Work completes on transformation of railway arches in London Borough of Southwark

Stephen George + Partners (SGP) is delighted to see The Arch Company complete work on the transformation of four dilapidated railway arches on America Street, Southwark, into spaces for restaurants, cafés, bars, and other leisure businesses to thrive. As design architect for the scheme, SGP has drawn on both its technical expertise and strong track record working with historic buildings to create contemporary spaces, which nod to the industrial heritage of the arches.

The arches, located under a 19th century railway viaduct in a prime London location between Southwark Bridge Road and Great Guildford Street, have undergone extensive renovation and revitalisation works including the re-lining of all arch spaces, new insulated floor slabs suitable for restaurant use, and glazed front infills. In restoring these arches, a key priority has been to meet relevant energy-efficiency standards, with all four arches intended to achieve an EPC ‘B’ rating.

“At Stephen George + Partners we firmly believe that the adaptive re-use of former industrial buildings can play a significant role in the revitalisation of our urban centres and the redevelopment of these railway arches on America Street is a prime example of the transformative potential of these important assets,” says SGP Studio Director Alan Soper. “Located in an area undergoing significant renewal and encompassing the Low Line urban regeneration initiative, the America Street scheme has transformed previously unloved arches into contemporary spaces for new leisure, food and drink and retail businesses. Their prime location and The Arch Company’s investment has helped to create a vibrant destination for the neighbourhood, while also supporting local businesses and the wider community.”

Roger King, Operations Director at The Arch Company, said: “We’re pleased to see the transformation of these railway arches complete. We sought to invest here in order to create spaces for businesses to thrive within. Given their excellent location, we encourage anyone interested in renting these arches to get in touch directly.”

Santosh Patel, Strategic Account Director at Pick Everard, said: “It’s been a pleasure to be part of another revitalisation project with The Arch Company and SGP. Having initially performed investigation works to assess the structural integrity of the arches and provide drainage solutions, our collaborative efforts to revitalise the railway arches into thriving social spaces have proved instrumental in its success. We look forward to seeing the historic spaces reach their full potential with a new array of restaurants, cafes and bars that have allowed more businesses to thrive and new communities to form.”

SGP’s proposals for the alteration of the America Street arches were carefully considered in a site-specific response, providing contemporary and adaptable arch spaces for prospective tenants. The specification of high-quality façade materials has restored a superior appearance to the elevations; while the design and style of the infills has created an on-brand aesthetic that enhances the character and appearance of the conservation area and contributes to the Low Line regeneration initiative, which should be attractive to potential occupiers in the current marketplace.

SGP Principal Architectural Technologist, Josh White, comments: “As the ultimate aim was for the street to be pedestrianised, our design incorporates active frontages to increase the connection with the street. We have large glazed frontages along America Street and to firmly anchor the scheme within the local milieu and further enhance the streetscape, bifold doors can open up onto the street, while a space to the front of two of the units can be adapted for outside seating and planting to create an appealing aesthetic to the Low Line.”

The America Street project is just one of over ten such projects for which SGP has been commissioned to develop designs. Two schemes have recently achieved planning consent in Manchester and are due to start on site soon. Elsewhere in London, SGP has seen the completion of a scheme on Witan Street comprising the refurbishment of six arches into high-specification commercial premises for light industrial use located just 16 minutes away from the City of London.

Alan Soper concludes: “We are delighted to be working with The Arch Company on their ambitious programme, bringing derelict arches back to life so that they can boost local employment and help local areas grow and prosper. America Street is perfectly located for leisure and retail businesses to thrive and it’s incredibly gratifying to see them fully renovated and back in productive use.”