60 Short’s Gardens, London WC2H 9AB
Span Group Ltd
1,440 m²
CAM—V
2025
Located in the heart of Covent Garden, 60–72 Shorts Gardens — now known as Arclight — is a striking example of heritage-led regeneration. Originally constructed as a Victorian power station and later repurposed as a wartime munitions hub, the building has been carefully transformed into a contemporary mixed-use destination, with much of the original structure retained to reduce embodied carbon while introducing new office, retail and residential space.
The redevelopment reimagines two historic warehouse buildings, retaining much of the original structure to reduce embodied carbon while introducing new office, retail and residential space. Delivered within a dense urban site — with narrow surrounding streets and a Crossrail tunnel running directly beneath — the scheme required exceptional coordination and a servicing strategy capable of operating within tight spatial constraints and a sensitive heritage setting.
Now relaunched as Arclight, the scheme has been shortlisted for three major industry awards — recognition of the collaborative effort behind this complex and carefully delivered retrofit.
AET supported the redevelopment with our underfloor air conditioning system, selected for its low-energy performance, sustainability credentials and design flexibility.
Serving 1,440 sq. m. of office space, the system was designed to operate within a restricted 200 mm floor void. The installation incorporated 4 CAM—V33 units and 4 V22 units, supplying conditioned air through 124 slimline TU3 Fantile™ units integrated beneath the raised floor. Two systems were installed per floor, with approximately 32 Fantile™ units serving each level, ensuring consistent and adaptable environmental control.
Developer — Span Group Ltd
Architect — Buckley Gray Yeoman, AWW, Stanton Williams
Main Contractor — Legendre UK
M&E Consultant — Cundall
Shortlisted — AJ Architecture Awards, ‘Mixed Use Building’
Shortlisted — The Architect’s Journal Retrofit & Reuse Awards, ‘Adaptive Reuse into Mixed Use’
Shortlisted — The Building Magazine Awards, ‘Retrofit Project of the Year — Traditional & Historic’
