90 Long Acre, London



Architect
Richard Seifert & Partners
Date Built
1982
Location
90 Long Acre
Description
This large office complex near Covent Garden was designed by Richard Seifert and erected in the 1980s.  It occupies a whole block bordered by Endell Street, Shelton Street, Arne Street and Long Acre.  By the 1990s the building was considered to be in need of refurbishment and rebranding and Squire and Partners were commissioned to do the work.  They say of the project that, "The entrance via an external raised piazza on Long Acre was uninviting and detached from the street – the piazza itself was a tired and claustrophobic area while the reception area was low and poorly lit. Squire and Partners was asked to re-evaluate both, as well as refurbishing some 60,000 sq.ft. of office space on five floors vacated by a departing tenant. The client wished to give the building a new image and culture more appropriate to its location. The new double-height reception area has been formed by removing part of the first floor slab, with a simple palette of materials (white plaster, white marble, limestone, timber and stainless steel) used to create an elegant and luminous interior. The piazza has been totally recast, with granite paving, raised planters, low Portland stone walls and appropriate planting to make an inviting preface to the building."