Lazarides gallery at 11 Rathbone Place, north of Oxford Street, London is slightly blighted at the moment by construction works opposite it as the concrete cores for a huge redevelopment of 38,300m²/412,200ft², designed by Make Architects for Great Portland Estates, are progressing upwards.

This 2.3 acre site previously housed the Royal Mail West End Delivery Office and, once completed, will provide residential and office buildings with retail at ground floor level, which will be a welcome addition to the street life of Newman Street and Rathbone Street.

The new development is designed as two L-shaped blocks of six to eight floors plus three basement levels arranged around a new landscaped public space – one of the first public squares to be created in central London for more than 100 years. The development is designed to reinforce the urban character of Fitzrovia, which the previous delivery office certainly did not, with new routes through this huge site which are to be welcomed not least because they will provide a pedestrian connection through from Eastcastle Street to Rathbone Street, thus improving the connection between the art galleries in the two areas.  The buildings will have different architectural characters, within an overall planning grid and palette of materials that will respond to the different characters of the surrounding area

A welcome addition to the regeneration of this area with the new Crossrail station at Tottenham Court Road.

Project illustrations from Make Architects