Described as Charing Cross Road’s ‘Flatiron’ building by the Architects Journal, Flitcroft House is one of DMBA’s contributions to the repurposing of old structures. The new design marries modern methods of masonry construction with traditional techniques, all whilst paying homage to the eras past. The building has changed or had some works to its façade in almost every decade since its construction in 1888. Fortis have worked backwards from the paint buildups and correlated ownership with the alterations, along with using the gauged brickwork and pointing style changes as indicators of modification dates. The standards and regulations bridged by the life of the structure were also in evidence.
The nuance of London Building Acts of 1844 through to 1877 Model Building By-laws revealed themselves whilst conducting thermal engineering with the varied wall thicknesses. We also had to design a revised lateral floor plate connection that adopted traditional joinery, but in two forms; first fix and remedial given the age of the structure.
