Unilever House
Where a 1930s icon gets a new lease of life
In creating Unilever’s new global headquarters, we restored a renowned example of 1930s design — and championed a sustainable construction process. The Grade II listed building on New Bridge Street was transformed into a series of light-filled, flexible and efficient working spaces across a 400,000 sq ft plot.
Where we started
Unilever House is a Grade II listed building, located on New Bridge Street, Victoria Embankment. Working in collaboration with our partners including Arup, Sloane Blackfriars and Unilever, in 2005 we undertook the restoration of this iconic building — designed in the Neoclassical Art Deco style by Edwin Lutyens. Setting out to create a light, modern and sustainable global headquarters for consumer goods giant Unilever, the project also involved refreshing and protecting the building’s most distinctive features.
“Stanhope have understood how to meet the needs of Unilever in our new headquarters, to reflect our values and future vision.”
What we did
Reimagining this very special Grade II listed building, only the internal areas and rear façade could be modified. Meanwhile, the front façade facing Victoria Embankment was carefully restored to its former glory. The completed building introduced a more efficient internal layout, increasing capacity and bringing together all the essential services to create a modern, flexible working environment. The plant – housing lift and air-conditioning machinery – was removed from the roof, freeing up spectacular views to St Paul’s Cathedral and restoring key elements of the building as Lutyens intended.
What makes
this place great
The project has earned 12 awards, including the Urban Land Institute’s European Award for Excellence and City Heritage Award for Outstanding Excellence in the Renewal of Buildings and Conservation in 2008. Niall FitzGerald, Chairman, Unilever Plc and Vice Chairman, Unilever N.V. had this to say about the restoration: “Stanhope has understood how to meet the needs of Unilever in our new headquarters redevelopment to reflect our values and future vision, anticipating our consumers’ aspirations and raising the quality of life.”
