Cornerstone, the City of London’s first co-living scheme, is progressing into its next phase following the appointment of JJ Rhatigan as main contractor by HUB and Bridges Fund Management.
Circle Development is supporting the delivery of the scheme as Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveyor, working alongside architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, with Whitby Wood as Structural and Civil Engineer, and leading cost and lifecycle carbon management across the project.
A new chapter for Beech Street
Located on the edge of the Barbican Estate, Cornerstone will transform an existing 1950s office building into 174 modern co-living homes. The development will provide centrally located, flexible accommodation for city workers, contributing to the City of London’s Destination City strategy and helping to increase out of hours activity within the Square Mile.
Alongside the residential accommodation, the scheme will include a range of shared amenities such as co-working spaces, a gym, café, communal lounges and a roof terrace, supporting a strong sense of community and long term liveability.
A collaborative approach to low carbon refurbishment
Sustainability sits at the heart of Cornerstone. The adaptive reuse strategy retains 90 percent of the existing substructure and 65 percent of the superstructure, delivering a 34 percent embodied carbon saving when compared to a new build scheme of a similar scale.
Circle Development is leading lifecycle carbon studies for the project, presenting carbon calculations to the City of London to support planning and regulatory compliance. In parallel, we are managing detailed cost planning and carbon movement tracking, ensuring the project team is equipped with clear, reliable data to inform design decisions that balance environmental performance with commercial viability. The scheme is targeting GLA Aspirational A1 to A5 embodied carbon benchmarks.
As Employer’s Agent and Quantity Surveyor, we are supporting the client team from pre planning through construction, providing integrated advice across cost, carbon and programme. Our work at Beech Street reflects our wider experience delivering complex refurbishment projects within constrained urban environments and our strong, long standing relationship with HUB.
This appointment marks another step forward in our continued collaboration and reinforces our shared ambition to deliver sustainable, high quality co-living developments in the heart of London.
discover more about cornerstone, beech street
Circle Development is committed to delivering high quality, sustainable co-living projects, supporting clients with integrated project, cost and carbon management services. Contact us to discuss your upcoming projects.
