Marylebone Square is an elegant mixed-use development in the historical Marylebone district, part of the provenance of aristocratic estates within central London. The exclusive development comprises 54 luxury and 25 affordable apartments, as well as over 49,000 metres squared of selected retail and wellness experiences, including boutiques, restaurants, a versatile community hall, a health club and a community medical space. 

HDR was appointed by Concord London to provide a comprehensive building engineering services solution at Marylebone Square. Our services included mechanical, electrical and public health, energy and sustainability, vertical transportation, information technology and audio-visual consultancy.

As explained by Christopher Murray, co-founder and MD of Concord London, "We are pleased to see this architecturally significant building blend into the fabric of Marylebone while meeting some of the community’s needs. This was a complex build and could only have been completed with the right team."

A striking five story courtyard beneath a glass canopy is the centrepiece of Marylebone Square. HDR helped shape this key design element through early engagement with the architect. We provided a bespoke proposal involving sophisticated airflow systems which will maintain fresh air circulation to both the courtyard and the apartments. Our knowledge and expertise in building physics and computational fluid dynamics modelling ensured the architect’s vision was delivered through our optimisation of air movement with solar and daylight penetration.

The unique courtyard environment provided HDR the opportunity to proactively develop smart engineering services for the space. Extensive coordination between HDR, the architect, structural engineer and the contractor allowed for a number of services to run below elevated access walkways, simultaneously enabling daylight to pour into the heart of the development; whilst servicing the apartments with water, electricity, heating and cooling. The services within the bespoke elevated walkways were prefabricated offsite and subsequently craned in.

As the industry strives to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and within the framework of ESG, HDR collaborated with the Client on a variety of sustainable elements for Marylebone Square. The roofscape surrounding the covered courtyard benefits from an extensive bio-roof which houses 150 solar photovoltaic panels, providing sustainable energy without producing any harmful greenhouse emissions. The building also uses grey water recycling as a water conservation measure. In the basement, two parking levels provide 160 electric vehicles charging stations, including 100 available to members of the public and 60 to the residents.

The project is designed to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent, which puts the development in the top 10% newly designed buildings across the U.K. Marylebone Square is also designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. 

In a laudable effort to enrich the area and give back to the community, the development includes “Marylebone Hall,” a versatile space specifically designed and developed to provide an indoor-outdoor environment that can be utilised all year round as a community social hub. Westminster City Council will be managing Marylebone Hall, and the space will be made available to a local school for organising learning activities.

HDR helped bring the ambitious vision for Marylebone Square to life by delivering a bespoke holistic engineering design. The development effortlessly blends with its time-honoured surroundings, providing a radiant exemplar of a classic yet contemporary design; combining modern luxury, ambitious sustainability goals as part of the route to net zero carbon emissions, and a leading-edge tenant and community health and well-being offering.