Horseferry House, London

Architect	Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Date Built	Built in the 1930s but completely reinvented in 2008
Location	Horseferry Road
Description
Horseferry House started life as a government office building in the 1930s. According to Property Week, it was purchased by Derwent Valley in 2005 and the architectural practice of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris were commissioned to design a major refurbishment of what had become a rather run-down building. The architects say that they, " ... reinvented an existing 1930s government office building to form a contemporary headquarters suitable for a sophisticated client around an exciting space animated by light and movement. The interior of the building was almost entirely removed. During reconstruction, reordering of the internal spaces made an atrium and a courtyard. The building’s original exterior gave it a good street identity and only required small interventions to complement the extensive interior works. The conversion has resulted in 150,000 square feet of flexible and high quality office space." The sophisticated client in question was Burberry. Christopher Bailey, Creative Director of Burberry, is quoted in the February 16, 2009 edition of Vogue as saying about the building that, "I'm very proud of the building, It's such an amazing beacon for our brand. This office became a bit of a labour of love for me and I feel incredibly privileged to have worked on this project with my amazing team." Horseferry House is so much more than a building. It's very symbolic of the company,"