Spotlighting four iconic buildings in London

In my previous blog, I talked you through a piece of bespoke artwork that I commissioned to pay homage to some of the most iconic buildings in London that LMG has had the privilege of designing, building and renovating over the last 15 years.

In this piece, I wanted to share a little more about the creative process and spotlight the first four iconic buildings that appear on the map.

Where to begin?

When I kicked off the project, I thought that selecting the buildings would be a straightforward task – why not just choose a dozen or so of the largest LMG design and build projects of the last ten years? But as well as considering scale and value, location and visual impact also play a pivotal role.

I also wanted to tell the story of the individual buildings’ lifecycle and the evolution of LMG’s design and build service – from simple ICT infrastructure to fully integrated smart buildings. The map would need to showcase it all.

After meeting with Guy Watts, we selected thirteen buildings that fulfilled the brief and told the story of our working lives. Guy commissioned a bespoke OS map scaled to focus on our target locations and we prepared a tour to give him a real perspective of the buildings in-situ and their relationship with the surrounding environment.

We started our tour in bright sunshine early on 17th November and planned to walk all thirteen locations before dark.

DAMAC Tower

Our first port of call was at the Southern extremity of our map – South of the river in Nine Elms. DAMAC Tower’s 170m Jenga-like profile dominates the skyline as you emerge from Vauxhall tube station.

In fact, the tower consists of two blocks of 50 and 23 storeys and is home to 450 apartments (designed by Donatella Versace), office space and shops. Having started the project in 2016, which was our largest, premium residential project at the time, DAMAC Tower benefits from an enterprise-grade wired and wireless network, integrated electronic security, fibre optic satellite distribution system and in-building cellular services – delivered to all apartments and common areas. Despite being the most contemporary building on our list, for me at least, it’s visually the most impressive.

After taking some great photographs to guide his sketches, Guy and I headed North, back across the river, heading for Victoria and Cleveland Clinic.

?Cleveland Clinic

Opening in 2022, the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic sets a new standard for UK healthcare. With 184 inpatient beds, including 29 ITU beds and eight operating rooms, it is one of our most complex, fully integrated smart building projects to date.

Based on a high bandwidth ICT infrastructure, we designed and deployed an extensive electronic security platform, delivered the highest quality audio visual systems to all inpatient rooms and common areas, along with in-building cellular services from all four UK mobile network operators.

This technology has breathed new life into this former energy company HQ and will ensure that the staff, patient, and visitor experience is as good, if not better, than any 5-star hotel in London. More importantly for Guy, the existing ‘classic’ fa?ade of the building has been retained and stands impressively on its plot, even in such prestigious company as the well-known royal abode across the road.

The Chancery Rosewood

After skirting the gardens surrounding Buckingham Palace, Guy and I made our way up Park Lane, past The Dorchester and through the heart of Mayfair, arriving at the site of the former U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square. About to start a new life as The Chancery Rosewood, the Grade II listed building has been reimagined by architect Sir David Chipperfield as a new retail destination and hotel. Opening in 2024, it has 139 guest rooms, casual dining, retail, and entertainment spaces. Conveniently, it’s also located just across the square from LMG’s favourite watering hole, Gordon Ramsey’s The Lucky Cat.

We secured the contract to provide the smart building wired & wireless network and electronic security systems for the hotel in 2021 and working in partnership with Schneider, we’ll offer a system integration service to all technology vendors requiring access to the secure building network.

Great Scotland Yard

Leaving leafy Mayfair, we head South East across Regent Street, Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square to Great Scotland Yard, the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Police and a historic building with more hidden stories than any other in London.

Now a 168 room 5-star Hyatt hotel, which includes a 5-story townhouse that acts as a huge Presidential Suite, we provided the building’s wired and wireless network and all its high-quality audio-visual systems, including an impressive video wall.

Though the Metropolitan Police moved out in the late 19th century, its long tenure on this site gave rise to the metonym by which the Met is still known today: Scotland Yard.

Rather than simply focusing on the beautiful external fa?ade, we went into the lobby and took a tour of its exhibits of antique policing paraphernalia and artwork. Most eye-catching and moving is the electrifying, beautifully displayed, artworks created by current offenders. A prisoner slumped in a cell fashioned with a fingernail from a bar of soap; intricate objects made from matchsticks and paper; interesting portraits; Dartmoor, glimpsed from behind bars - it’s worth a trip here for the art alone.

Leaving GSY, we headed just a few yards down Whitehall to our next location. Churchill’s former workspace – the Old War Office – which will be covered in my next blog.

Watch this space.