Bringing History Back to Life: Surveying LSO St Luke’s

June 10, 2026

We are delighted to celebrate the completion of the latest phase of work at LSO St Luke’s—the stunning, award-winning home of the London Symphony Orchestra! 

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this multi-million-pound renovation by Levitt Bernstein is a true masterclass in adaptive reuse, seamlessly integrating an ultra-modern, high-tech interior while perfectly preserving Nicholas Hawksmoor’s 18th-century historic exterior. 

The Challenge: 40 Years Open to the Elements

Before its spectacular revival, this Grade I listed building famously stood roofless and open to the elements for nearly 40 years. Aworth Survey Consultants was commissioned by Levitt Bernstein during the original project phase to produce the precise survey drawings, detailed plans, elevations, sections, and rectified photography required to make the ambitious restoration possible. 

From a surveying and architectural standpoint, the project presented several unique complexities:

• An Acoustic "Box within a Box": To shield the London Symphony Orchestra’s recording space from the heavy traffic rumble of Old Street, the team had to suspend an entirely independent concrete and acoustic structure inside the old brick shell. The new and old structures could not touch structurally. 
• Mapping Moving Stonework: Because the building had been exposed to weather for four decades, the original stonework had moved, bowed, and weathered significantly. Our rectified photography (orthogonal photos corrected for perspective) and detailed surveys provided the exact tolerances the engineering team needed to plan and install the new steel infrastructure within the uneven historic remains. 
• The Fluted Obelisk Spire: The building features Hawksmoor’s famously unusual choice of an obelisk for a church spire. An incredibly rare architectural feature for the 18th century, it remains one of London's most unique landmarks.

Proud to Support London’s Heritage

Aworth Survey Consultants has a long history of documenting heritage structures, and LSO St Luke’s stands out as a prime example of how precision measurement bridges the gap between historic preservation and cutting-edge modern engineering. We are incredibly proud to have played a foundational role in bringing this historic London landmark back to life. 

Need precision surveying for a heritage or complex restoration project?  Contact the Aworth team today to discuss how our laser scanning, scan2bim, measured surveys and rectified photography can support your next project.

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