Interiors business to design refurbishment of listed 8 Albert Embankment site as brigade prepares to move back into building
Willmott Dixon Interiors has been appointed on a PCSA to design parts of the refurbishment of the London Fire Brigade’s former headquarters on the river Thames.
The contractor will finalise stage 3 and 4 design on the overhaul of the historic grade II-listed building at 8 Albert Embankment, which will be reinstated as the brigade’s head office following the refurbishment.
The work covers renewal of the building’s mechanical, electrical and public health systems, installation of new life safety systems, wholesale window replacement, re-roofing, and re-cladding of a 1980s extension.
It also includes designing the installation of new passenger lifts, partitions, ceilings, joinery and finishes, along with the full refurbishment of the appliance bays and basement area.
Willmott Dixon has been appointed through the Scape construction framework, with the project set to start in 2027 if the application, which was submitted last October, is approved by Lambeth council.
Rob Brown, project director at Willmott Dixon Interiors said: “It is a privilege to work with London Fire Brigade to develop their proposals into what will be a major refurbishment of their previous, historic headquarters.
“We’re focused on designing a facility that is fit-for-purpose while respecting the building’s heritage and balancing the infrastructure and flexibility needed to support the Brigade’s vital work for years and generations to come.”
Designed by architect 5plus, the refurbishment replaces a much larger set of proposals by Pilbrow & Partners which would have included two residential towers of 26 and 24 storeys on two sites to the rear of the building.
The brigade scrapped the former £500m scheme and closed a development agreement with Landsec U&I in 2024, three years after the scheme was called in by former communities secretary Robert Jenrick and refused due to concerns over its impact on nearby heritage assets including the Palace of Westminster.
This followed another 265-home proposal by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands for Native Land which was rejected by Lambeth council and thrown out by a public inquiry in 2013 because of its impact on daylight in neighbouring properties.
5plus’ plans for the site have also been downsized since they were unveiled last year with plans to build a four-storey extension scrapped following a first round of public engagement.
The submitted plans would still include a refurbishment of an existing 1980s extension to the main fire station building, which would be transformed with a new facade of vertical fins.
The 1980s extension, the fire station’s former control room, would house a new exhibition space on its ground floor for the display of the LFB’s collection of more than 20,000 objects recording the history of firefighting in the capital from the Great Fire of London in 1666 to the present day.
The first two floors of the main building would be refurbished as fire station space with the upper floors of the 10-storey building being used as office space to house the brigade’s headquarters.
The brigade was based at 8 Albert Embankment from its construction in 1937 until 2007 when it moved into new offices at 169 Union Street in Southwark, which were officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II the following year.
The Union Street lease comes to an end in March 2027 and the brigade said it does not expect it to be renewed as it “does not meet LFB’s requirements into the future”.
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