Construction has started on the £7.5 million refurbishment and extension of Maurice Drummond House in Greenwich, south east London. The vacant eight-storey building, built in 1940, will now be transformed into a modern 145-room, 4* hotel designed by Assael Architecture.
The scheme is located within the Ashburnham Triangle Conservation Area, 350 metres from Greenwich Town Centre and accessed via Catherine Grove. Maurice Drummond House is a local landmark, formerly used as residential accommodation, a “Section House”, for the Metropolitan Police, before becoming student accommodation. Since standing vacant, the building’s internal and external condition has deteriorated and it has suffered vandalism and theft.
The project will protect and enhance the existing high quality base building, which features Crittal and timber sash windows and comprises a reinforced concrete frame construction faced with a narrow-gauge red brick laid in an American bond.
The design will also preserve the Catherine Grove portico, preserve and enhance existing boundaries and increase landscaping in the area. A rooftop extension, while modern, will show a high degree of sensitivity to the style, bulk and massing of the existing building.
The new hotel will achieve economical sustainability by combining lettable bedrooms off a central corridor with the right balance of supporting facilities, including function rooms, a gym and a laundry. At ground level, the original decorative entrance hall is to be retained and refurbished. Existing reception rooms and a sports hall will be converted to dining and function rooms uses.
John Assael, managing director of Assael, said: “We are delighted that construction has started on the project to transform a defunct building into a fully-functioning hotel that meets modern standards and enhances the local economy, while retaining the best elements of a building that is a key part of Greenwich’s heritage.”
