Turner & Townsend alinea has provided cost management services on ‘Project Together,’ the newly reopened Lloyd’s Underwriting Room. The world’s oldest hotdesking space has been sensitively modernised and after closing during the construction period, has now welcomed back face to face trading and visitors for events and tours.
The project was successfully delivered to a very tight schedule (10 weeks), and within budget. The scheme encompassed a fast-paced programme and a vast range of specialists from joinery through to audio/video.
We have been working with Lloyd’s since 2019, initially working on their capital replacement plan before delivering 8+ projects of MEP infrastructure and fit out upgrades.
Recently, Overbury PLC were contracted to deliver a general refurbishment of the historic Underwriting Room at the Lloyd’s One Lime Street location. The refurbishment comprised a wholesale carpet replacement, installation of new trader boxes, planter units and feature concierge desk, new task and spike lighting, new managing agent digital signage and transparent monitor display screens. The Lutine bell and grand marble atrium were protected throughout the duration of the works.
The aspiration of the project was to deliver a new feel and to modernise the underwriting floor. This is a momentous event in Lloyd’s history, as World War 2 and the recent Pandemic forced the closure of The Room, but this is the first time that Lloyd’s has chosen to close.
For hundreds of years, the Underwriting Room has been an integral part of the Lloyd’s market offering, bringing the market together in person. However, things have changed in the last few years, with the Covid-19 pandemic causing businesses to rethink how they work and adapt to new ways of working. Lloyd’s wanted to ensure the Underwriting Room maintained its relevance in and offered a lively space for business to be conducted.
Lloyd’s Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown said the transformation of the room signifies ‘a thoughtful integration of old and new to blend digital transactions with human interactions; artificial intelligence with emotional intelligence; and machine learning with learned experience.’
Client: Lloyd’s
Architect: Aukett Swanke
Structural Engineer: n/a
Services Engineer: Meit Consultants
