A new generation low-carbon workplace
Commercial
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Stonecutter is the first of a new generation of office buildings in the City of London to directly respond to the evolving needs of modern workplaces: the need for healthy spaces, a high level of adaptability and life-enhancing amenities that complement today’s new work-life routines. The mission was a low carbon building people want to work in, as refined as the cut gems of the nearby jewellery quarter.
Julian Sharpe, Principal Director
Developed by CO-RE, the scheme spans an entire block within the Fleet Street Quarter, an evolving district between Farringdon and St Paul’s Cathedral. Each elevation responds to a different context: to the east, the busy thoroughfare of Farringdon Street; to the north and south, remnants of the City’s ancient network of pedestrian streets. There was also the challenge of conserving the setting of a Grade II-listed pub, which had stood on the site for three centuries.
The design resolves the change in scale and navigates view corridors by stepping down from 13 storeys to meet Farringdon Street with a modest seven storeys. The roof line of the brick pub is carried into the podium’s stone soffit to tie together old and new. Behind this, a pocket park with a glass pavilion brings a moment of peace to the City and makes a lasting contribution to its civic life.
The ground floor integrates a coffee bar, town hall space, art gallery and seating areas with a practical dual reception, and leads up to a podium level featuring a business. These lower levels are highlighted by faceted glazing, a reference to the jewels in the vaults of nearby Hatton Garden. Above, the light-filled, open office floors are organised around a central core for flexibility, and at each setback, extend outside into roof terraces with exceptional city views.
The project’s ‘whole life cycle’ approach to energy demonstrates how low carbon doesn’t have to mean sacrificing high performance. Stonecutter is the first office building to reach the City of London’s ‘Aspirational’ target for as-built embodied carbon, with upfront emissions lower than any other major new building constructed in the City since the 2022 assessments came into force.
Through advanced construction and energy conservation strategies, including reusing existing foundations, the project saved an estimated 2,600 tonnes of CO2 and aligns with BREEAM and WELL certifications. But the work doesn’t stop there, as smart technology collates energy data, allowing occupiers to monitor and manage their own emissions, as green roofs nurture biodiversity.
Stonecutter is a glimpse into the future of the office: rich in amenities, low carbon and designed around real needs – and in a competitive, changing City market, a new building that was fully let prior to completion demonstrates the value of considered, purposeful design.
