170 Piccadilly
The sensitive refurbishment of a Grade II listed building, maximising contemporary office space while retaining its historic character. Working with GPE, Elliott Wood developed a structural strategy that increased lettable floor area, improved the building's performance and supported long-term use.
Through detailed investigations and on-site testing, we established where the existing structure could be retained and adapted rather than replaced. This reduced unnecessary intervention, minimised embodied carbon and helped unlock additional value from the building.
- Architect
- dMFK Architects
- Client
- GPE
- Location
- London, UK
Awards
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2026 BCO London Award - Best Project up to 2,500m²
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2026 Mix Awards - Project of the Year Workplace Interiors 35-70k sq ft
History & Context
Originally built in 1905, 170 Piccadilly has evolved over more than a century to meet changing commercial demands. The wider site comprises three Grade II listed buildings — Egyptian House, Dudley House and Foxglove House — which form GPE's Piccadilly Estate.
Successive refurbishments had introduced layers of alteration, leaving the buildings with a series of structural and heritage constraints while masking much of their original quality and character.
GPE set out to bring the three buildings together as a single, high-quality workplace, making better use of the existing structures rather than relying on extensive replacement. Elliott Wood joined the team to develop a structural strategy that supported this vision, balancing commercial ambition with careful stewardship of the historic fabric.
Impact
Around 25m² of additional floor area was created on every level, increasing the building's commercial value without extending its footprint.
Targeted investigations and load testing meant the structure was only strengthened where necessary, reducing programme risk, cost and embodied carbon.
Our Approach
Unlocking hidden capacity
Working within an occupied Grade II listed building, we undertook detailed structural investigations and targeted on-site load testing to understand the true capacity of the existing structure. This allowed us to challenge assumptions, respond to unforeseen conditions and retain more of the existing building, rather than defaulting to strengthening or replacement.
The approach unlocked approximately 25m² of additional usable floor area on every level, delivering measurable commercial value for GPE while reducing disruption and unnecessary material use.
A key example was the proposed ground-floor restaurant, where targeted testing demonstrated that the existing filler joist floors could safely accommodate the increased loading. This avoided extensive strengthening works and helped keep the project on programme.
Upgrading a historic building for modern occupiers
The project required significant upgrades to meet the expectations of a contemporary workplace. Our structural interventions included a new landscaped terrace at Level 1, infilling existing lightwells to create additional office accommodation, a dedicated plant deck at Level 7, and alterations to the historic mansard roof to accommodate a new lift overrun.
We also integrated new roof-level plant and building services with minimal structural intervention, enabling the building to meet modern standards for ventilation, air quality, electrical infrastructure and energy performance while respecting the constraints of the Grade II listed structure.
Working around occupation
Delivering the new landscaped terrace presented a significant construction challenge, with the majority of the ground-floor and basement retail units remaining fully operational throughout the works.
Close collaboration with the contractor and wider design team enabled construction to be carefully sequenced, allowing GPE's vision for the terrace to be realised while minimising disruption to tenants and maintaining day-to-day operation of the building.
