The Vision
A New Destination for Leicester Square
We are proposing a new building centred around a visitor attraction, complemented by a high-quality food and drink offering. The aim is to transform this corner of Leicester Square, unlocking its full potential and establishing it as a destination that plays an active role in the life of the Square.
The proposal has been designed to deliver a unique and flexible space capable of accommodating immersive, experience-led attractions, addressing a clear gap in the West End for large, high-quality venues of this kind.
Elsewhere in London, successful examples include Frameless, Lightroom and The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience. Internationally, teamLab Borderless demonstrates the scale of opportunity as a purpose-designed, multi-sensory environment generating an estimated £44 million in annual revenue. With the UK experience economy valued at around £300 billion, this highlights both strong demand and the opportunity to deliver a major new attraction in central London.
Tokyo, Japan - April, 2022: Digital Arts being exhibited at TeamLab Borderless, augmented reality and virtual reality themed museum where visitor can be a part of arts. credit: KenSoftTH / Shutterstock.com
Explore our design proposals
From the outside
A four-storey rotating façade fronting onto Leicester Square, inspired by the West End’s rich cinema and theatre heritage. Its sculptural design references a stage curtain, rotating to reveal an LED display when in 'screen mode'.
By day sculptural fins form a stage curtain wrapping around the building
Transforming into a dynamic billboard by night
To respond to the scale of the surrounding buildings, the elevation along Bear Street has been divided into two distinct frontages, stepped back from one another. The taller block features a lighter, stone-toned façade with double-height shopfronts, reflecting the grander scale of the square. The smaller block incorporates a lower, single-height shopfront in a warmer toned façade, relating more closely to the ‘townhouse’ scale of the neighbouring Bear & Staff.
The Stage Curtain concept will continue around the building, not as a continuous screen, but through sculpted openings formed as extensions of the fins, maintaining the sculptural quality of the façade.
Scroll through the images below to see how the proposed development will be arranged across two sites and how the buildings will work together to create a new visitor destination.
The proposed development spans two sites opposite each other.
The main building occupies a prominent corner plot on Leicester Square and Bear Street, with the entrance located on Cranbourn Street.
With high footfall and excellent visibility from the nearby Underground station, Cranbourn Street offers a great opportunity to create a vibrant and welcoming entrance that draws visitors in.
The two buildings will be connected by an underground link...
...creating a dramatic entrance to an unexpected subterranean space.
Visitors exit onto Bear St, avoiding crossover with people entering the building.
The sites feel connected and consistent.
The buildings line up neatly and mirror each other, creating one joined-up place.
An arrival experience - worthy of a world class attraction
On Cranbourn Street, a deep, fluted arched gateway will create a distinctive and memorable entrance for this flagship visitor attraction.
Warm materials and a sculpted front have been carefully chosen to complement the iconic Hippodrome building opposite, helping the building feel at home in Leicester Square while creating a welcoming and striking entrance for visitors.
New active frontages will energise Bear Street, transforming it into a vibrant gateway to Leicester Square.
View of shopfronts along Bear Street, with the entrance on Cranbourn Street visible on the left
On the inside
A twelve-level, mixed-use development with a 30,000 sq.ft 'Experience Led Visitor Attraction' spread over three double-height floors.
A space to deliver a world class visitor attraction supported by complementary food and beverage offers. Designed to be flexible to respond to different uses.
Designed for flexibility, with double-height spaces that can be adapted to suit different uses, including the addition of intermediate floors
View of visitor floors showing the Cranbourn Street entrance, underground link and main building
At street level, there will be places to eat and drink, which could include a food court, restaurants, or casual dining options.
At the top of the building, a rooftop restaurant with terraces will offer new views across Leicester Square, Covent Garden and London’s iconic skyline.
The angled terrace on the top floor will provide stunning views across Leicester Square and framing views of historic sites such as Nelson’s Column and the Palace of Westminster.
The east facing terrace on Level 5 will provide attraction visitors with views out over the characterful Covent Garden rooftops, and towards the City of London skyline.