Architect McBains Cooper has come up with complex designs for a twelve-storey development for Dorsett Hotels.

The new 275-room, four star hotel building will be constructed on the site of the old commercial property, known as The Matrix building, which flanks Aldgate tube station and the 18th Century St Botolph-without-Aldgate Church.

The existing foundations of The Matrix building consist of bell piles in close proximity to the London Underground network.

Removing these was not an option, due to the archaeology of the area and the complexities involved.

Instead, in dropping the building to the ground, McBains Cooper’s solution to ensure there is a suitable foundation for the taller structure will involve cutting the piles off and constructing a new raft, which will optimise the structural grid of the foundations.

Mark Leeson, Director at McBains Cooper said: “We considered reusing the existing building but one of the benefits of bringing the building down is that we can intensify the use of the site, creating additional public space.

“The City of London Corporation’s planning process demands design quality and the use of natural materials, combined with the elegant proportions of the new hotel building will contribute to the overall regeneration plan for this area in what I think is a very crisp, logical building design.”