Tower Hamlets Town Hall
Adaptive reuse of the Royal London Hospital into a civic centre.
When the London Borough of Tower Hamlets sought to consolidate their offices and create a welcoming, accessible community hub in the heart of the borough, the former Royal London Hospital building in Whitechapel offered the perfect setting.
Architectural heritage and modern design and materials meet in the refurbishing of this historic landmark building dating back to the 1750s. The 30,000 m2 structure underwent a massive makeover, resulting in the consolidation of several of the town council’s offices in one centralised, accessible location, providing a range of public services to borough residents.
Designed with architects AHMM, the project comprised a complicated refurbishment of the existing building, along with the construction of a new, exposed RC-frame extension to create a landmark Town Hall. Providing structural and civil engineering services, we prioritised sustainability and minimal intervention throughout the design, devising intelligent solutions to attenuate the impact of any additional load on the existing infrastructure of, and around, the site.
Open from 27th February 2023, the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building is an important investment in one of London’s most deprived boroughs. Delivering much-needed public resources for residents, the building is a new civic hub that preserves important architectural heritage.
- Architect
- Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
- Client
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Location
- London
Impact
Our work strengthened the building’s foundations with a minimally invasive design. This allowed us to highlight the structure’s original architecture whilst respecting the cultural value for generations to come.
The 320,000 residents of the borough now have 30,000 m2 of revamped space for administrative services in a building that has been serving Whitechapel for nearly three centuries.
Open from 27th February 2023, the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building is an important investment in one of London’s most deprived boroughs. Delivering much-needed public resources for residents, the building is a new civic hub that preserves important architectural heritage.
After complex negotiations with Transport for London, the internal structure of the existing Grocer's Wing building was removed and replaced with a lightweight steel frame onto the existing foundations and load-bearing retained façade.
This approach allowed the new loads to be balanced with the existing loads onto the tunnel structure below, resulting in negligible load change to the tunnel. The ground floor level of the existing retained façade was removed and replaced with a series of slim steel-blade columns supporting the existing structure above. This resulted in a bespoke, visually minimal structure that acts as a dramatic new entrance to the town hall.
On the ground floor, a large 18m by 18m grillage of transfer beams spans the column-free space of the new Council Chamber. The grillage supports the 6-storey columns of the office space above. This solution, which required in situ concrete pouring, was so complicated it required a mock-up.
Awards
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2024 Civic Trust Award
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2024 Civic Trust Special Award for Reuse and Adoption
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2024 The Pineapples Creative Retrofit Winner
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2023 Government Property Award - Property of the Year
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2023 WAF Award - Highly Commended, Civic and Community
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2023 IStructE Structural Awards - Shortlist
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2023 BCO South of England & South Wales Commercial Workplace Winner
History & Context
First established in 1740 as the London Infirmary, the London Hospital began operations in its Whitechapel location in 1757. For over two centuries, it expanded health services and added departments until it became the largest voluntary general hospital in the UK.
In 2014, the Royal London Hospital closed and fell into disrepair. Tower Hamlets Council purchased the site and saved the building, transforming it into the borough's new town hall to serve future generations of east Londoners.
Image credit: London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
Our Approach
Reuse for a new purpose
The existing structure was retained and sympathetically repaired using site investigations and historic codes to avoid the need for significant replacement, allowing the careful insertion of new lift shafts and service openings within the existing fabric.
Introducing large, steel box frames at ground floor level enabled the team to make a feature of the existing historic steelwork while opening up the space to create a welcoming arrival hall, leading through to the striking atrium of the adjoining new build wing.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
The existing structure was retained and sympathetically repaired using site investigations and historic codes to avoid the need for significant replacement, allowing the careful insertion of new lift shafts and service openings within the existing fabric.
Introducing large, steel box frames at ground floor level enabled the team to make a feature of the existing historic steelwork while opening up the space to create a welcoming arrival hall, leading through to the striking atrium of the adjoining new build wing.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
Building on top of a disused London Underground tunnel
The Grocer’s Wing building, part of the complex, posed the biggest challenge due to its foundations directly on top of a disused London Underground tunnel.
After complex negotiations with Transport for London, the internal structure of the existing Grocer's Wing building was removed and replaced with a lightweight steel frame onto the existing foundations and load-bearing retained façade.
This approach allowed the new loads to be balanced with the existing loads onto the tunnel structure below, resulting in negligible load change to the tunnel. The ground floor level of the existing retained façade was removed and replaced with a series of slim steel-blade columns supporting the existing structure above. This resulted in a bespoke, visually minimal structure that acts as a dramatic new entrance to the town hall.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
The Grocer’s Wing building, part of the complex, posed the biggest challenge due to its foundations directly on top of a disused London Underground tunnel.
After complex negotiations with Transport for London, the internal structure of the existing Grocer's Wing building was removed and replaced with a lightweight steel frame onto the existing foundations and load-bearing retained façade.
