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背景 | Background

Centre Point大楼由定居伦敦的瑞士建筑师Richard Seifert设计。大楼屹立在新牛津街和查理十字街之间，从伦敦20世纪60年代充满活力和自由的社会变革中脱颖而出。一座低迷的战后城市已然变身为自信且独具特色的世界之都，而Centre Point大楼则是城市更新过程中的一个清晰而切实的代表。它以其雄伟的身姿和透彻的现代感反映出新一代伦敦人的协作和创造能力。

Centre Point Tower was designed by Richard Seifert, an architect originally from Switzerland, who had settled in London as a young boy. It stands between New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, and emerged from the vibrant and liberating social change affecting London in the 1960s. A grey and downbeat post-war city was starting to morph into the bright and confident world capital of style. Centre Point Tower, in its final design, was a clear, tangible representation of this thrusting reinvention of the city. With its imposing height and thoroughly modern materiality, it seemed to stand for a new generation of Londoners and embodied their collective creative energies.

▼鸟瞰图，aerial view

Centre Point大楼是伦敦首批使用预制结构修建的高层建筑之一。这种新型的建造技术由结构工程师Pell Frischmann开发（他于本次的改造中特地回来与Conran and Partners进行合作），为建筑赋予了精确的外部骨架。这些结构部件均在场外制作，随后运至场地逐步安装，不仅大大节约了建造时间，更为每个楼层带来了近乎无柱式的室内空间：整个建筑仅需要4根立柱来为中央的脊梁提供支撑。这一外部骨架被原原本本地展现出来，无需任何覆层和细部修饰，便能够优雅自如地应对伦敦的多雨气候，同时成为城市天际线上的一个独特的存在。

Centre Point Tower was one of the first tall buildings in London to be constructed using pre-cast structural components. This new technique, developed by structural engineers Pell Frischmann (who returned to work on the building alongside Conran and Partners in the current transformation) resulted in a precisely manufactured exo-skeleton structure. This was manufactured off-site and then delivered to site on a daily basis, panel by panel, for installation. Not only did this achieve what was considered a dramatically fast process of construction; it also created near column-free internal floor plates, with only four columns required to support a central spine beam. This exo-skeleton was left honestly expressed with no need for cladding and detailed to deal with London’s rainy climate in an elegant way, resulting in a highly distinctive building on the city’s skyline.

▼建筑既有的外部骨架被原原本本地展现出来，the exo-skeleton of the original building was left honestly expressed

适应性的再利用 | Adaptive re-use

Centre Point大楼在修建多年之后仍未投入使用，并且逐渐孤立于其周围的建筑和空间，这很大程度上要归结于其周围的环形道路系统。因此尽管有着显著的优点，大楼仍旧陷入了被弃置的僵局。1990年代中期，它被列入国家二级建筑物（Grade II listed building）名单。2010年，伦敦开发商Almacantar将其收购，并委托Conran and Partners对这座34层高的办公大楼进行修复、更新和改造，使其转变为配套齐全的住宅建筑，同时为之打造全新的首层空间。Rick Mather建筑事务所（现为MICA）则受托更新大楼周围的底层建筑以及公共区域。

For many years after its construction, Centre Point Tower stood largely unoccupied and isolated from the buildings and spaces around it, not least due to the busy gyratory system that was formative in its creation. It gained a notorious white elephant status, despite its clear architectural merit. It was given Grade II listed building status in the mid-1990s. In 2010, London Developer Almacantar acquired the building and commissioned Conran and Partners to restore, update, convert and reconfigure the 34-storey office tower into residential use, with supporting amenity spaces and a new ground floor. Rick Mather Architects (now MICA), whilst not involved in the Tower, were commissioned at the same time to regenerate the lower buildings and the public realm.

