Once home to Maple & Co HQ, the esteemed British furniture and upholstery manufacturer, the brutalist block known as Maple House today is being reinvented.
The Project
The major redevelopment project, commissioned by Lazari Investments, will see Maple House transform into a modern, flexible space that is centred on design, functionality, wellbeing and sustainability.
The full redevelopment will provide a variety of uses and high-quality amenities, including “end-of-journey” facilities and wellness spaces, hospitality spaces and roof terraces, and 110,000 sq ft of contemporary workspace, arranged around the one-acre communal urban forest (Lazari Investments, 2025).
The Challenge
The first phase of the redevelopment, completed in 2024, focused on remodelling the entire reception area and creating the future foundation for Maple House.
The reception needed to balance the building’s Brutalist heritage with a modern, hospitality-inspired design. However, it also needed to serve as a hub for critical digital infrastructure to support the current and future functionality of the building.
Lazari needed a space that could:
- Integrate technology without visual compromise: Digital infrastructure had to be introduced without impacting the redesign of the new entrance or the building’s architectural character.
- Support multi-tenant operations and future growth: Infrastructure had to be able to handle increasing operational demands and adapt smoothly as new tenants moved in during the phased redevelopment.
- Provide long-term resilience as redevelopment progresses: All critical systems had to be supported and be able to securely scale for the ongoing amenity upgrades, new shared spaces, and future tenants.
The Curve IT Approach
Rather than being bought in after architectural decisions were made, Curve IT worked as an embedded partner from the earliest design stages, collaborating closely with Lazari, MoreySmith, Vert Projects, Faithdean PLC and other project teams.
This early involvement meant that the new digital core could be planned alongside the building design, preventing costly retrofits and ensuring that the final result met both the aesthetic and technical requirements.
Our work included:
Planning and Design
- Assessing the long-term scope of the redevelopment and defining a structured, scalable cabling and network infrastructure strategy.
- Specifying geographically diverse cable paths to eliminate single points of failure and provide flexibility for further phases.
- Redesigning the main communications room, removing legacy systems to create a digital hub for the building’s full life cycle.
- Specifying enterprise-grade network switches and access points with dual power and 10Gbps network capacity to deliver secure, resilient, high-speed connectivity building-wide.
- Consulting with MoreySmith to ensure digital infrastructure could be integrated within the interior redesign.
Infrastructure Delivery
- Coordinating with construction teams to align cabling and services installation with build schedules, architectural design and finishes.
- Installing the cabling network throughout the reception and allocated riser routes to support all redevelopment phases.
- Deploying new core network equipment in the communications room, capable of maintaining all IP-based building systems and scaling as the building evolves.
- Deploying a converged network to keep building systems operational and secure on a single platform.
- Implementing high-speed WiFi across the reception and shared areas, with post-installation testing to validate performance against predictive pre-construction models and standards
A Welcome Redefined
The remodelled reception reflects the building’s Brutalist heritage while functioning as a modern, digitally enabled hub.
The reception celebrates the building’s original features, including concrete columns and keyhole-style structural elements. It also introduces marble, timber and metal finishes and bespoke detailing to create a refined, hospitality-inspired space.
The digital core ensures the building can function and grow.
Key outcomes include:
- Fully resilient networks ready to support each of the redevelopment phases as they come online without disruption.
- A unified network for all building services (security and smart systems) across the site, reducing the need for and cost of multiple vendors, equipment and management tools.
- Instant access to 10Gbps connectivity for tenants, removing traditional ISP delays, complex wayleave negotiations and any installation disruption after moving in.
- Consistent, high-speed WiFi across the reception and communal areas, enhancing tenant and visitor experience and satisfaction.
- A reception that balances heritage, aesthetic design and functionality, contributing to a WiredScore Gold Rating and a BREEAM “Very Good” status for the building.
Active Partnership and Ongoing Support
As Maple House continues to evolve, Curve IT remains an active partner, ensuring the digital infrastructure supports the ongoing redevelopment and complex technical requirements of its prospective tenants.
As Kelly Warrington, Building Manager for Maple House, explains, “what has been especially valuable is Curve IT’s ability to maintain an excellent standard of service through the on-going construction works. They’ve collaborated with Lazari, multiple contractors and wider project team to keep Maple House running smoothly for existing tenants, while also preparing the building for its future amenities, evolving operations and new arrivals.”
This includes University College London (UCL), which signed a 10-year lease for 45,000 sq ft of office space at Maple House and noted that “well-connected office space on Tottenham Court Road is an important part of the UCL Bloomsbury estate”.
The digital core for the building will therefore extend to support the high-end turnkey fit-out for UCL, as well as other incoming tenants by providing robust, resilient digital infrastructure required for modern working environments.
From Foundation to Future
Curve IT designed and delivered the digital core for Maple House as part of its first phase of completed works. The reception integrates the building’s Brutalist heritage with modern infrastructure that supports both current operations and future growth.
The infrastructure is secure, resilient, and scalable. From UCL’s 45,000 sq ft fit-out and The Canopy’s completion in Q4 2026 to future office lettings, the digital infrastructure supports each phase of the redevelopment.
Curve IT continues to support Lazari and project partners through the continued works, ensuring the building remains connected, secure, and ready for its new tenants and amenities.
Want to know more?
Curve IT partners with developers, landlords and architects to integrate scalable digital infrastructure from the earliest design stages, ensuring new and refurbished buildings are ready for their tenants, future uses and long-term performance.
