HM Treasury
Transforming an Edwardian labyrinth to provide a contemporary workspace
The 1.2m sq ft redevelopment of HM Treasury involved the creation of a light, airy, open-plan environment fostering more effective communication within Civil Service offices. The project also involved restoring areas of Winston Churchill’s underground wartime Cabinet Rooms, trebling the museum’s size.
Key to creating an open-plan environment for staff was the creative approach to using the 9 lightwells of the existing building. Some were covered, incorporating them into the building to improve circulation and occupational efficiency; others were treated as landscape courtyards providing break-out space for employees. In Churchill’s War Rooms, the restoration opened up parts of the nerve centre of World War II military planning to the public for the first time.
The project involved working closely with heritage groups on the Grade I-listed building. It won Best Design PFI Project at the Public Private Finance Awards and was the BCO’s National Winner for Refurbished Workplace in 2003.
This project was undertaken by the Exchequer Partnership comprising Bovis Lend Lease, Waterman Group, Chesterton International, and Jaros Baum & Bolles.
Use
Workplaces, Cultural
Role
Design, Build, Originate
Status
In Use
Duration
2000 to 2004
Partners
Exchequer Partnership
Architect
Location
Whitehall, London
Gross area
1,200,000 Square Foot