Located 250m from London Liverpool Street Station, 48 Artillery Lane - known as ‘Dome House’ - presented a unique opportunity to breathe new life into a locally listed heritage building. Gort Scott was commissioned by One Properties Ltd to transform this former place of worship into contemporary CAT A workspace, delivering 6,117 sq ft of office space across ground and three upper floors. The comprehensive renovation prioritised occupant wellbeing, accessibility and sustainability while celebrating the building’s rich architectural heritage.
 

Dome House sits within a network of narrow streets with densely packed urban grain, surviving from the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century development of the area. The building’s spiritual heritage spans over a century - originally serving as a Baptist church before becoming a synagogue until 1948, when it was converted for warehouse use.

The site comprises two interconnected buildings: Dome House on Artillery Lane, and 2 Parliament Court to the rear. The buildings are unified through the removal of separating walls at ground and first floor levels in the 1940s. The historic Dome House building is two storeys high and seven bays wide. It has a cranked roof with a domed ceiling, above which sits a glazed lantern, positioned to draw in natural light.

The ground floor reception on Artillery Lane has been thoughtfully reconfigured to include a reception desk, seating, and a new staircase alongside a platform lift, ensuring inclusive access for all users. 

Custom double-glazed timber-framed windows support the building’s natural ventilation strategy while improving thermal performance. All timber elements utilise sustainably sourced materials with low embodied carbon, reflecting our commitment to environmental responsibility. 

The new joinery elements have been designed with respect for the building’s history as a Baptist church and synagogue, and are constructed in light ash, selected to contrast with the existing dark timber roof structure.

For decades, the unique roof structure was concealed from view, hidden behind a gridded ceiling. While the timber structure has undergone various adaptations over time, many of the original 16th century timbers remain intact, a testament to craftsmanship of the original roof.

Our vision was to reveal this inherent beauty and make it the centrepiece of the refurbishment. By carefully removing the ceiling and stripping back layers of later additions, we’ve exposed the historic timbers from below, breathing new life into the building and telling the story of the building’s rich history.

While the roof structure has been retained, the roof itself has been insulated as part of the thermal upgrade works to the building. In addition, the old single glazed lantern atop the dome has been replaced with a modern triple glazed rooflight in keeping with the original design which helps to naturally ventilate the building while continuing to flood the space in natural light.

The original staircase that sat below the dome was removed and replaced with a new timber staircase positioned to the rear, creating a more efficient layout. A new opening was formed in the floor directly above the entrance to frame views of the restored dome and roof upon arrival.

A modest rooftop extension accommodates a new staircase leading to a roof terrace. A compact plant enclosure, containing new air source heat pumps, is tucked behind the rooftop extension, hidden from street view. The roof terrace provides occupants with panoramic views across the Artillery Passage Conservation Area and the City of London. The extension is constructed in a lightweight timber frame, which helps to minimise the structural loading on the existing building and reduces the embodied carbon impact.

The building’s amenity offering includes a basement level housing cycle storage, shower facilities, and lockers - supporting occupants’ sustainable travel choices. Accessible and inclusive design principles guided the installation of a new lift servicing all floors, with level access maintained from street level throughout.

The CAT A fit-out strategy embraces flexibility, accommodating multiple working arrangements and spatial configurations. This robust base-build approach ensures the space can adapt to diverse occupant needs and future fit-out scenarios while maintaining the integrity of the historic structure.

Our environmental strategy balanced heritage preservation with performance enhancement, retaining original building fabric wherever possible while strategically upgrading key elements.

New efficient, low-tech building services create comfortable working conditions while minimising operational energy demands. The naturally ventilated environmental approach, supported by the restored glazed lantern and upgraded thermal envelope, demonstrates how historic buildings can achieve contemporary environmental standards without compromising their architectural character.

The material palette of natural materials including ash was developed to complement and reference the building’s history. Each new intervention has been carefully detailed to enhance architectural quality while respecting the existing fabric.