Centre Point

Centre Point

Centre Point is a major late-twentieth-century mixed-use complex in the West End of London, comprising three interconnected elements: a 33-storey tower to the west, a 9-storey rectangular block to the east aligned north-south, and a covered link spanning St Giles High Street at first-floor level. The development includes office space, retail units, a public house, maisonettes, and a former bank.

The entire structure is built in reinforced pre-cast concrete. The tower is clad in polished Capstone pre-cast concrete, the link block features armour-plate curtain-wall glazing, and the rear block is faced in panels of grey glass. Polished 'blue pearl' granite appears on part of the ground floor. Metal-framed windows are used throughout, with some replaced.

The tower is notably slender with slightly convex faces. The narrow side elevations are recessed at their centres with slightly canted projections flanking the recesses. An open-tread concrete staircase rises from the left of the west elevation to a projecting platform serving the original entrance; a similar stair is located on the east elevation. The first floor is double height, carried on a distinctive zig-zag valance base. To the left of the west elevation is a vertical concrete brise-soleil with hexagonal terminations marking the junction with the link block. The tower is distinguished by pre-cast external facetted mullions shaped like an 'H' turned on its side. These mullions are partially load-bearing and decrease in depth from bottom to top. Their distinctive form allowed reinforcement of each unit to be bolted to the one above from within the building—essential given that the tower was erected without scaffolding due to severe site restrictions—and enabled rainwater to be shed clear of the structure without flashings. Thermal expansion joints are expressed between each mullion. Above the top storey sits an open viewing gallery with neon-lit capital letters spelling 'CENTRE POINT' running along either side, added later. Above this is a zig-zag cornice projecting to the building edge with a facetted profile that echoes the structural frame's rhythm below. The tower stands on eight distinctive paired 'wasp-waisted' pilotis, which are slightly facetted and clad in grey glazed mosaic tiles, with contrasting darker mottled grey tiling to the upper facets.

The link block is supported on mosaic-clad pilotis flanking the roadway. Its underside exposes the inner staircase soffit. Full-height armour-plate glazed curtain walls run along both levels, with steel patch-plates at intersections. The set-back clerestory has a very shallow pitched central apex.

The east block's north end contains the former bank with its original frontage. Shops line the west elevation, though later shop fronts of no special interest have been introduced, along with the maisonette entrance. Utilitarian service bays occupy the east elevation facing Earnshaw Street. The south end features a remodelled pub front at ground level (not of special interest). Above are two storeys of offices at the same height as the link, accentuated by a pre-cast concrete brise-soleil on the east and west elevations forming a staggered rectangular pattern in front of recessed windows (glazed at the south end). The upper section, set back above an intermediary space, comprises a contrasting 6-storey tier with three tiers of projecting rectangular balconies faced in grey geometric mosaic, alternating with sections of metal-framed curtain-wall glazing with opaque glass panels beneath the windows. Glazed stair compartments occupy either end of the block.

The interiors of most offices, retail spaces, and residential areas lack special features. Notable exceptions follow:

The tower's original main entrance at mezzanine level, accessed by the external staircase, has been relocated. A new glazed entrance hall created in 2000 now sits at ground floor, with a two-level lobby linked by a staircase installed in 2000. The lobby is paved distinctively with alternating long-and-short strips of white marble mosaic tiles set within black terrazzo. Exposed upper sections of the pilotis dominate this space. At either end of the tower are granite-faced lift shafts and a staircase with balustrades of thick cast-glass sheets set below heavy metal handrails. The remainder of the tower comprises functional offices designed for adaptation, which have been modified accordingly and lack special interest, with the exception of the surviving staircase between the 31st and 32nd floors, intended to serve a never-built restaurant.

The link features a staircase with heavy timber staggered handrails leading upwards, with a pair of copper-clad columns at its base. The main space contains a central longitudinal mezzanine floor accessed by an open stair at the west end and a modern ramp at the east. The mosaic floor matches that of the tower lobby. Curtain-wall glazing on each side incorporates a series of tapering glass fins projecting upwards from the central steel patch-plates. Along each wall runs a timber cill carried on glass cross walls aligned with the glazed panels above; the mezzanine has balustrades of similar design. A further staircase at the east end leads to the upper office level in the east block; its lobby also has a matching mosaic floor.

The former bank has a mosaic floor matching those of the tower lobby and link. The mezzanine level features a glazed timber balustrade similar to the link's design, supported on concrete piers clad in grey mosaic tiles. An openwork sculptural metal relief by Jupp Dernbach-Mayen depicting banking motifs adorns the stair wall, currently in storage pending conservation work; behind it is a decorative panel of red and gold mosaic tiles on a grey tile background. The pub, shops, intermediary-level offices, and maisonettes above contain no features of internal note and lack special interest.