An aging financial relic in London’s Canary Wharf is about to become the capital city’s next high-profile retrofit project thanks to a new plan from WilkinsonEyre. 

Architects’ Journal UK is reporting that the firm will lead a massive retrofit of the 21-year-old structure after the financial house has apparently opted away from its original demolition plans. 

The need for more adaptive reuse efforts has been much publicized of late, especially in London, where major projects like the Barbican Centre redesign and RIBA’s recently-announced Portland Place overhaul establish high-profile showcases. The decision on Citigroup’s part is being framed as a significant victory for AR proponents across the country.

WilkinsonEyre’s efforts will involve the reuse of over 100,000 tonnes of embodied carbon in the transformation of Cesar Pelli’s original 1.2-million-square-foot structure into a more flexible modern office space that is more in tune with the post-pandemic demands on workers. Offices in the building will be arranged into a number of “vertical villages” with a new ground-level public square that effectively shortens the distance between the Wharf’s two greenspaces. 

Plans call for a 20% reduction in energy and water consumption. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Archinect will share additional project updates as they become available.