Civic Trust Awards
Winner
Brewers’ Hall today feels renewed rather than reinvented. As the ceremonial home and working base of one of the City’s historic Livery Companies, it now welcomes members, guests and partners into spaces that are clearer, warmer and easier to navigate. Improved daylight, acoustics and comfort run throughout, while new upper floors introduce high-quality workspace and accommodation – generating vital income to support the Company’s charitable work. The result is an elegant, contemporary building that remains firmly rooted in its civic role.
- Location
- Aldermanbury Square, City of London
- Size
- 23,700 sqft
- Client
- The Worshipful Company of Brewers
The Worshipful Company of Brewers dates back to the 13th century and has been at the heart of the British brewing industry for more than 600 years. Alongside supporting its members, the Company plays an important civic role in the governance of the City of London and administers several charitable foundations. The Company’s first hall was destroyed in the Great Fire and its second was lost during the Blitz. Rebuilt in 1960, the present Brewers’ Hall stands in Aldermanbury Square.
By the 2010s, however, the structure and fabric of the post-war building were reaching the end of their life. Strategic architectural intervention was essential. The ambition was to secure the long-term future of Brewers’ Hall: improving operational performance, creating additional high-quality space, achieving full accessibility and strengthening income-generating potential to support its charitable foundations and trusts, while carefully retaining the building’s ceremonial function and identity.
Before and After
Our response focused on rebuilding from within. Brewers’ Hall was replanned, refurbished and upgraded throughout, with clearer circulation, simplified layouts and step-free access. A new reception serving the upper-floor offices establishes a strong sense of arrival, while restored finishes, richer materials and improved acoustics bring warmth and comfort back into everyday spaces. The first-floor hall and gallery were sensitively upgraded to improve usability and technical performance, retaining their character while supporting a broader range of events and functions.
Above, a three-storey rooftop extension was added with a deliberately light touch. The original oxidised copper roof gave way to a new stone-clad storey, topped by a contemporary two-storey pre-oxidised mansard. Engineered using predominantly timber and steel, the structure avoided the need for new columns, minimising intervention while delivering high-quality CAT A offices. Slimline glazing, upgraded services and connection to a district heating and cooling network significantly improved performance, lifting the EPC from E to B and ensuring Brewers’ Hall is equipped for the future.
Copper detailing at Brewers' Hall
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