£778.8 million generated in social value during the construction of The Chancery Rosewood

About The Chancery Rosewood

Honouring the heritage of what was once the iconic former American Embassy building, The Chancery Rosewood brings a whole new level of luxury to Mayfair. This glamorous, inner-city destination boasts 139 luxury hotel rooms, eight exceptional restaurants and bars, six flagship retail units, a spa replete with 25m pool, and a grand ballroom with capacity for 1,000 guests. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the development breathes new life into this central London landmark; the only UK project by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. As part of the conservation area in the City of Westminster, the original external façade has been retained, while new build sections have been carefully constructed around existing elements, creating a sense of continuity and connection with the surrounding area.

Defining Social Value 

At Multiplex, our approach to social value is central to our company identity. Our ESG Strategy champions fairness, inclusion, and resilience across our projects and operations. Our approach to Health, Safety, and Wellbeing, focuses on creating nurturing work environments where people are supported and able to be the best version of themselves. Our commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect, reflects our drive to transforming the construction industry by challenging bias, dismantling systemic barriers, advancing gender equity, and improving ethnic diversity. Our Socio-Economic Value model prioritises creating sustainable livelihoods across our supply chain, promoting fair employment opportunities and ensuring the ethical treatment of all workers. Our dedication to Respecting Communities is about building long-term, sustainable partnerships that benefit everyone, and encourage active, involved communities. Together, these themes guide our efforts to deliver meaningful, lasting social impact. This strategy is underpinned by our Social Equity Management Framework, which aligns with the BS 8950 Social Value Standard, IHRB’s Dignity in the Built Environment Framework, the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, and the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. These global standards reinforce our dedication to equity, resilience, and accountability. You can read more about our efforts in our Social Value and Community report.

Social Value at The Chancery Rosewood 

As on all our projects, our approach at The Chancery Rosewood prioritised creating meaningful, measurable social and environmental impact, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. With a strong focus on the connection between environmental and social factors within ESG, we developed and implemented a robust Social Value Framework that guided the project from start to finish. Working in close partnership with Westminster City Council, our supply chain partners, and a range of local stakeholders including Westminster Adult Services, City of Westminster College, Construction Youth Trust, Think-Forward, Bounce-Back, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to name a few, we maximised opportunities to deliver lasting social value. All activities were monitored through the Social Value Portal, ensuring transparency, accountability and quantifiable impact. We are proud to have generated an impressive £778.8 million in social value on the project, contributing to a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable built environment. 

At The Chancery Rosewood project, our commitment to our people was brought to life through a range of initiatives. One example was the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training we provided, free of charge, which resulted in a total of 37 team members becoming accredited MHFA Champions. We are proud to foster a culture of openness and support on all our projects, and in support of this we provided regular toolbox talks, invited wellbeing speakers to site, and ran drop-in events such as bike repair sessions. Onsite roadshows featuring new technologies and PPE resulted in improved safety practices and a stronger safety culture, with workers keen to explore new safeguarding methods. We also hosted pizza days, pancake breakfasts and ice cream breaks to encourage regular rest, boost camaraderie and morale. These efforts reflect our belief that mental and physical wellbeing are as important as each other in building resilient, productive teams and safe, collaborative workplaces.

Throughout the project, we demonstrated our commitment to diversity, inclusion and respect by partnering with organisations that support underrepresented groups and promote equity within the built environment, breaking down barriers to create a more inclusive industry. These included No Going Back, a charity that encourages ex-offenders into employment; Think-Forward, which assists students with learning difficulties; The Fest Hub, which propels low-income students into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers; and Women into Construction, who are dedicated to promoting gender equality in the industry. The team also hosted educational events for Pride, Neurodiversity Awareness Week, and International Women’s Day. Key initiatives included a 10-week neurodiverse work experience programme, helping students explore construction careers, and an employability workshop at HMP Isis, equipping young offenders with skills and confidence to re-enter the workforce.

We delivered significant socio-economic value on the project by embedding social impact into our procurement, employment, and labour practices. We delivered over £778 million in social value, engaged 69 SMEs, and spent £58 million locally. We had 130 new job starts, 44 apprenticeships, and 103 work experience placements, many of which went to underrepresented groups. Ethical labour practices were reinforced through 681 worker interviews and third-party audits, ensuring rights were respected across the board. These efforts reflect our commitment to inclusive economic growth, ethical supply chains, and lasting community impact.

Our work with the communities in which we operate goes beyond surface level. We worked hard to minimise disruption to the local area, foster connections, and involve the community as much as possible. We raised over £142,000 for the Willow Foundation, a local charity that provides unique experiences for young people facing life-threatening illnesses, through annual golf fundraising events. Our team also joined Royal Parks and Marble Arch BID for the Great British Spring Clean, helping restore Hyde Park’s wildflower meadows. In celebration of Plastic Free July, we participated in a Thames beach clean, tackling plastic pollution and promoting environmental stewardship.

Our Senior Social Value & Community Manager, Luciana Campos, shared some personal highlights:

“I am so proud to have been part of this one-of-a-kind project. From the bid stage all the way through to completion with maternity leave in between, it was a unique experience. The team were brilliant, so supportive, and the reason we were able to maximise our social value on this project.

“We raised over £180,000 through various fundraising events. On top of that, our dedicated staff and subcontractors volunteered an impressive 2,258 hours — delivering 84 educational sessions in local schools and colleges and contributing to 65 community events.

“The numbers speak for themselves - but they don’t capture the time and effort involved or the pride I feel in going above and beyond to support the communities we work in. That’s what makes The Chancery Rosewood such a special development.

“Despite significant challenge of a global pandemic early on the project, we adapted quickly, providing work experience placements both in person and virtually. Thanks to the incredible support from our subcontractors, we were also able to provide apprenticeships and job opportunities, which made a real difference to the local community.”

Final Thoughts

The success of our project delivery was driven by our well-established social value and community management plan, along with comprehensive employment and skills, local procurement and neighbourhood liaison strategies. These frameworks ensured consistent, impactful service to our stakeholders and communities across Westminster City Council, reinforcing our commitment to creating lasting positive change. Our teams achieve brilliant things across all our projects, and The Chancery Rosewood is no exception.

The full Social Value and Community report can be viewed below.