Case study — Spitalfields, London E1
12 Brushfield Street
The brief
Take a historic building apart with respect and hand it back better in any way.
A sensitive redevelopment of a historic commercial property in the heart of Spitalfields: a 42-week programme spanning everything from basement excavation to a new mansard roofline, completed in April 2024.
Scope of works
What we delievered
- Mansard roof extension with two dormers and a rear terrace.
- Brick rear extension and rear metal balconies to the upper floors.
- Basement lowering — excavation and structural works beneath the existing footprint.
- New timber-framed shopfront to the ground-floor commercial unit.
- Replacement sash windows — original timber profiles, modern double glazing.
- Façade cleaning, full M&E installation, new WCs and kitchenettes, bespoke joinery and a new staircase.
The challenges
Archaeology, movement and a very tight street
As a historic building, 12 Brushfield Street required archaeological oversight during the early excavation phases and our programme had to accommodate archaeologists working alongside the construction team to meet statutory obligations.
Lowering the basement demanded continuous movement monitoring to protect both the host building and its neighbours. Add restricted access in one of London’s tightest urban locations, and every delivery, skip and storage decision had to be planned days in advance.
A mid-programme change of site personnel was absorbed without losing pace, that's thorough handovers and consistent supervision kept the job on its 42-week line.
The outcome
Historic character, modern performance
The completed building keeps the character that makes Spitalfields worth protecting and gains the performance a modern occupier expects. Sash windows and the shopfront were sympathetically replaced with energy-efficient equivalents; inside, bespoke joinery, a new staircase and fully modernised amenities lifted the building without erasing it.
Practical completion was achieved on 23 April 2024. The project stands as proof that technically and logistically complex refurbishment in sensitive historic contexts is exactly the work this team is built for.
Site: Karol Gburczyk · Project director: Michael Koutsoudakis · Health & Safety: Izabela Tarasek · Up to 12 operatives at peak.
On record
Project gallery
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