▼34层高的办公大楼被转变为配套齐全的住宅建筑，the 34-storey office tower was restored, updated, convert and reconfigured into residential use

开发商希望大楼能够重新找回其修建时的特征，同时适应伦敦当下的环境。伦敦在1960年代曾是全球最为国际化和富有创造力的城市，在21世纪初，它再次寻回了这一地位。Centre Point大楼就坐落在伦敦发展最为迅速的几个中心城区之一，即将建成的Crossrail铁路将进一步加速该区域的发展。不仅如此，大楼还邻近伦敦最重要的博物馆和画廊、皇家大剧院、Soho区以及Theatreland，从而将吸引到更多热爱文化艺术生活的居民。Almacantar 开发商CEO Mike Hussey说：“我们的目标是对这栋标志性的二级建筑进行修复，并充分尊重原建筑师的理念。我们希望为Centre Point大楼赋予新的活力，使其在未来几十年内成为一座伟大的地标性建筑，并与其所在的区域紧密相连。Crossrail铁路系统的修建将促进这一目标的实现，因为它将使托特纳姆考特路一带成为伦敦交通最发达的地区之一。”

Almacantar’s brief was to reinforce the building’s personality by reconnecting to the spirit of when it was built, whilst at the same time making it relevant to contemporary London. London was in the 1960s, and is once again in the early 21st century, seen to be pre-eminent as a world centre of cosmopolitan culture and creativity. Centre Point Tower sits at the city’s very heart, in what is becoming one of the most rapidly changing quarters of central London, accelerated by the imminent arrival of Crossrail at the base of the building. Furthermore, given its location, within easy walking distance of London’s principal museums and galleries, within sight of the Royal Opera House, on the edge of Soho, and within Theatreland, the building will attract residents who want to engage directly with this energy. “Our vision has always been about restoring this iconic Grade II listed building while respecting the vision of the original architect. We want Centre Point Tower to be a celebrated building for decades to come by giving it a new lease of life and ensuring it better connects with the area in a way that will also help define it more clearly as a landmark. This process will be enhanced by the arrival of Crossrail which will make Tottenham Court Road one of the best-connected parts of London.” – Mike Hussey, CEO, Almacantar

▼坐落在伦敦中心城区的Centre Point大楼，Centre Point Tower sits at the city’s very heart

Conran and Partners的设计思路 | Conran and Partners’ design approach

Eduardo Paolozzi曾经将Centre Point大楼描述为伦敦第一座波普建筑：蜂巢状的三维结构为其赋予了鲜明的外观特征，并借助阳光的变化在一天中呈现出不同的光影效果。在以光滑的幕墙建筑以及纤薄的饰面系统为主导的年代，这种立体式的建筑外观可谓十分少见。本案的设计思路是修复建筑的原有外观，同时重置并改造其内部空间。室内设计主要取决于立面的构造和韵律。

Eduardo Paolozzi once described Centre Point Tower as London’s first Pop Art building and the building’s graphic nature is so clearly manifested by the repeating, three-dimensional honeycomb structure that dynamically transforms itself though light and shadow as the sun passes across it each day. This three-dimensional materiality is far less common in an era of sleek glass towers and an economic drive towards slim two-dimensional cladding systems. The design approach has been to connect the spirit of the restored exterior of the building with the converted and transformed internal spaces. The interior design has been influenced by the substance and rhythm of the elevations.

▼蜂巢状的三维结构得到了修复，the three-dimensional honeycomb structure was slightly restored

设计重新利用了原有建筑中拆除下来的残余材料。例如，镶嵌以卡拉拉大理石的黑色水磨石被重新用在了首层空间的夹层中。在整个施工过程中，定制的五金器具、细木工和瓷砖均得到了细致的保护，并且与建筑的几何形状及纹理形成了时而明显、时而隐蔽的呼应。Conran and Partners高级合伙人Tim Bowder-Ridger说：“由于项目位于全球最重要城市之一的文化核心区，并且其本身具有独特的建筑特征，因此使其成为与众不同的居住场所几乎是水到渠成的事情。但是，改造这种类型的建筑对技术和创造力都提出了巨大挑战。该项目证明了虽然伦敦普遍缺乏能够用于开发新住宅的空地，但我们仍旧可以通过对既有建筑的再利用来提升城市的住宅容量。”

The design has also been informed by the discovery of remnants of the original materials in the stripped-out building. For instance, contrasting Carrara marble cast into black terrazzo has been restored on the ground floor mezzanine. Careful retention of original features is evident throughout the scheme, including the bespoke ironmongery, joinery and tiling. All of these components reference the geometry and texture of the building itself, sometimes overtly, sometimes subtly. “With the site being in the cultural heart of one of the most important cites in the world, and given the building’s distinctive architectural personality, the conceptual task of creating an extraordinary residential address for Centre Point Tower was almost self-fulfilling. However, the technical task of physically converting a building of this type and the construction process this involved posed a significant challenge that required a highly creative approach. The project demonstrates that while there remains a continuing requirement to develop new housing opportunities on open land, there is clearly considerable potential to increase residential capacity across London through the reuse of some of the capital’s least obvious existing buildings.” – Tim Bowder-Ridger, Senior Partner, Conran and Partners

