Architectural firm AHMM is preparing a full planning application for Finsgate House, a 35-storey mixed-use co-living tower in Shoreditch featuring 500 homes and 6,000 sqm of office space. The project reflects London’s growing trend towards vertical living in tech-centric districts and aims to enhance community amenities and sustainable transport.
Architectural firm Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) is advancing plans for a prominent 35-storey co-living tower in Shoreditch, London, for residential developer Hub. The proposed Finsgate House development would replace a five-storey office building from the 1980s located on Cranwood Street, near the busy Old Street roundabout. The mixed-use scheme is designed to deliver 500 co-living homes alongside an adjacent seven-storey office block encompassing around 6,000 square metres of office space.
Scheduled demolition of the 0.17-hectare site’s existing office complex is set to commence in 2024, with completion anticipated by 2030. The residential component will provide up to 22,000 square metres of co-living floorspace, featuring retail or community uses at ground level and extensive amenity facilities. These shared spaces are planned to include communal kitchens, laundrettes, a cinema, co-working areas, and general living zones distributed throughout the tower. Cycle parking and end-of-trip facilities will also be incorporated to support sustainable transport options.
Hub has undertaken two rounds of public consultation on the project to engage with local stakeholders and has submitted technical documents to Hackney council in preparation for a full planning application scheduled for later this year. The project team involves several specialist consultants, including Lichfields for planning advice, BD as landscape architect, Atelier Ten on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services, AKT II engineers for structure and civil works, Ashton Fire, and Montagu Evans for townscape assessment. Avison Young has submitted an environmental impact assessment scoping report as part of the process.
This development forms part of an emerging high-rise cluster around Old Street, complementing other significant towers such as Make’s 40-storey Atlas Tower, completed in 2019, and KPF’s 36-storey 99 City Road, approved in 2023. This area has seen a shift towards vertical growth, reflecting broader urban densification trends in London’s tech and creative sectors. AHMM’s expertise in delivering transformative projects in the vicinity lends further weight to the scheme’s ambitions; the firm recently completed The Bower on Old Street, a mixed-use retrofit and extension of a 1960s office building incorporating office, retail, bar, and restaurant space with improved pedestrian connectivity.
Hub’s acquisition of the Finsgate House site was conducted in partnership with global investment firm H.I.G. Capital, securing the property for £31 million. The developers have expressed a commitment to creating professionally managed and sustainable homes and offices, including affordable office space. The scheme will also enhance public realm spaces, integrating with the community’s needs and priorities, as highlighted by the development team’s ongoing local engagement efforts.
This co-living project echoes other AHMM-led initiatives with Hub, such as a scheme to convert a 1950s office block near the Barbican into 174 co-living homes. That development, known as 45 Beech Street, is designed to visually complement the Barbican estate, featuring distinctive rounded arched roofs that reference the 1970’s architectural language while delivering modern communal living spaces.
The Finsgate House proposal exemplifies a growing trend in London’s residential sector towards co-living models, which aim to provide affordable, flexible, and community-oriented housing solutions in dense urban locations. While the tower’s scale and central location underscore ambitions to meet surging housing demand in the tech-centric Shoreditch area, it also raises considerations around integrating new tall buildings into existing cityscapes and ensuring balanced urban development.
With major mixed-use schemes like this entering planning phases near Old Street, the area continues to evolve as a dynamic high-rise corridor fostering innovative forms of city living and working, potentially setting benchmarks for future developments across the capital.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/ahmm-working-on-plans-for-35-storey-co-living-tower-next-to-old-street-roundabout/5137423.article – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.building.co.uk/news/ahmm-working-on-plans-for-35-storey-co-living-tower-next-to-old-street-roundabout/5137425.article – This article reports that architectural firm AHMM is developing plans for a 35-storey co-living tower in Shoreditch, London, for residential developer Hub. The proposed Finsgate House scheme aims to replace a five-storey 1980s office building on Cranwood Street, adding 500 homes and an adjacent seven-storey office block. The development is part of a growing high-rise corridor near Old Street roundabout, which includes other significant projects like Make’s 40-storey Atlas Tower and KPF’s 36-storey 99 City Road.
