News & Press
•Victoria House named best retrofit for life sciences
Victoria House: Best Retrofit & Reuse Building - Lab & Specialist Facility
Our transformation of the Grade II Listed Bloomsbury Square office building into a state-of-the-art life sciences hub was recognised at the 2026 Construction News Life Sciences, Tech & Research Clusters Awards in June for its innovative design, sustainable practices and creative reuse of existing spaces.
Victoria House is Central London’s largest office-to-laboratory conversion, developed by Oxford Properties & Pioneer Group with architect Corstorphine & Wright.
Through innovative reversible engineering, meticulous heritage stewardship and a flexible design that supports companies from bench to boardroom, this project sets a new benchmark for adaptive reuse in life sciences.
We conducted extensive research and investigations on the existing building and developed low-impact solutions for vibration control and plant support, minimising disruptions and reducing embodied carbon. The careful placement of steel posts within the Grade II Listed building allows for future removal without impacting the original construction, preparing it for future adaptations.
We’re delighted to see Victoria House celebrated. Congratulations to the whole team!
“It’s great for the team to receive acknowledgement for this project. The build was complex, with existing tenants remaining in situ.
Our structural work included installing of columns within partition walls to reduce the vibration response of the existing floor construction.”
Tom Steel, Heyne Tillett Steel
Photography by Pioneer Group
More from News & Press
Introducing the ACDG
The Accelerating Concrete Decarbonisation Group is a developer-led group working to drive down the carbon emissions of concrete through real-time prototyping and testing.
Why engineers must lead on reuse
A summary of James Morgan's article with the IStructE on a year in the Engineers' Reuse collective.
Topping out at The Delft
Formerly Minerva House, The Delft has now topped out, an exciting milestone for the entire project team.