▼混凝土骨架细部，concrete exo-skeleton on the facade

设计中还使用了对比鲜明的色调，以此来强调建筑中从私密到开放，以及从“提供服务”的核心空间到“被服务”的居住空间的变化：核心空间以深色为主调，居住空间则采用了能够突出采光的浅色调。饰以黑色和金色元素的橡木材料贯穿了整个室内空间，天然的石材和水磨石则呈现出建筑固有的一种粗野质感。

The design also employs contrasting tonal palettes as a way of creating a journey from private to public, from the central ‘serving’ spaces to the ‘served’ habitable spaces around the perimeter. A dark palette is employed across the central spaces, while a lighter palette helps to accentuate daylight in the habitable spaces. Generous use has been made of both black-stained and blonde limed-oak timber throughout the scheme, as well as natural stone and terrazzo, offering a sense of the robust quality of the original building.

▼地面层设置了清晰的入口，a clearly-defined entrance at ground level

建筑原来的地板是为当时的分格式办公空间而设计，已经不能适应当下的办公需求，然而其30×16米的尺寸却意外地适用于当代的住宅空间。从70平方米的一居室到675平方米的复式套间，新公寓的尺寸不一而足，其层高能够充分将自然光引入室内深处。大楼的骨架决定了每个公寓房间的宽度均不少于5米，且配有至少2个大尺寸窗户。3居室公寓的外墙长度是15.5米，玻璃窗的覆盖率超过70%，为室内带来壮观的城市全景。对于一个位于世界大都会中心的建筑来说，这种不间断的开窗形式实属难得，几乎每个楼层的居住者都能够充分地享受伦敦的城市风景。即便是在低层，居民也可以获得开阔的视野，在公寓中体验与城市的互动。

The floor plates, originally designed during an era of typing pools and cellular offices, are no longer relevant to modern office requirements. They are, however at approximately 30 metres by 16 metres, extremely well-proportioned for contemporary residential use. The new apartments in Centre Point Tower range from 70 square metre 1-beds to a 675 square metre duplex apartment. Both single aspect and larger, dual-aspect apartment types have floor depths which allow daylight to reach into the furthest parts of the habitable rooms. The fenestration pattern has resulted in room widths of a minimum of five metres, and featuring at least two large windows. In the 3-bedroom apartments the external wall length is 15.5 metres of which more than 70 per cent of the surface area is glazed, creating spectacular panoramas across London. The windows frame and accentuate the uninterrupted views over the city which, unusually for a building so centrally located in a major world capital, can be enjoyed from almost every level. Even on the lower floors, the close views of London are exceptionally generous, allowing residents to become observers of the city and engage with it from their apartments.

▼大楼的骨架决定了每个公寓房间至少配有2个大尺寸窗户，the fenestration pattern has resulted in room widths of a minimum of five metres, and featuring at least two large windows

设计任务中的一个关键部分是要最大程度地利用既有建筑，以确保其未来的使用。虽然这往往需要通过合理的建筑形式与地理位置来实现，Conran and Partners仍然在建筑的环境及遗产可持续能力方面下足了功夫。混凝土材质的外部骨架得到了保留和修复，玻璃外墙则完全进行了更换。Centre Point大楼不再是一个需要消耗大量化石燃料的建筑；如今它已经能够满足当代的环保及声学标准，并且依靠热电一体的能源系统来实现运转。同时，建筑师在实践中也充分关注了文化与创意的可持续性。

A key part of the brief was to make the best possible use of the building to ensure its survival and relevance for future generations. Whilst this, in part, is achieved by creating uses most appropriate to the form and location of the building, Conran and Partners have also given attention to the building’s environmental and heritage sustainability. The concrete exo-skeleton has been retained and lightly restored, whilst the glazed envelope has been entirely replaced. Centre Point Tower is no longer a fossil-fuel-greedy building; it now meets contemporary acoustic and environmental standards that tie into a central combined heat and power system. For Conran and Partners, cultural and creative sustainability is also very important in the practice’s approach to projects.

