{"id":647144,"date":"2026-08-20T11:33:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T11:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/647144\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T11:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T11:33:14","slug":"foster-partners-plans-to-retrofit-westminster-offices-for-us-tech-billionaire-approved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/647144\/","title":{"rendered":"Foster + Partners\u2019 plans to retrofit Westminster offices for US tech billionaire approved"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scheme has been designed for the Ellison Institute of Technology<\/a> (EIT), which was set up by Larry Ellison \u2013 co-founder of tech giant Oracle \u2013 who bought the 11-12 St James\u2019s Square buildings from Chinese Estates\u00a0for \u00a3163 million in late 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Given the scheme their approval in a unanimous vote on Tuesday (18 August), Westminster Council Planning Committee councillors praised the scheme for its \u2018innovative\u2019 design while expressing support for a new cutting-edge tech facility in the heart of the borough.<\/p>\n

Foster + Partners\u2019 plans will retrofit the existing historic buildings and demolish features such as a 1980s rear extension, while retaining 66 per cent of the existing structures overall.<\/p>\n

A consultation<\/a> on the plans, first launched earlier this year<\/a>, said the 18th and 19th century buildings had become outdated and had been upgraded poorly, with low-quality modern elements undermining their heritage features.<\/p>\n

Committee chair councillor Jim Glen described the proposal as a \u2018very interesting and innovative\u2019 project as well as a \u2018huge improvement\u2019 on the existing site.<\/p>\n

Number 11 St James\u2019s Square was built by Benjamin Timbrell in 1736. Its fa\u00e7ade was altered in 1774 and a new balcony and porch installed in 1877. The original No 12 was constructed in 1674 before being demolished and rebuilt by Thomas Cubbitt in 1836.<\/p>\n

The buildings were amalgamated from 1965 onwards, with demolition work at the back taking place before a new office extension was built to link them. In 1987 a six-storey residential extension was added.<\/p>\n

The consented plans will see a modern two-storey extension at the rear of number 12 demolished and the removal of its modern core, which will help uncover and restore historic fa\u00e7ades at number 11.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Foster + Partners\u2019 11-12 St James\u2019s Square, proposed cross section<\/p>\n

Source: Foster + Partners<\/p>\n

A new rear fa\u00e7ade \u2018that responds to and enhances the character of the site and surrounding Conservation Area\u2019 will be created, along with a revamp of the buildings\u2019 roofs.<\/p>\n

Other plans include fa\u00e7ade restoration with \u2018accurate paint tones\u2019 to match the original Georgian appearance.<\/p>\n

The practice also got approval to: reinstate laylights in their original design and position and remove an unsympathetic skylight at number 12, replacing it with a historically correct fanlight; remove 1990s fibreglass statues and replace them with Coade stone ones; and to remove modern and inappropriate materials from its roof and replace them with Flemish bond brickwork.<\/p>\n

Design documents state the project will create \u2018high-quality, heritage-led refurbishment\u2019, delivering a \u2018modern, flexible office environment while enhancing the building\u2019s historic character\u2019.<\/p>\n

The goal for EIT is to use the office as a \u2018flagship space\u2019 that can help attract and retain the best talent while offering a collaborative environment and seeking to \u2018inspire those who work in or visit the building\u2019.<\/p>\n

Donald Insall Associates is acting as heritage consultant on the job and Avison Young as planning consultant.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Piercy&Company, working with Purcell, submitted plans for a refurbishment of the buildings, including improved entrances, for then backer Knightlights Property International. The application<\/a> was later withdrawn.<\/p>\n

EIT was set up by US tech billionaire Ellison \u2013 briefly the richest man in the world \u2013 to \u2018solve pressing challenges\u2019 in the science and tech fields, including in health, medical science, food security, clean energy and AI.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Foster + Partners\u2019 second phase plans for Ellison Institute of Technology campus (October 2025)<\/p>\n

Source: Foster and Partners <\/p>\n

Its main UK base is in Oxford, and it opened a London office at 11-12 St James\u2019s Square in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Foster + Partners<\/a> is already working with the EIT on major new laboratories at the Oxford Science Park<\/a>, and unveiled plans for a second phase of development on nearby land last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The campus extension proposals include a new train station at Littlemore on the Cowley branch line.<\/p>\n

Westminster Council adopted a retrofit first policy at the start of this year, requiring developers to fully explore \u2018all reasonable options for retrofitting and adapting existing buildings before seeking permission for demolition and redevelopment\u2019.<\/p>\n

The move came six and a half years after the AJ launched its climate-focused RetroFirst campaign<\/a> for the reuse of existing buildings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The scheme has been designed for the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), which was set up by Larry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[267],"tags":[365,362,363,364,273806,366,18,117,7264,19,17,2791,142891],"class_list":["post-647144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-city-of-westminster","tag-design","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-foster-partners","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-office","tag-retrofit"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117127624985605492","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}