our hosts and guides, Piers Blewitt, Director of Development Management at Great Portland Estates (GPE), and Artur Carulla, Partner at Allies and Morrison Architects. CAF members and their guests were afforded a rare privilege: visiting the project shortly after practical completion, just days before the end user tenant takes occupancy. Access at this stage has been highly restricted, with even other market agents not yet admitted. On Monday 16 March 2026, the City Architecture Forum hosted a tour of 2 Aldermanbury Square (EC2V 5AU), a major new 320,000 sq ft office development designed by Allies & Morrison and built by Bovis. Fully pre-let to magic circle law firm Clifford Chance, the building replaces City Place House and delivers almost double the previous floor area through a more efficient structural design, increased height and carefully engineered oversailing of the public highway. This new office building replaces an obsolete 1980s office block that was unsuited to contemporary work modes, had poor environmental performance and was cut off from the ancient public realm of the Square Mile. Detailed life cycle analysis concluded that refurbishment would prove more carbon intensive rather than redeveloping the site to ambitious performance standards. So, our response has been to do just that. Carbon neutral, contextually responsive and achieving a WELL Gold standard, we are delivering one of the most environmentally progressive new buildings in the City of London to date. At 13 storeys, it also includes a new pedestrian link into the pedway network that reaches out to the neighbouring Barbican Centre. As a 13-storey structure in the heart of the City, it provides a high-density, modern presence in the City Core, contrasting with the much smaller 8-storey building it replaces. It is described as a “significant addition” to the London skyline, designed with a focus on high-quality, sustainable office space aimed at attracting top-tier occupiers. The project, which serves as the new global headquarters for law firm Clifford Chance, focuses heavily on sustainability, aiming for a “BREEAM Outstanding” rating and a NABERS 5-star rating. The tour began with twenty attendees gathering at the rear of the building on Basinghall Street, where the project team explained how the new structure rises seven metres higher than its predecessor. Rather than traditional demolition, the former building was carefully de-constructed, with its steel frame later reused in another London development—an approach that significantly reduced embodied carbon. Moving into the impressive double-aspect reception, which opens to both London Wall and Aldermanbury Square, the project architect outlined the building’s structural and environmental strategies, including striking inclined columns that support the cantilevered floors above the public realm. The group then travelled to the level 12 roof terrace, where panoramic views across the City skyline, St Paul’s Cathedral and the South Bank provided a dramatic reminder of the building’s prominent setting. Further stops included an unfinished office floorplate—revealing the raw concrete structure, exposed beams and intumescent-painted steel before fit-out—and the basement level, where generous cycle parking, gender-neutral lockers and shower facilities demonstrate the building’s commitment to modern workplace standards. Combining ambitious structural engineering, strong sustainability credentials and new public routes through the site, 2 Aldermanbury Square represents a significant addition to the evolving architecture of the City of London.
Refurbishing retrofit as ‘FutureFit’
Rebranding retrofit as ‘FutureFit’ to generate a more positive, forward-looking image and removing or reducing VAT on refurb projects, with developers incentivised to pursue retrofit first through a reward based planning approach, were suggestions at CAF’s Retrofit at Scale event, hosted by architect and design firm Gensler. Gensler’s Co-Managing Director Richard Harrison welcomed members and guests to the firm’s London office overlooking the City skyline, and where Gensler has been carrying out its own ‘FutureFit’ recycling of the firm’s offices, he said. Harry Cliffe Roberts, Principal and Global Building Transformation Leader, introduced the industry guide Retrofit at Scale, produced in partnership with Opportunity London and launched last year, with a view to unlocking commercial opportunity and capital investment. His presentation framed retrofit not as a niche sustainability agenda, but as a mainstream, investable solution driving long-term value. He shared how Gensler and Opportunity London convened a cross-disciplinary working group to ask a fundamental question: what’s holding retrofit back, and how do we move from ambition to implementation? ‘Wholesale demolition has to be a thing of the past’, he argued, when ‘an era of unbounded authorship’ for architects had come to an end. ‘Why isn’t retrofit the default response?’ he said. There was an issue around ‘behaviours and attitudes, with ‘retrofit’ being regarded as ‘a second-hand product,’ he argued. ‘We have to challenge that. Retro-fit is the wrong term. We need a rebrand.’ Harry introduced his concept of ‘FutureFit’ – a reframing of retrofit as something inherently forward-looking. ‘Why is something so critical to our future branded as rear-facing? While retrofit is one of the most progressive and resilient design strategies available to us, positioning it as FutureFit shifts the mindset – designing with the existing, for the future – but also designing with future changes in mind.’ He explained the guide’s five essential pillars – Design & Delivery, Education, Policy, Behaviour & Attitudes, and Value & Demand – each addressing critical blockers that limit retrofit adoption. From embracing digital tools and shared material hubs, to strengthening industry–academia collaboration, aligning policy frameworks, and redefining how value is measured, the presentation made clear retrofit at scale requires systemic change as much as technical innovation and cultural shift. The guide doesn’t stop at diagnosis. Attendees heard a snapshot of proposed actions to shift the needle. The guide doesn’t have all the answers, but aims to hold space for the conversation – creating a shared framework that enables the industry to tackle these challenges collectively, in tandem and in a common direction. A new model is needed for the industry to operate effectively, and it’s clear that the current frustrations and barriers to adopting reuse stem largely from ambitions clashing with an outdated model. The Q&A was lively, reflecting a shared recognition that while challenges are complex, there is appetite and momentum for change. There was a collective passion to make retrofit happen. Rob McNicol, Assistant Director of Policy and Strategy and Kerstin Kane, Principal Planning Officer (Sustainability) from the City Corporation attending, invited Harry and the audience to consider what future policy incentives could make retrofit a more attractive development pathway and to submit representations on the City’s draft SPD Planning for Sustainability (adopted in February 2025 but to be updated for the new City Plan 2040 due to be adopted this year). This sparked discussion on removing taxation barriers and exploring a credit‑based system – similar to New York’s Local Law 97 – to stimulate innovation and reward more ambitious ‘FutureFit’ schemes. Other points raised were that the new draft NPPF seems to say ‘less about retro-fit than the previous version’. Also, should the RIBA’s Plan of Work, a widely used model for the design and construction process, be changed to include a requirement to consider retrofit? The evening concluded with continued conversations as guests connected across disciplines and perspectives. With the London skyline as a backdrop, the event felt symbolic, overlooking a city full of existing buildings, and an industry increasingly aligned around the opportunity to reimagine them. The blue line shows the decline in emissions required to meet net zero in 2040 Estimated floorspace rated EPC B or above, showing the current rate of retrofit to the target date of 2030 in mid-blue, and the required rate of retrofit to meet EPC B or above
Helical’s 100 New Bridge Street nears completion
CAF members visited the soon-to-be-completed project at 100 New Bridge Street, a retrofit project of an existing building (completed in 1992) to renew the life of the building to meet current tenant requirements and environmental standards. Developed by Helical and Orion, with architects Gensler and main contractor Mace, the project is nearing completion with final finishes and landscaping works underway. Gensler and Mace presented key aspects of the building, including a synopsis of the existing building, described as typical for its era, with good floor-to-ceiling heights, and structural frame, but with the entrance in the wrong place and an uninspiring façade. The building sits over the City Thameslink rail line, so to combat structure-borne vibration it was constructed with spring dampeners at the basement level which isolate the building above. One of the key aspects of the project brief was to not touch the basement or foundation levels. Primary changes to the existing design comprise two additional floors of offices at levels 9 and 10, floor plate extensions to the entire western façade, infilling of previously set-back corners, with additional massing created to the east, and the infill of the existing atrium. These alterations have provided 30,000sqft NIA additional floorspace whilst maintaining compliance with LVMF protected views of St Paul’s. The entrance, formerly in the centre of the main façade, has been repositioned at the north east corner to face towards Ludgate Circus. A garden terrace has been added to provide tenant outdoor amenity space, and the ground floor has been opened up to provide more visual transparency to New Bridge Street and a better arrival experience. Key Aspects of the Project Sustainability & Carbon Performance Construction, innovation and prefabrication Prefab’ strategy expansion Project delivery and outcomes
New embodied-carbon contender for Farringdon
The City may have a contender for best-in-class when it comes to the lowest levels of embodied carbon for a new building.
One Leadenhall Street Event Review
Yesterday’s journey through One Leadenhall Street was nothing short of architectural poetry in motion.
City Architecture Forum: Annual Dinner 5 November 2025
Read the report on our Annual Dinner 2025 with guest speaker Tom Sleigh, Chair of the City’s Planning and Transportation Committee, and Robin Dobson, CEO of Platform4
Reflections on the Talk: 85 Gracechurch Street
Architecture is at its most compelling when it not only responds to context but actively reshapes it, carrying the past into the present while opening doors to the future. Last Tuesday’s talk on 85 Gracechurch Street delivered on this, offering an inspiring glimpse into a landmark scheme that sits at the meeting point of ancient history, London’s history and forward-looking design.