McLaren Construction confirmed for £132m Oxford Street revamp
The London-based organisation have signed a £132m deal to overhaul the flagship House of Fraser department store in London.
Taken hostage by ‘Regent Street disease’ – a condition affecting early 20th century buildings with steel structures clad in masonry – the former House of Fraser department store is set to be turned into a 34,000 sq ft mixed-use development containing retail, office, leisure, and catering elements.
Corrosion of the steel structure has cracked and displaced parts of the stone façade, meaning McLaren will be responsible for repairing the Portland stone façade, reinstating architectural features, and completing the Chapel Place façade.
McLaren have been selected to complete the job as they are already well advanced on the demolition aspects of the scheme.
Although the building is being torn down, some of its materials are being re-used. 11 columns for the fifth floor have been transported across the capital city to be used in another project by the same structural engineer working with a third-party contractor.
Darren Gill, McLaren Construction’s managing director London & South, said: ‘More of these asset repurposing projects are coming through to the market.
‘These are often familiar buildings in prominent locations. They present an opportunity to improve resilience through a variety of new uses – not just for the building, but for the area too.’
‘The construction industry will increasingly need the skills to repurpose historic buildings,’ Darren said. ‘It’s essential if we want to balance the creation of quality spaces with reduced carbon footprints. McLaren’s investment in this expertise is paying off with a raft of high profile cut and carve projects in central London.’
In addition to signing a deal to work on this development, McLaren Construction are also currently renovating the former Topshop flagship store on Oxford Street, which is set to become an Ikea.
Image: McLaren Construction – CGI of refurbished former House of Fraser store
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