▼能够满足现代生活需求的新公寓，the new apartment offering the best in contemporary living

在进行批量拆除和更换之前，设计团队尽可能地考虑了再造的可行性。这不仅是为了避免此类混凝土建筑产生大量的能源浪费，也是为了优化城市的演进方式，使其丰富的历史分层得以延续。对于这座在CAD发明前便早已存在的建筑，设计团队充分考虑了建筑本身，而非将其视为一个对立面。每一个楼层都经过了细致的调查分析，由于原本的结构有着超过100mm的高度差，建筑师需要在不影响新空间质量的前提下适应这种变量。新建筑中的玻璃幕墙遵循了建筑原有的立面形式，旨在保留建筑的原始特征，尽管这需要在技术功能上花费更多精力。不仅如此，建筑中也增加了一些隐蔽的变化，例如建筑中原本会阻挡俯瞰视野的托梁被更换为透明的楼板，大大优化了室内的采光和视野。

As a starting point, the viability of reinvention is always considered before looking at wholesale demolition and replacement. This not only aims to avoid the substantial energy wastage involved in crunching up concrete buildings of this type, but also supports an evolutionary approach to urban sites that helps to make cites such as London richer through its legible layers of history. Conran and Partners worked with – rather than against – the original building, notwithstanding the challenges of a heritage structure designed and constructed long before CAD. For example, it was only established once each floor was surveyed that the structure varied dramatically in height and positon by over 100mm. Such differences required the design team to accommodate variables invisibly without compromising the quality of the new spaces. In fact, the ambition was to create an impression that the new configuration was simply how it should have always been. As a result, the new glazing has been configured in the same pattern from the outside as the original. This was to retain the personality of the original design, despite it needing to perform a significantly enhanced technical function. Nevertheless, subtle alterations were incorporated. For instance, in the original form the lowest panels were solid spandrels, hiding the radiators, which would have restricted the downward views of occupants. These spandrels have been replaced with clear panels which maximise the sense of light as well as the viewing angles.

▼在公寓中体验与城市的互动，residents become observers of the city and engage with it from their apartments

建筑团队还精心设计了新公寓的布局，使其自然地分布在建筑内部，以避免刻意改造的感觉。公寓的入口被均匀地设置在建筑的核心区，隔墙均垂直于外墙。容纳管道线路的低天花板均被置于走廊、浴室、厨房和仓库的顶部，以保证开窗空间的充足层高。这种手法避免了现代住宅建筑改造中常见的不甚美观的曲折或低矮的隔断。更值得一提的是，建筑师以立足原有建筑的结构，在二层打造了一个全新的游泳池，其一边以优雅的流线形态贯穿了建筑的横向长度，另一边则为游泳者提供了实用的直线边界。

Care has been taken to ensure that the general arrangements of the new apartments sit naturally within the spaces to avoid the sense of retro-fit. The entrances are always centred in the spine of what is a symmetrical building, whilst partitions always meet the external structure at right angles. All lower ceilings accommodating the services are centrally placed above the hallways, bathrooms, kitchens and storage spaces, to ensure that it is only the higher ceilings that meet the fenestration. This approach avoids the unsightly, cranked partitions and dropped bulkheads against windows that are all too often seen in modern residential conversions. Most dramatically, by working with the spirit of the building, we have been able to incorporate a swimming pool on the first floor that expresses the elegant curve and linear movement of the full length of the building, whilst also providing a practical straight edge for swimmers to follow.

▼公寓的入口被均匀地设置在建筑的核心区，the entrances are always centred in the spine of what is a symmetrical building

街道层最为明显的变化是建筑物与地面的接触方式。与当时的许多建筑物一样，大楼最初是围绕着车辆路径而非人群而设计的。原本的地面层由螺旋停车场坡道构成，使临街立面充满安全隐患且不易维护，同时还对入口的便捷性造成了干扰。在新的设计中，建筑师更换了楼梯的位置，带来更加友好的路径系统，并在地面层设置了清晰的入口。新的入口十分宽阔，容纳了新设置的楼梯，营造出一个戏剧性的空间，如今这里正展示着由Cerith Wyn Evans创作的灯光雕塑“Neon Forms…descending a staircase”，以此突显出Centre Point大楼固有的创意能量。

The change which is most obvious from street level is the way in which the building now meets the ground. Centre Point Tower, like many buildings of it era, was originally designed around vehicle access rather than around people. The original configuration was made up of the spiral car park ramp, over-sailed by a pair of external flying staircases that created an insecure, difficult-to-maintain and challenging street frontage and inaccessible entrance sequence. The solution was to relocate the staircases inside the building to create approaches that are more welcoming and accessible, with a clearly-defined entrance at ground level. The generosity of the new entrance, including the relocated staircases, has created a theatrical space which now features the latest light sculpture by Cerith Wyn Evans. ‘ Neon Forms…descending a staircase ’ is a piece that aptly represents the creative energy at the heart of the original Centre Point Tower concept.

