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Queen's House

Mr Q20,000 sq ftSt AlbansRetrofit & CAT B

Delivered for MR Q, this ambitious retrofit offers a top-tier co-working environment and commercial amenity across three beautifully designed floors in St Albans.

Queens House called for the restoration and retrofit of a former straw hat manufacturing warehouse in the heart of St Albans. The ambition was to deliver best-in-class commercial space that could balance the performance demands of a contemporary workplace with a textured and characterful aesthetic. The client’s needs were multifaceted: a ground-floor coworking hub for local workers and sole traders, a subdivided first floor for multiple tenants, and a top floor headquarters for MrQ, complete with a private terrace. Supporting these was a suite of high-quality lower-ground amenities – showers, vanities, and secure cycle storage – to promote sustainable commuting and enhance wellbeing.

Queen’s House is extraordinary not by scale alone but by its ambition: it transforms a locally listed warehouse into a destination workplace for the city of St Albans. One that embodies its client’s brand, celebrates its context, and creates a benchmark for adaptive reuse in the region.

  • Contractor: GRIGGS Homes
  • Project Manager: Storey

Awards

  • FX Awards 2025 Finalist

The retrofit has transformed Queens House into a considered series of interconnected spaces, responding to a diverse range of users and ways of working. Purpose-built podcast rooms, call booths, meeting spaces and flexible tenancies introduce variety and adaptability, while shared kitchens, breakout areas and a landscaped courtyard create moments for interaction and connection. More intimate retreat spaces offer quieter places to pause, focus and work.

The design extends beyond the workplace itself, with lower-ground end-of-journey facilities supporting active travel and a socially focused ground floor creating a new hub for the building. At the top of the building, the headquarters opens onto a sunlit terrace, offering views across the city and a natural connection to the outdoors.

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