Enron House
London, UK
HOK International

A sustainable village of royal ownership located in an elegant London enclave

© Peter Cook

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

40 Grosvenor Place, a mixed-use office development owned by the Duke of Westminster, provides a variety of work environments along with areas for leisure, dining, relaxation and recreation. The central atrium is a garden under glass and contains all circulation and access to offices, a restaurant, cafe, brasserie, shop, fitness center, and concierge. Its Belgravia Square location makes it a "village within a village," echoing both the modest-scale of the surrounding area as well as the small-scale subdivisions of the interior.

Advancing socially and environmentally responsible design, a typical office floor, while large at 33,000 square feet, has no workspace more than 25 feet from natural light. The natural light in the building is enhanced by translucent glass mullions, which eliminate solar gain while reflecting light deep into the interior. Fresh air is drawn in at roof level, filtered, and introduced into the offices by a displacement ventilation system at floor level that provides more air changes with less velocity. Careful modelling of the window openings, combined with displacement ventilation, chilled ceilings, and natural ventilation of the atria, allowed the development to achieve a building that consumes 20 percent less energy than comparable buildings.

The structure of the building is distinctive in its combination of a cast-in-place concrete frame with a precast bearing wall perimeter. The elimination of the structure's perimeter columns lends flexibility to the space planning process and contributes to the building's energy performance.

Formal name of building:
Enron House

Location:
Belgravia, London, UK

Gross square footage:
325,000 square feet

Total construction cost:
$74 million

Owner:
The Grosvenor Estate
www.geh.co.uk

Architect's firm:
HOK International Ltd.
216 Oxford Street
London, W1C 1DB
Tel +44 20 7636 2006
Fax +44 20 7636 1987