THE LOCATION

Standing proudly at 84-94 Regent Street in London's West End, Venture House is a landmark property within one of the capital's most recognisable streetscapes. Owned by The Crown Estate, the six-storey building is part of a wider regeneration and investment programme designed to preserve and enhance the architectural heritage of Regent Street while meeting modern commercial and sustainability standards.

Venture House sits close to Piccadilly Circus and the Quadrant Arcade, in a stretch of Regent Street that blends classic Portland stone façades with world-class retail and office developments. Currently undergoing a comprehensive refurbishment to upgrade interiors and restore external features, the site forms part of The Crown Estate's ongoing commitment to creating resilient, future-focused spaces across its London portfolio.

The project continues a strong collaborative history between Embrace Building Wraps and The Crown Estate. Embrace previously delivered the large-scale trompe l'oeil scaffold wrap at nearby St James's Market, transforming a construction zone into a striking artistic design that drew praise across the industry. The Venture House project built on this expertise, using cutting-edge print technology and meticulous planning to achieve another stand-out result on one of London's most prominent streets.

THE BRIEF

The Crown Estate commissioned Embrace Building Wraps to deliver a visually seamless, ultra-HD printed one to one building façade scaffold wrap that would conceal the restoration works at Venture House while maintaining the prestige of Regent Street's architectural setting. The aim was twofold: to minimise the visual impact of the construction phase and to create a dynamic canvas that could host both social-value messaging and future commercial advertising.

The scope covered a working access scaffold above the gantry spanning 43.5 metres wide and 10.3 metres high, with two side returns. Embrace was responsible for full end-to-end delivery – from providing planning visuals and technical drawings to fabricating, printing, and installing the completed wrap.

With a total area of 450 square metres, the project demanded exceptional precision. The wrap was to be produced using nine solid PVC panels digitally printed in ultra-high definition, designed to align perfectly with the building's façade. Over 20% of the thirty-six panel edges required exact alignment to maintain the illusion of a single, continuous image.

The design also required several unique integrations. Two central panels were made interchangeable, allowing The Crown Estate to switch between social and commercial graphics as needed. Three panels included bespoke openings to accommodate Westminster City Council's Christmas decorations and flagpole fixings, ensuring the installation remained functional throughout the year.

In addition, The Crown Estate ensured the overall streetscape presentation be enhanced during the construction phase. This meant boxing in the scaffold towers with painted ply and introducing a living vertical meadow along the gantry's front edge combining architectural precision with environmental awareness.

THE SOLUTION

Embrace Building Wraps brought together its technical, creative, and project management expertise to deliver a premium result that exceeded expectations.

The process began with comprehensive planning and design support. Embrace supplied detailed drawings, visuals, and site plans to aid the planning approval process, ensuring all aesthetic and safety standards were met. Once approved, Embrace's in-house design team created a hyper-realistic CGI façade, replicating every architectural detail of Venture House – from stone textures to shadow lines – with striking accuracy.

Production followed with the printing of nine large-format PVC panels using UV-stable inks for longevity and colour depth. Each panel was precision-cut and finished with reinforced hems and tensioning systems to maintain a flawless surface once installed. A removable Velcro-seamed panel was incorporated in the central wrap to provide safe access for operatives working behind the wrap onto the gantry.

During installation, meticulous attention was given to alignment and fixing. With 22% of all panel edges requiring exact joins, Embrace's team engineered a custom frame configuration to maintain consistent tension and ensure the printed stonework aligned perfectly across every seam. The result is a seamless trompe l'oeil façade that captures the building's grandeur while masking the work behind.

To ensure visibility after dark, Embrace integrated discreet LED spotlights beneath the gantry, softly illuminating the façade without glare. The system maintains a consistent appearance both day and night, reinforcing the sense of permanence and quality that Regent Street is known for.

Beyond visual excellence, Embrace coordinated closely with multiple project partners including The Crown Estate, main contractors, scaffold teams, the living meadow supplier, and Westminster City Council's Christmas lights division to keep every aspect of the project on schedule. This collaborative, multi-party approach ensured flawless delivery, even within a constrained central London site.

THE RESULTS

The completed scaffold wrap at Venture House has transformed a construction site into a feature of architectural beauty. By replicating the original façade in ultra-HD clarity, Embrace created a seamless visual illusion that blends effortlessly into Regent Street's historic streetscape.

The installation not only maintains the prestige of the area but also enhances public perception of the ongoing works. With the addition of two interchangeable panels, The Crown Estate can adapt the display to communicate key social messages or future advertising opportunities maximising both engagement and commercial potential.

Illuminated by night and framed by the forthcoming vertical living meadow, the wrap adds vibrancy and sophistication to one of London's busiest thoroughfares. Its success reinforces how scaffold wraps can elevate urban environments, enhance brand presence, and protect the visual integrity of heritage architecture during construction.

Reflecting on the project, Greg Forster, Managing Director of Embrace Building Wraps, said:

Projects of this scale and complexity demand absolute precision and collaboration. It took six months of planning and teamwork with The Crown Estate, their planners, the main contractor BAM & GKR Scaffolding  aligns from the artwork to the last fixing that's when the magic happens. The result speaks for itself, and our client is delighted with both the quality and the impact.

Delivered on time and within budget, the Venture House installation showcases Embrace Building Wraps' ability to combine technical mastery, design innovation, and project reliability. It stands as another example of how Embrace continues to transform London's skyline one façade at a time.