Case study · Condition assessment · London
Seven façade systems, one Grade A office, surveyed in two days.
McKay Turner Consulting was appointed to carry out a full-envelope Façade Condition Assessment of 15 Fitzroy Street, a recently redeveloped Grade A office building in the heart of Fitzrovia, inspecting every elevation from lower ground to roof.
The building
A distinctive Fitzrovia landmark, recently redeveloped
Designed by Sheppard Robson and completed in 2005, 15 Fitzroy Street sits on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Howland Street in the shadow of the BT Tower. A major redevelopment, completed in 2025, delivered around 85,000 sq ft of Grade A office space over eight floors, with terraces at level 5 and roof level.
Its envelope is unusually varied: a frameless glazed screen rising from level 1 to level 6 over the main entrance, structurally sealed glazing at street level, stick curtain walling, atrium roof glazing, and powder-coated aluminium rainscreen in green, black and silver. The most striking element is "The Bug", a sculptural, bespoke folded-aluminium form on the south elevation.
The brief
A complete baseline for a complex envelope
The client instructed a non-intrusive Façade Condition Assessment of 100% of the external envelope in a single visit: every system, on every elevation, to give a clear baseline for the building's ongoing care.
With seven distinct façade types, a glazed screen with its own internal maintenance gantries, and a bespoke sculptural cladding feature, the survey needed a team that understands how each system is built and how it should be looked after.
How we did it
From the BMU to the gantries, every system up close
The upper elevations were inspected at arm's length from the building's maintenance unit, with the lower ground and ground floors, the terraces, the glazed screen gantries and the roof maintenance areas surveyed on foot. Each façade system was assessed against how it is constructed, from structural silicone joints and pressure plates to clamp fixings, rainscreen cassettes and copings.
Every observation was photographed and pinned to its location on the elevation drawings in a digital field survey, so the client and their maintenance teams can find each item again on site.
Planning
Elevation drawings reviewed, RAMS issued and access agreed with the building team.
BMU survey
Upper elevations inspected close-up from the building maintenance unit.
Walkways & roof
Street levels, terraces, screen gantries and roof areas surveyed on foot.
Reporting
System-by-system findings, location-referenced photos, recommendations and budget costs.
The outcome
A clear, costed plan for the building's care.
The client received a structured report covering each façade system in turn, supported by a full photographic survey located on the elevation drawings, clear recommendations for each system and budget costs to support planning.
The survey was completed in two days on site, and the full report was issued two weeks later.
Seven façade systems on a landmark Fitzrovia office, documented so the client can plan with confidence.
Work with us
Need an independent view of your building's façade?
McKay Turner Consulting carries out façade condition assessments, PAS 9980 external wall appraisals, EWS1 assessments and façade fire-safety consultancy for buildings of every height.