St. James is one of the most central and expensive areas in the capital of Great Britain. It is also called the most aristocratic - from time immemorial, representatives of the most famous families preferred to settle here, and most of the buildings are the property of the British Crown. Designed by Make Architects, the project involves the refurbishment of six buildings south of Piccadilly, forming a quarter that borders Haymarket, Regent Street and Jermyn Street. Most of this territory is planned to be closed for car traffic; only cyclists will be allowed to enter here.
A feature of St. James Market is that now its buildings are urban planning almost in no way connected either with the quarters of St. James or with the neighboring Soho district. Therefore, according to Make Architects, the primary task of the renovation project was to solve this problem - according to Justin Nichols, one of the leaders of Make Architects bureau, the market needed to be “woven” into the historical urban fabric of the British capital again.
It is assumed that a "global business space" will appear on the territory of St. James Market: 19,000 sq. m of offices and more than 4000 sq. m of shopping and entertainment facilities. The concept is designed to preserve the historic look of Regent Street's street front, so the project envisages the creation of buildings not only from glass, but also more traditional materials for historical London, such as Portland stone. The plastic solution of the facades as a whole will be dictated by the surrounding historical buildings, although the architects allow themselves some "liberties", such as rounded ledges that harmoniously contrast with the traditional geometry of London houses.
Project architect Jonathan Mitchell notes that work on the project has been going on for three whole years, and all this time the bureau worked closely with the Westminster District Council, the state organization "Crown Property" and "English Heritage" - the Commission on Historic Buildings and Monuments of Britain. Designers and experts have worked together to resurrect a historic site in the heart of Westminster and add a sophisticated new element to London's architectural mosaic.
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