AHMM reveals its refurbishment of New Scotland Yard

London’s police force is moving back into its old 1930s home, originally designed by William Curtis Green, architect of the capital’s Dorchester hotel. The neo-classical building in Portland stone has been remodelled and extended by AHMM, whose brief was to make it simultaneously welcoming to the public and highly secure. The 188-year-old building on London’s Victoria Embankment is called New Scotland Yard, meaning the Metropolitan Police staff have brought the name – and famous revolving triangular sign – with them from their former 1960s tower block HQ by Chapman Taylor and Max Gordon.
As part of the refurbishment, AHMM has replaced the front door on the corner with a wide, centred front entrance that opens onto a lozenge-shaped reception area the width of the Curtis Green building, with a reception desk in untreated steel. There’s also an extra floor on the roof, and two extensions on the rear to restore symmetry of the original structure, increasing the floorspace from 8,700 sq m to 12,000 sq m.
The exterior view of the building, which overlooks the River Thames. Photography: Timothy Soar
On the back of the building, which faces Downing Street, is a brise soleil feature wall of coloured batons to diffuse daylight and ‘act as veil’ between New Scotland Yard and its neighbouring building, says AHMM director Paul Monaghan. Meanwhile, the sign’s lettering – in the 1967 Flaxman typeface by Edward Wright – has been cleaned up and backlit.
Inside includes two off-limits floors focusing on counter-terrorism, and the press department, as well as rooms for meetings and seminars. Unlike the previous offices, it is all openplan and features ‘agile working’, meaning non-allocated desks. And while much of AHMM’s interior features are standard fare (grey patterned carpet, black task chairs), they’ve had fun in the toilets. Each facility has its own colour scheme, taken from the Met’s patrol car livery from days gone by. ‘It gives people a spring in their step when they go in there,’ says Monaghan.
A new upper floor has been added to the neo-classical building. Photography: Timothy Soar
At the back, a brise soleil feature wall of coloured batons diffuses daylight into the building. Photography: Timothy Soar
AHMM have replaced the front door on the corner with a wide, centred front entrance that opens onto a lozenge-shaped reception area. Photography: Timothy Soar
The entrance is welcoming yet secure. Photography: Timothy Soar
Inside, there is an untreated steel reception desk. Photography: Timothy Soar
The view from the roof of the building towards Westminster. Photography: Timothy Soar
William Curtis Green was also the architect of London's Dorchester hotel. Photography: Timothy Soar
The floorspace has increased from from 8,700 sq m to 12,000 sq m with the new extension
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the AHMM website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Clare Dowdy is a London-based freelance design and architecture journalist who has written for titles including Wallpaper*, BBC, Monocle and the Financial Times. She’s the author of ‘Made In London: From Workshops to Factories’ and co-author of ‘Made in Ibiza: A Journey into the Creative Heart of the White Island’.
-
MoMA names Christophe Cherix its new director
The Swiss-born curator has worked in the Museum of Modern Art’s drawings and prints department since 2007
By Anna Fixsen Published
-
The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closure
After years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
By Anna Fixsen Published
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernism
Le Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright Published
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams Published
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodelling
North Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its garden
Architects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional space
A multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st Century
Thanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published
-
An architect’s own home offers a refined and leafy retreat from its East London surroundings
Studioshaw has completed a courtyard house in amongst a cluster of traditional terraced houses, harnessing the sun and plenty of greenery to bolster privacy and warmth
By Jonathan Bell Published