The Grade II listed Lighthouse is an iconic building sitting in the heart of King’s Cross that, due to significant structural and environmental constraints, had remained derelict for almost thirty years and was on English Heritage’s ‘Buildings At Risk’ register. The Client’s brief was to make it financially viable to restore this historic Victorian building to provide retail space at ground floor with basement accessible storage and commercial office space with new plant rooms to the roof. A main entrance at the ground floor and four upper office floors to Cat A level of fit out. The design approach was to retain the existing structure and ensure the building was habitable given the constraints of the vibrations from the Metropolitan and Network rail tunnels beneath, and the noise of the surrounding traffic. Sensitivity to the local public spaces and respect for the surrounding architecture of the railway terminals in the area was a priority. Latitude constantly had to develop their strategy to resolve three issues: delivering the clients expectation of internal area, engaging with the listed building requirements and reducing the vibrations and noise levels inside the building. As lead consultant, Latitude was instrumental in unlocking the additional value in the building, by obtaining planning and listed building consent for an additional floor and a half of accommodation set under a new vaulted zinc roof on the retained and refurbished façades of the original building. Delivering a useable and acoustically compliant office space meant: simultaneously isolating the proposed structural frame from the existing foundations and the listed façade, controlling movement of the frame to avoid shedding/transmitting load that could damage the listed fabric and dissipating the low frequency rumble of trains and buses from the tunnels and street respectively. This was done by isolating the structural frame from its foundations using specialist building isolation bearings, restraining the listed façade to the frame via isolated wall ties and the introduction of a 150 mm void between the existing masonry walls and new independent wall lining with secondary glazing to dissipate the low frequency rumble of passing trains and buses. Over a period of nine years, Latitude steered the project through planning, detailed design, value engineering and finally, after novation to the main contractor, through the construction process on site. The resulting building maintains the original character and details of the historic building and successfully brings back to life an icon of King’s Cross, but also creates office and retail accommodation fit for the 21st century and clearly contemporary in appearance and feel. Completion 2016 Shortlisted for the following awards: British Construction Industry Awards 2016 Blueprint Awards 2016 Building Awards 2016 IStructE Awards 2016 BD Refurbishment Architect of the Year 2017 AJ Retrofit Awards 2017