▼大厅，lobby area

▼楼梯上展示着由Cerith Wyn Evans创作的灯光雕塑“Neon Forms…descending a staircase”，the lobby featuring the latest light sculpture by Cerith Wyn Evans. ‘ Neon Forms…descending a staircase ’

在大楼顶部，建筑师进行了程度更深的改造：在新平面的基础上打造一间复式公寓。虽然项目要求充分尊重建筑的外部骨架和特殊的剪力墙，建筑师仍然以移除楼板的方式创造了戏剧性的双层高空间。在公寓顶层，原先的露台被改造为一个环绕整个楼层的连贯阳台，带来360度的非凡视野。

At the top of the building, Conran and Partners have undertaken even more substantial alterations, to create a duplex apartment in the place of relocated plantrooms. Whilst our approach to this area also needed to respect and respond to the existing exo-skeleton and the dramatic shear walls, it has been possible to remove floor slabs to create dramatic double-height spaces. On the upper floor, the maintenance terrace has been converted into a continuous balcony encircling the whole of the floor to provide unique 360-degree views.

▼建筑师在大楼顶层打造了一间复式公寓，a duplex apartment was created at the top of the building

Conran and Partners高级合伙人Tim Bowder-Ridger说：“住宅市场变得愈发复杂。对于全球化的买方市场来说，文化关联如今已成为任何一个新楼盘的强大卖点。在世界其它地方，尤其亚洲，Conran and Partners也正在开展工作，我们可以明显地发现，差异性往往是项目的价值所在。买家早已不满于华而不实设计，他们需要的是能够使其无线接近于真实的、具有场所感的设计，并且同时还要满足最优质的当代生活需求。改造一栋像Centre Point大楼这样优雅且富有潜力的建筑，是我们最最享受的事情。应对充满挑战性的环境和建筑，一直是我们工作的核心和灵魂所在。”

“The residential marketplace is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Among international buyers, in particular, it is clear that a connection with culture is a strong selling point for any new development. This is evident in other parts of the world where Conran and Partners are working, especially in Asia, where point of difference is now often an intrinsic part of the value of a development. Buyers are becoming less comfortable with flashy superficiality in design; they want something which brings them as close as possible to the real thing with a sense of place, whilst still offering the best in contemporary living. There is nothing we enjoy more than reinventing buildings which have as much grace and potential as this one. Working with challenging contexts and buildings is at the heart and soul of what we do.” – Tim Bowder-Ridger, Senior Partner, Conran and Partners

▼室内细部，detailed view of interior

▼由建筑团队设计的五金细部，handle of a sliding door designed by Conran and Partners

▼0层平面图，plan level 0

▼夹层平面图，plan mezzanine

▼1层平面图，plan level 1

▼2层平面图，plan level 2

▼18-30层平面图，plan level 18-30

▼33层平面图（顶层复式公寓），plan level 33 (duplex penthouse)

▼34层平面图（顶层复式公寓），plan level 34 (duplex penthouse)

▼北立面图和西立面图，north elevation and west elevation

Architect: Conran and Partners
Client: Almacantar
Main contractor: Multplex
Structural engineer: Pell Frischmann
MEP & Fire: Grontmij
Façade consultant: Wintech
Acoustc consultant: Sandy Brown
Glazing: Lindner
Lightng consultant: Speirs + Major
Planning consultant: Gerald Eve
Townscape: City Designer
Cost consultant and employer’s agent: WT Partnership
Kitchens: Boffi
Façade cleaning: PAYE
MEP: Lorne Stewart
Joinery: Brown & Carroll
Stone: Marmi
Retail: Seele
Architect for lower rise buildings, infrastructure and the public realm Rick Mather Architects/MICA
Photography: Luke Hayes, Charlie Dailey and Mark Luscombe Whyte
Address : 01-3 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DD
Status: Completon 2018
Number of units provided: 82 apartments

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