City approves Studio Moren’s plans for hotel roof extension on listed office block

The City of London has approved plans by Studio Moren to add a metal roof extension to the top of a grade II-listed building as part of the Square Mile’s newest office-to-hotel conversion.

The scheme for family-run developer Chart Forte Monument Ltd will transform the mid-19th century St Clement’s House, located just north of Monument, into a luxury 180-key hotel.

The planning application, approved using delegated powers, has added to a growing number of office-to-hotel conversions in the City including Orms’ and Richard Griffiths Architects’ plans for the grade I-listed Custom House, which were approved in September.

Other similar schemes currently approved or in planning include Stiff & Trevillion’s proposals to transform a Richard Seifert-designed office building at the foot of Tower 42 and Chris Dyson Architects’ plans to convert an office in Farringdon.

The St Clement’s House scheme will restore the interior of the existing building, with the four-storey extension on its roof to be constructed out of lightweight metal due to structural loading constraints.

Studio Moren partner Mark Wood said the project “exemplifies how historic buildings can evolve gracefully to meet contemporary needs.”.

Wood added: “By extending and adapting the original structure, we have enabled the building to grow in a way that feels natural within its context. 

“Our aim was to create a hotel that feels rooted in place, one that honours the City of London’s layered history while offering a new kind of hospitality experience shaped by craft, character and connection.”

The scheme replaces a previous proposal for the site designed by Campbell Architects for applicant EVI UK Investment which was approved in 2016. It would have also seen four storeys added to the building’s roof but in a more traditional style to Studio Moren’s proposals.

City of London planning officers asked Studio Moren in pre-application discussions to “aspire to a higher level of architectural ambition” than the consented scheme which more clearly set out the hierarchy of the extension compared to the existing building.

Studio Moren has previously described its updated roof extension proposal as an “unapologetically contemporary” addition to the building which can be clearly understood as a new intervention.

The project team includes Gardiner & Theobald on costs, Elliot Wood as structural engineer, Jensen Hughes on fire safety, The Townscape Consultancy on townscape and Turkington Martin on landscape.

The team for the 2016 scheme included Burnley Wilson Fish on costs, Gerald Eve on planning and Acies Group on civil and structural engineering.