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The Montcalm

Precis Advisory

London, UK

Situated on a graceful crescent a short distance from the Marble Arch in London’s Hyde Park, The Montcalm is a 5-star hotel set behind a Grade II-listed terrace within the Portman Estate Conservation Area.

In 2017, Westminster City Council approved our plans for an infill extension to provide 12 additional bedrooms alongside the wider refurbishment of the hotel, comprising a new lobby, reception, restaurant, and lounge. This expansion promises to offer a new level of luxury and comfort to guests.

Our design will re-establish the hotel’s relationship with Wallenberg Place by reinstating the crescent internally as a principal axis. The interiors have been designed by Studio Mica & Studio Est to evoke memories of classical London—elegant and timeless—with a contemporary edge.

An axonometric diagram of the project © Studio Archetype

Heritage Led

Most of the original Georgian building was destroyed during the Second World War leaving only the original facade, which is being restored as part of the works.

The architecture of the extension is a contemporary response to the palimpsest site and mirrors the ziggurat form of the existing hotel, constructed in the 1970s.

The extension's facade incorporates cast glass and pigmented concrete panels to create a chequerboard effect of solid and translucent elements. It is designed to provide privacy for guests while still allowing generous daylight into the bedrooms on an otherwise highly constrained site.

To the rear, on Quebec Mews, a modern, since-clad mansard emulates the traditional roofscape of Marylebone.

Wallenberg Place in 1941 © London Picture Archives

The existing portico entrance on Wallenberg Place

Original signage on Upper Berkeley Street

A short video showing progress on site

Technical Resolution

The site for the extension, above the former restaurant, is enclosed on all sides by buildings. Complex site constraints meant that a crane was not viable, and therefore, all the steel members had to be installed by hoist, in short sections - and manoeuvred by hand.

The steel and concrete composite deck was selected to minimise the internal linings required to achieve the prerequisite fire and acoustic separation. A carbon saving measure.

The structure was designed by engineers Heyne Tillet Steel, and the technical design was developed with Box Architects using Building Information Modelling (BIM).