- https://www.hubliving.com/news/redevelopment-site-near-old-street-acquired-for-mixed-use-development-in-partnership-with-h-i-g-capital – Residential developer Hub, in partnership with global investment firm H.I.G. Capital, has acquired Finsgate House near Old Street roundabout for £31 million. The plan is to redevelop the site into a mixed-use scheme, delivering new professionally managed and sustainable homes and offices, including affordable office space, alongside improved public realm. The development team will work with the local community to understand its needs and priorities.
- https://www.buildington.co.uk/buildings/news/view/19181 – H.I.G. Capital’s new Living Platform has partnered with HUB Residential on a first project near Old Street, London EC1. The new partners have acquired Finsgate House for £31 million. The site will deliver new professionally managed and sustainable homes and offices, including affordable office space, alongside an improved public realm. The development team will now work with the local community to understand its needs and priorities.
- https://www.estatesgazette.co.uk/news/hub-and-hig-buy-stranded-old-street-asset-for-mixed-use-scheme/ – Residential developer Hub has teamed up with H.I.G. Capital to buy Finsgate House near London’s Old Street for £31 million. The pair plan to redevelop the property, consisting of three office buildings spanning 42,909 sq ft at 5-7 Cranwood Street, EC1, as a mixed-use project with professionally managed and sustainable homes and offices, including affordable office space. The redevelopment will add to Hub’s portfolio of more than 7,000 homes either completed or in progress across the UK.
- https://www.onofficemagazine.com/architecture/ahmm-transforms-1960s-old-street-block-the-bower-using-clever-retrofit-and-extension – Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has transformed a 1960s office building on Old Street into a mixed-use development called The Bower. The project involved a combination of retrofit and new build, delivering 41,800 sq m of office, retail, bar, and restaurant space. The development includes a new 6m wide pedestrian street alongside The Warehouse to Baldwin Street at the rear, accessed via new links from the Old Street City Road corner and from Old Street itself.
- https://www.archdaily.com/1013870/revitalizing-londons-urban-fabric-ahmm-transforms-office-space-into-vibrant-co-living-community – Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has revealed plans to convert a 1950s London office building into a co-living residential scheme. Initiated by developer HUB and Bridges Fund Management, the project, named ‘Cornerstone’, is located on the fringes of the iconic Barbican estate. The design incorporates a sequence of arched, double-height extrusions that crown the building, reinterpreting the estate’s signature characteristics in a modern way while providing space for co-living apartments.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 4 August 2025. The earliest known publication date of substantially similar content is 16 July 2024, when HUB and H.I.G. Capital acquired Finsgate House for redevelopment. ([hubliving.com](https://www.hubliving.com/news/redevelopment-site-near-old-street-acquired-for-mixed-use-development-in-partnership-with-h-i-g-capital?utm_source=openai)) The report is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found. The narrative includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. ([hubliving.com](https://www.hubliving.com/news/redevelopment-site-near-old-street-acquired-for-mixed-use-development-in-partnership-with-h-i-g-capital?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
No direct quotes were identified in the narrative.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from Building Design Online, a reputable UK-based architecture and construction news outlet. The report is based on a press release from HUB, a known residential developer, and H.I.G. Capital, a global investment firm. The entities mentioned are verifiable and have a public presence.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative’s claims are plausible and align with known developments in the Shoreditch area. The project is part of an emerging high-rise cluster around Old Street, complementing other significant towers such as Make’s 40-storey Atlas Tower, completed in 2019, and KPF’s 36-storey 99 City Road, approved in 2023. ([building.co.uk](https://www.building.co.uk/news/ahmm-working-on-plans-for-35-storey-co-living-tower-next-to-old-street-roundabout/5137425.article?utm_source=openai)) The development’s scale and location are consistent with London’s urban densification trends. The tone and language are consistent with typical corporate communications.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is recent and based on a press release from reputable entities, with no significant discrepancies or unverifiable claims. The information aligns with known developments in the area, and the tone is consistent with typical corporate communications.
