100 New Bridge Street

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Gensler transforms a 1990s City of London office into a high-performance commercial building that finds new value in what already exists.

Location

London, England

Client

Helical

Expertise

[FPO] Building Transformation [FPO] Adaptive Reuse [FPO] Cities [FPO] Urban Design [FPO] Climate Action [FPO] Sustainability

Opportunity

An ageing City of London office presented an opportunity to unlock greater commercial, environmental, and urban value without starting again.

Built in 1992, 100 New Bridge Street had reached a point where it needed significant upgrades to meet changing environmental standards and occupier expectations. Rather than demolish and rebuild, Helical saw potential in the existing asset. The challenge was to retain its embodied value while improving performance, increasing usable floor area, and strengthening connections to the surrounding city. The transformation also needed to minimize disruption and create a compelling Grade A workplace capable of attracting a broad range of tenants.

Why This Matters

01
Extending Building Life
Retaining the existing structure preserves embodied value while extending the useful life of a commercial building that had reached the end of its original design cycle.
02
Reducing Carbon Impact
Prioritizing retention over demolition substantially reduces embodied carbon while upgraded façades, services, and passive design measures improve the building's long-term environmental performance.
03
Strengthening City Connections
A relocated entrance, more active street frontage, improved public realm, and new landscape strengthen the building's relationship with pedestrians and its historic surroundings.

We have reimagined the building as a high-quality, future-focused workplace that demonstrates the potential of existing assets to meet modern occupier expectations while supporting the city’s ambitions around sustainability.

Solution

Gensler worked with the building's existing structure, simplifying its form and selectively intervening to improve performance, identity, amenity, and long-term adaptability.

The transformation retains 90% of the existing structure while introducing two additional floors, upgraded building systems, a new high-performance façade, and landscaped terraces. A new chamfered corner establishes a prominent entrance relocating, the building's address facing Ludgate Circus, while a more porous ground floor strengthens connections with the street. Inside, recovered materials reference the site's layered history and reduce demand for new resources. Together, these interventions preserve the building's inherent value while creating flexible Grade A office space designed for changing occupier needs.

From brief to build: how careful analysis, selective intervention, and material reuse transformed an ageing office while preserving the value already embedded within it.

Design development began by understanding what should stay, what needed to change, and how the building could respond more closely to its context. Studies tested massing, façade performance, arrival, landscape, and material recovery before the team developed targeted interventions. Early contractor involvement and material audits identified opportunities for reuse, while research into the site's layered history informed an enduring architectural language. This iterative process allowed environmental performance, commercial value, and character to develop together rather than as separate design priorities.

Connecting Old and New

Façade studies balanced retained brickwork with new materials and articulation to create continuity between the existing building and its transformation.

Impact

100 New Bridge Street shows how adaptive reuse can turn an existing office building into a sustainable, experience-led workplace destination.

The repositioned building improves workplace quality, reduces material waste, and creates a more efficient, wellness-focused commercial asset for central London.

What Changed Because of This

01
Material Value
Existing components gained a second life through retention and reuse, including granite reclad within the lobby and thousands of square metres of ceiling tiles.
02
Workplace Quality
Flexible Grade A floorplates, improved daylight and views, end-of-journey facilities, and four landscaped terraces create a healthier and more adaptable workplace.
03
Urban Connection
A prominent new entrance, more transparent frontage, retail activation, and public realm improvements give the building a clearer presence within the city.

100 New Bridge Street demonstrates how adaptive reuse can shape London’s workplace future, retaining existing structures to reduce embodied carbon and create flexible, sustainable environments.

Recognition

01

Design Insider

Gensler completed a sustainable retrofit of 100 New Bridge Street, retaining 90% of the structure and delivering 195,000 square feet of flexible City of London workspace.

Team

Project Leadership

Valeria Segovia

Valeria is Managing Director and Principal at Gensler Madrid. She has more than 20 years’ experience helping clients transform and reposition existing assets to create long-term value. Her expertise spans adaptive reuse, workplace and sustainable design, with a focus on design strategies that balance commercial, environmental and human priorities.

[FPO] Caroline Koo

Placeholder for office leadership name "Caroline Koo" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

[FPO] Matthew Holt

Placeholder for office leadership name "Matthew Holt" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

Richard Harrison

As a Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s London office, Richard Harrison brings over 20 years of experience as an architect with strong expertise covering mixed use developments, commercial office buildings, tall buildings, and repositioning projects.

FAQ

01

Where is 100 New Bridge Street located?

100 New Bridge Street is in the City of London, close to Ludgate Circus and St. Paul's Cathedral.

02

Who designed 100 New Bridge Street?

Gensler led the repositioning of 100 New Bridge Street, transforming the existing 1990s commercial building for client Helical.

03

What type of project is 100 New Bridge Street?

100 New Bridge Street is a building transformation and adaptive reuse project that converts an existing commercial office into flexible Grade A workspace.

04

What makes the project sustainable?

The project retains 90% of the existing structure and reuses building materials and components, reducing the carbon associated with demolition and new construction.

05

How does the project use circular design principles?

Existing materials were assessed for retention, reuse, repurposing, redistribution, or recycling, with 95% of construction waste targeted for reuse, recovery, and recycling.

06

What changed for building users?

Landscaped terraces, improved daylight and views, mixed-mode ventilation, cycle facilities, showers, and changing spaces support healthier daily routines and active travel.

Related Work

project

10 Gresham Street

10 Gresham Street is an adaptive-reuse project that enhances well-being and sustainability by bringing new life to old bones in the City of London.

project

The Acre

Gensler transformed a former inward-looking bank into a sustainable workplace that preserves its character while reconnecting the building with the surrounding neighbourhood.

project

110 The Queens Walk

Gensler is transforming London’s former City Hall into an open, low-carbon destination that reconnects workplaces, public life, landscape, and the River Thames.

project

[FPO] The Goodsyard

Placeholder — not migrated yet.

Related Expertise

Building Transformation Adaptive Reuse Cities Urban Design Climate Action Sustainability

Gensler transforms a 1990s City of London office into a high-performance commercial building that finds new value in what already exists.

An ageing City of London office presented an opportunity to unlock greater commercial, environmental, and urban value without starting again.

Why This Matters

Gensler worked with the building's existing structure, simplifying its form and selectively intervening to improve performance, identity, amenity, and long-term adaptability.

From brief to build: how careful analysis, selective intervention, and material reuse transformed an ageing office while preserving the value already embedded within it.

100 New Bridge Street shows how adaptive reuse can turn an existing office building into a sustainable, experience-led workplace destination.

What Changed Because of This