New Ludgate Wins City of London Building of the Year

The New Ludgate office development, which is prominently located on a single block near St. Paul's, was master planned by Fletcher Priest Architects, which split the project into the two buildings in order to "make best use of the site’s gradient as well as level changes resulting from burying the railway in the 1990s," per the firm's website. At only ten stories, the buildings are the antithesis of the tall buildings that are dramatically changing the city's skyline; as of 2015 there are 263 buildings over 20 stories in the works in Greater London. It is likely that the development's relatively small scale led to it being named Building of the Year, since the criteria for the award include its impact on the city street scene, as well as the quality of the architectural design and a the delivery of a "world-class working environment."

Fletcher Priest’s One New Ludgate features facades in white and yellow, two volumes that step down toward the street, and a plan that reintroduces a subtle curve to better frame a view of St. Paul's to the east. Fletcher Priest served as executive architect for Sauerbruch Hutton's Two New Ludgate, which is covered in movable glass louvers that exhibit the firm's signature polychromatic compositions. Ground-floor restaurants spill over into the small trapezoidal, south-facing plaza that occurs where the two buildings face each other (visible in top photo).

In addition to the City of London Building of the Year, a special Livery Award was created to commend the new Leathersellers’ Hall designed by Eric Parry Architects and the refurbished Livery Hall for the Salters’ Company by dMFK by London Wall Place.