A new era for civic buildings

A generation of elegant, listed buildings are finding new uses as London’s most sought after hotels. Steeped in tradition, history and stories, these buildings are spearheading the hospitality sector's response to Airbnb, with an architecture of scale, power and grace which offers guests not just an overnight stay, but art, social history and an authentic London experience.

Town Halls in particular are finding a new civic role. Contemporary local authorities have outgrown their original locations, mediating a new relationship between community and authority with democratic buildings designed to house a complex mix of administrative functions and efficiently process in-person enquiries that can’t be done online.

No longer needed to signal abundance and power, the beautiful original and richly decorated Council chambers, lobbies, committee rooms and public spaces offer the perfect environment for hospitality venues and programming of spaces which might include weddings, conferences, events, co-working, fashion shoots and fine dining.

Council Chamber - Town Hall Hotel - London

Desirable in part for their authenticity, the potential value of these spaces as revenue-generating assets lies in retaining as much of their original history and integrity as possible whilst ensuring that the buildings are brought up to modern standards of comfort.

Conversions of listed building to hospitality uses can find favour with planning departments precisely because interventions can be relatively minimal. Beyond inserting M&E services to upgrade thermal comfort, larger spaces can be easily subdivided if necessary through the use of pods or lightweight furniture or storage systems – all of which can be reversed relatively easily. Residential conversions would demand much greater and more permanent adaptations.

The De Montfort Suite - Town Hall Hotel - London

At NAME, we have had the opportunity to work on a number of beautiful listed town hall buildings including those in Bethnal Green, Acton and Fulham.

Our starting point for their adaptation is an understanding of place and story; the history of the building itself but also how important it has become to the community. We look at the materials and the techniques that went into its original design and use those to inspire our reimagining of what it could become in the future.

At Bethnal Green our inspiration came from a simple a ventilation grill, an Art Deco detail located in the Council Chamber. This element corresponded with the idea we had of the modern glamour that had once typified this town hall, and we reinterpreted it through a number of decorative and functional elements from the new external cladding screen to ventilation grills and radiator covers. A beautiful green marble flooring found in the main lobby inspired us to source a similar stone for the new interventions.

At Fulham we found a beautiful art nouveau ceramic tile in the toilets which we reinterpreted in tiling for the new rooms and recurring element on the new glass facades.

Art nouveau ceramic tile - Fulham Town Hall extension - London

Creating contemporary extensions to historic buildings requires sensitivity. New additions need to be of their time and make their presence felt as modern architectural expressions, rather than as any kind of pastiche. We strive to retaining an appropriate balance between the more dominant existing building and the complementary extension, and a dialogue between old and new, combining materials well, preserving or enhancing sightlines and respecting elements of symmetry.

New external cladding screen -Town Hall Hotel - London

Retaining these buildings in a way which captures their unique history whilst keeping them alive to new uses and programmes can also be highly sustainable. At Bethnal Green we demolished just 9 square metres of the building and retained and recycled as much of the original materials as possible. Local communities who have often enjoyed relationships with these buildings across generations are delighted to see them back in use and have the opportunity to go inside once more.