Emrys Architects have secured planning permission for their largest project to date – the ambitious £120M deep retrofit and redevelopment of the Art Deco department store building, Barkers of Kensington, located on High Street Kensington.

The transformation will secure its long-term future as prime office and retail space, as the current 52,889sqm building provides neither quality commercial accommodation nor effective retail floor space. Emrys have reimagined the internal layouts to exploit the building’s intrinsic qualities, identifying this as a heritage building, rather than simply another modern commercial development. A reinvented atrium with bridges, stairs, and four fully glazed scenic lifts will transform the spaces beneath the barrel-vaulted glazed roof. At the top of the building, the distinctive roof lanterns will form a unique area for private dining, as part of a new rooftop café and bar within accessible, landscaped terraces.

You can read more about this exciting milestone on the news pages of Architects’ Journal and Building Design.