“Chapman Architects were a great team to work with and they have created a unique headquarter building we are proud to call home. No one single visitor to the build has failed to admire its striking looks, the stylish fusion of new and old, corporate and family and leave rewarded with a very memorable and individual experience.”
Jamie Cayzer-Colvin, Caledonia Investments.
In 1878, Sir Charles Cayzer founded a shipping company that became synonymous with travel and trade around the world. Today the Cayzer Family are still very much involved and although no longer a shipping Company, Caledonia Investments actively seeks a broad portfolio of interests across all business sectors.
Caledonia’s Headquarters, Cayzer House, has for decades been at the heart of the organisation. As such, when the existing 1980’s building needed an extensive refurbishment, it was also seen as an opportunity to update the company’s ‘brand’. Caledonia were keen to remodel their Head Office to create a modern, efficient, high-quality building with a homely and less corporate feel. They wanted their Flagship Office to showcase their shipping heritage and professionalism. It was important to them that the best of English craftsmanship was celebrated and the building was in keeping with their prestigious Buckingham Gate location.
Chapman Architects were appointed as Architects, Interior and Landscape Designers in 2014. Following a number of studies, it was decided that the Company’s current building was to be taken back to its original concrete frame and remodelled. The new building was fashioned using traditional materials of Albion Stone and handmade bricks, to form an impressive Headquarters. The exterior was enlarged, cornices and copings of natural stone introduced, and with our client we looked for references to Caledonia’s heritage, to inform the design. The modelling of stonework, the compass motif and the sculptural use of metalwork, all reference Caledonia’s maritime past.
Internally, the redevelopment was seen as a fantastic opportunity to showcase important artefacts from both the Company and Family’s past. The classically-crafted and understated interior design, became a canvas to detail the family’s proud history, through careful placement of family-owned shipping memorabilia and shipping-related graphics.
The building now accommodates a stunning entrance and reception, a private dining room, offices both cellular and open plan, meeting rooms, a library and a gym. The newly landscaped garden terrace forms a break-out space and creates an “outside room” for functions and meetings.
Exterior Photography: Simon Kennedy
Interior Photography: Gary Britton Photography Ltd
