High-Rise Refurbishment in London
Since 1961, the Empress State Building by Stone, Toms and Partners near the Earl’s Court exhibition centre has been a landmark of west London. Up to 1998, the tower was used by the Ministry of Defence. In 2001, Wilkinson Eyre were commissioned to refurbish the building. Not even the tragedy of 11 September in the US could jeopardize this high-rise block; for if one had sought to replace it, only a much smaller floor area would have been allowed. Furthermore, the reinforced concrete structure, with a central core and three outer cores, is extremely robust, and the plan form allows a flexible spatial division. A number of features such as the marble-clad columns in the foyer and the stone cladding to the outer cores were retained.
