The Art’Otel mixed-use development, located in the vibrant area of Old Street, Central London, is set to redefine the city’s skyline and urban landscape. With its 26-storey tower and an adjoining 6-storey wing block, this ambitious development brings together a unique blend of retail, commercial, and hotel spaces under one roof. Spanning over an area of 2,000m² of retail, 6,500m² of commercial space, and an impressive 21,000m² dedicated to hotel facilities, Art’Otel will not only be a prominent landmark in the area but also a vibrant hub for business, tourism, and leisure.

This project, developed by Gear Construction and designed by Squire and Partners, reflects the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of London’s urban environment. The design of the Art’Otel incorporates a complex and innovative structural approach, allowing for flexible use of space across the building’s multiple floors. The tower will be a mix of retail, commercial offices, and a hotel, each with its own unique design and functionality.

Project Overview: Creating a Multifunctional Urban Hub

The Art’Otel development is an exciting new addition to London’s ever-growing skyline, set to provide a combination of retail, commercial, and hotel spaces within a single integrated structure. The main tower, which will rise 26 storeys, will house a variety of uses across different floors, providing spaces optimized for their respective functions.

Key features of the development include:

  • Retail Spaces (2,000m²): The ground level and lower floors of the tower will feature 2,000m² of retail space. These areas will accommodate a variety of shops, restaurants, and other commercial outlets, contributing to the local economy and enhancing the urban experience for both residents and visitors.
  • Commercial Offices (6,500m²): Above the retail areas, the development will include 6,500m² of commercial office space. Designed with the needs of modern businesses in mind, the office floors will offer flexible layouts, state-of-the-art facilities, and stunning views over London, making the building a highly desirable location for office tenants.
  • Hotel (21,000m²): The top floors of the tower will be dedicated to the Art’Otel hotel, providing 21,000m² of luxury accommodation. Designed to cater to both business and leisure travellers, the hotel will feature high-end amenities, including restaurants, a spa, meeting rooms, and panoramic views of the London skyline.

The integration of these various uses within a single tower structure presents both opportunities and challenges for the design team, especially in terms of optimizing the structural grid and floor layouts to accommodate the different functions. Each floor’s structural design has been customized to support its specific use, whether it’s retail, office, or hotel. This flexible approach ensures that the development maximizes the available space while maintaining the highest standards of design and functionality.

Challenges: Navigating Logistics and Site Constraints

The site’s central London location, specifically in the Old Street area, presents several logistical challenges that have influenced the design and construction strategy. One of the major constraints is the excavation of a 4-storey basement that occupies the entire footprint of the site. Excavating such a large basement in a dense, urban environment requires meticulous planning and coordination, not only to ensure the safety of the construction process but also to minimize disruption to the surrounding area.

The site’s proximity to active roads, rail lines, and other infrastructure adds complexity to the excavation and construction phases. In particular, the team had to coordinate with Council Highways and Transport for London (TFL) to mitigate any potential impact on traffic and public transport. This involved detailed planning of traffic management, pedestrian flow, and careful scheduling to avoid peak hours and minimize disruptions to local residents and businesses.

The excavation of a 4-storey basement is a significant engineering feat in itself, requiring robust shoring techniques and careful consideration of surrounding structures. The basement will occupy the entire footprint of the site, housing key facilities such as parking, service areas, and storage. Special care has been taken to ensure that the excavation does not compromise the structural integrity of adjacent buildings or the surrounding infrastructure.

Structural Innovation: Optimizing the Grid for Multiple Uses

The development’s structural design is one of its most innovative aspects. With multiple functions housed under one roof, the structural grid needed to be carefully optimized for each use across the building’s 26 storeys. This involved using a combination of transfer structures and column-free spaces to ensure that each floor could be adapted for its intended use.

The retail floors require large, open spaces with clear sightlines to create an inviting, flexible retail environment. For the commercial office floors, the grid was optimized to provide the flexibility to accommodate both open-plan and partitioned layouts for tenants. The hotel floors, on the other hand, required a more specialized approach, with the grid adapted to accommodate the needs of hotel rooms, suites, and communal areas such as lobbies and restaurants.

The integration of multiple levels of transfer was key to making this complex arrangement work. The building’s core structure had to support the different loads from the various functions while allowing for the flexibility needed to create distinct zones within the tower. This approach ensures that the design is both efficient and adaptable, allowing for the building to function as a truly mixed-use space.

Building Services: Delivering High-Performance Facilities

In addition to the structural challenges, the building services design was crucial to the success of the project. The development required state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) systems to support the diverse uses across the building. Meinhardt, providing Building Services Engineering, designed these systems with a focus on energy efficiency, sustainability, and comfort for both residents and tenants.

Mechanical Systems

  • The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were designed to provide consistent, energy-efficient temperature control across the various uses in the building, from the commercial office spaces to the luxury hotel floors.

Electrical Systems

  • The electrical systems needed to support a range of functions, from lighting and communications systems in the office spaces to the specialized lighting and electrical requirements in the hotel.

Vertical Transportation

  • Given the height of the tower, vertical transportation was an important consideration. A combination of high-speed elevators and service lifts was designed to ensure that both residents, hotel guests, and office workers could move efficiently through the building.

Sustainability: Meeting Modern Environmental Standards

Sustainability is a cornerstone of the Art’Otel development. The building’s design incorporates energy-efficient systems such as LED lighting, heat recovery HVAC systems, and rainwater harvesting. The development is also seeking to meet high sustainability ratings, including BREEAM certification, which is the leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure, and buildings.

With a strong focus on reducing the building’s carbon footprint and ensuring the long-term viability of the project, Art’Otel is being designed with green building practices in mind, setting a high bar for future developments in Central London.

Conclusion: A New Icon for London’s Skyline

The Art’Otel mixed-use development is an ambitious project that will contribute significantly to the revitalization of the Old Street area in Central London. With its combination of retail, commercial, and hotel spaces, and its innovative structural and engineering solutions, the development promises to be both a functional and iconic addition to the London skyline.

Despite the logistical and structural challenges posed by the site, including the excavation of a large basement and the integration of the existing urban infrastructure, the project is poised to deliver a world-class mixed-use development that will cater to a diverse range of needs and create a dynamic new space in one of London’s most rapidly evolving districts.

With its sustainable design, state-of-the-art facilities, and a carefully crafted architectural vision, Art’Otel will undoubtedly become a landmark destination for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.