This approach allowed the new loads to be balanced with the existing loads onto the tunnel structure below, resulting in negligible load change to the tunnel. The ground floor level of the existing retained façade was removed and replaced with a series of slim steel-blade columns supporting the existing structure above. This resulted in a bespoke, visually minimal structure that acts as a dramatic new entrance to the town hall.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
A breathtaking triple-height atrium and footbridges
Reinforced concrete (RC-frame) extension was a key part of the refurbishment works.
This remodelled portion, which houses the new office space, sits behind the existing building, to the south, and features a breathtaking triple-height atrium and footbridges at each level that join new and old. To speed up construction and ensure a good finish on the exposed concrete frame, which is on a 9m by 9m grid, the perimeter RC columns and some core walls were constructed from precast elements.
On the ground floor, a large 18m by 18m grillage of transfer beams spans the column-free space of the new Council Chamber. The grillage supports the 6-storey columns of the office space above. This solution, which required in situ concrete pouring, was so complicated it required a mock-up.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
Reinforced concrete (RC-frame) extension was a key part of the refurbishment works.
This remodelled portion, which houses the new office space, sits behind the existing building, to the south, and features a breathtaking triple-height atrium and footbridges at each level that join new and old. To speed up construction and ensure a good finish on the exposed concrete frame, which is on a 9m by 9m grid, the perimeter RC columns and some core walls were constructed from precast elements.
On the ground floor, a large 18m by 18m grillage of transfer beams spans the column-free space of the new Council Chamber. The grillage supports the 6-storey columns of the office space above. This solution, which required in situ concrete pouring, was so complicated it required a mock-up.
Image Credit: Rob Parrish
Addressing water scarcity with sustainable drainage systems
Below ground, we implemented a sustainable drainage system that also held rainwater, using it as an asset for reuse around the building. This reduced the burden on the local combined sewer network and addressed water scarcity issues.
The active attenuation system holds enough water to fully service the demand for non-potable water throughout the building. Due to this constant demand, it is likely the development will never discharge surface water to the sewer.
Using emerging technology, we combined rainwater harvesting and attenuation. This significantly reduced the volume of water storage that would have been required for separate systems and allowed us to reduce the size of the basement.
Working with the as-found form of the historic structure, we located the attenuation tank at a low-lying area avoiding the need for around 500m3 of imported fill and excavating the same volume elsewhere onsite for attenuation.
This approach not only reduced the development's demand for potable water and resulted in zero peak discharge to the sewer, it was essential in attaining BREEAM 'Excellent'. The holistic thinking greatly reduced material and vehicle movements to and from the site reducing the impact on the local community.
Below ground, we implemented a sustainable drainage system that also held rainwater, using it as an asset for reuse around the building. This reduced the burden on the local combined sewer network and addressed water scarcity issues.
The active attenuation system holds enough water to fully service the demand for non-potable water throughout the building. Due to this constant demand, it is likely the development will never discharge surface water to the sewer.
Using emerging technology, we combined rainwater harvesting and attenuation. This significantly reduced the volume of water storage that would have been required for separate systems and allowed us to reduce the size of the basement.
Working with the as-found form of the historic structure, we located the attenuation tank at a low-lying area avoiding the need for around 500m3 of imported fill and excavating the same volume elsewhere onsite for attenuation.
This approach not only reduced the development's demand for potable water and resulted in zero peak discharge to the sewer, it was essential in attaining BREEAM 'Excellent'. The holistic thinking greatly reduced material and vehicle movements to and from the site reducing the impact on the local community.
Engineering Solutions
Introducing large, steel box frames at ground floor level enabled the team to make a feature of the existing historic steelwork while opening up the space to create a welcoming arrival hall, leading through to the striking atrium of the adjoining new build wing.
After complex negotiations with London Transport, the internal structure was reinforced with steel beams and concrete.
The façade was removed and replaced with a series of slim steel-blade columns supporting the existing structure above. This resulted in a bespoke, visually minimal structure that acts as a dramatic new entrance to the town hall.
Reinforced concrete (RC-frame) extension was a key part of the refurbishment works.
This remodelled portion, which houses the new office space, sits behind the existing building, to the south, and features a breathtaking triple-height atrium and footbridges at each level that join new and old.
To speed up construction and ensure a good finish on the exposed concrete frame, which is on a 9m by 9m grid, the perimeter RC columns and some core walls were constructed from precast elements.
On the ground floor, a large 18m by 18m grillage of transfer beams spans the column-free space of the new Council Chamber. The grillage supports the 6-storey columns of the office space above. This solution, which required in situ concrete pouring, was so complicated it required a mock-up.
Below ground, we implemented a sustainable drainage system to hold and reuse water around the building, reducing the burden on the local combined sewer network and addressing water scarcity issues.
The active attenuation system holds enough water to fully service the demand for harvested water throughout the building, and as a result, it is likely the site will never need to discharge to the sewer.
Quote
“The vision for Tower Hamlets Town Hall, and the historic significance of the site, made this an incredibly complex and exciting project to work on. I’m so proud of what the client and design team have achieved together, and I hope that Tower Hamlets’ residents are just as thrilled with it, now that it’s open for business.”
Construction
With an investment of £110m, the combined steel framing and concrete reinforcement fit not only the original structure but also its one-hundred-year-old expansion from the early 1900s.
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
Finalisation
