
Diespeker has recently taken delivery of some slabs of marble salvaged during the refurbishment of a well-known City of London office building.
75 London Wall, aka Winchester House, is a curved block building designed by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and completed in 1998. It has been the headquarters of Deutsche Bank since then.
The bank is moving to new premises at 21 Moorfield, and its former home is undergoing major refurbishment to create an environment with top eco credentials. It is a net zero carbon, fossil-fuel free, ultra-low embodied carbon development re-using over 80% of the existing structure, supporting increased biodiversity and urban greening with the edition of a roof garden and a new public space, Prior’s Garden.
The first stage of the refurbishment has been to take the existing 450,000 sq ft building back to shell condition. In keeping with high green credentials, the stripped out materials are being repurposed or salvaged; for example French Lussac limestone is being reused in the new façade of the vertical extension.
Main Contractor KpH Deconstruction Services contacted Diespeker to negotiate the salvage of the marble from the building. In November, 40 slabs were delivered to Diespeker’s storage facility D2. Depending on the condition, this marble will be used either within our bespoke terrazzo or to create marble structures such as worktops and fireplaces.
This is an inspiring example of how the construction industry is paying more attention to the need for great sustainability, not just paying lip service but making practical changes to the way projects are managed. With forethought and creative thinking, this mindset of recycle and reuse will revolutionize the sector.
The client investors for the project are Castleforge and Gamuda.
Featured image from: https://75londonwall.co.uk/