Marble Arch Tower: West End Offices to Rent Are to be Redeveloped

Marble Arch Tower has been a prominent fixture on the West End skyline for decades. Now developer Almacantar is set to transform the site on the corner of Edgware Road and Marble Arch into contemporary West End offices to rent.

The proposed redevelopment will see the existing 1960s West End offices to rent replaced with a mixed use development comprising of two new buildings.

More than 12,000 sq m of office accommodation is to be provided on the site within an office building which will be constructed to BREEAM Excellent standard.

Overall, this represents a reduction in the amount of West End offices to rent on the site which currently amounts to 13,455 sq m. However, the biggest change is the provision of 21,000 sq m of residential space. Facing onto Bryanston Street, it will include seventy-six affordable homes.

Developer Almacantar purchased Marble Arch Tower in 2011 for around £80m, as part of plans to build a West End property portfolio. The developer has appointed Rafael Viñoly Architects as the architects on the project.

The proposed design reveals a more rounded façade for the West End offices to rent, with the taller of the two buildings standing ten metres lower than the existing office block. This design is intended to be more in keeping with the building’s heritage surroundings, which include the Grade I-listed Marble Arch and the Portman Estate Conservation Area.

A new landscaped public realm will be created as part of the development, while the developers also plan to commission a public artwork to stand on the site.

Following the public exhibition in November, Almacantar will now submit their plans to Westminster City Council. If all goes according to plan, they expect to start work on site in Spring 2015, with the West End offices to rent reaching completion in Autumn 2018.

Marble Arch isn’t the only area of Central London to see residential developments on the site of office space. Across the West End, Soho, Fitzrovia and Mayfair are also expected to see a rise in the number of conversions to residential space, reducing the office space available in these areas.

Looking for offices to rent in the West End? Start your search with our West End Office Guide.