Lucent is a high-quality mixed-use scheme facing onto London’s Piccadilly Circus behind the iconic Piccadilly Lights. The seven-storey development was the realisation of a decade long project to regenerate the island site by combining innovative retail, residential and workspace around the existing occupiers with long term leases.

As the project brought together 13 buildings, the facades are a mixture of existing historic constructions and new curtain walling with natural slate extending over folding geometric rooftops.

Retail units are primarily found at basement and ground levels with a rooftop restaurant overlooking the cityscape. An open-air central atrium uniting all floors streams natural light across five storeys of flexible office space.

Committed to wellbeing and sustainability, Lucent targets a rating of WELL Core Gold and BREEAM Outstanding. Workspaces incorporate natural features designed to boost health and productivity, including a three-storey high green wall, garden spaces, and 20 outdoor terraces.

Key challenges of the acoustic design were:

• The control of intrusive noise in this busy prime location via the building envelope to acceptable internal levels in compliance with British Council for Offices (BCO)/BREEAM for office areas, and planning conditions for residential units
• Achieving sound insulation standards across the structurally constrained floor slabs in
  accordance with BCO guidelines
• Control of building services noise and vibration both internally and externally
• Implementation of acoustic finishes for reverberation control within workspace areas, the entrance lobby and the wintergarden that align with the design intent.

A detailed environmental noise survey was undertaken at the site to quantify the existing sound levels and form a basis for assessment of the building envelope requirements. In conjunction with computer modelling, the survey results were used to identify the expected external noise levels and define the requirements.

Sound insulation software, along with review of test data for similar constructions, was used to assess the structural slab build-up against the target standards.

The workspace design intent was for exposed services with suspended acoustic panels for reverberation control. The quantity of panels was carefully assessed to ensure the extent could be neatly co-ordinated with the services design while providing an optimum amount of reverberation control to provide a basis for a tenant fit-out.