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Architects: Squire and Partners
- Area: 1544 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Hufton+Crow , James Jones
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Manufacturers: Kingspan Insulated Panels, Banker Wire, iGuzzini, Flux Lighting, LTS, Lazenby, XAL
Text description provided by the architects. The Studio was created by revitalising a former Victorian depository to provide two floors of bespoke open plan office with an animated street frontage. The unit is the latest in a series of Greencoat projects where Squire and Partners has collaborated with Derwent London to extensively refurbish and extend a family of Victorian industrial buildings to deliver bespoke creative workspace, over a 20 year period.
Externally, a metal framed glazed entrance screen with a latticed metal fascia affords views in and out of the space, accessed by a 3m high door with a full height brushed brass pull handle. The reception area has a polished concrete floor leading to two matt black steel staircases which feature a laser cut pattern and exposed bronze countersunk screws. A platform lift is encased with two layers of patterned mesh in fine brass and black copper plate. Office spaces are provided at lower and upper ground levels, linked by a top lit central lightwell spanned by a black steel bridge, which draws natural light deep into the plan.
The industrial character of the building was a strong influence on the design, which sought to retain elements of the robust structure within a modern open plan workspace. Existing features such as vaulted concrete ceilings, brick walls and ochre coloured lifting beams were exposed to their raw state, and highlighted with modern light fittings, while other industrial mechanisms such as sliding doors, pulleys and window shutters were refurbished to reference the former use.
Original Victorian colours found within the building informed a palette for feature elements such as structural beams in Signal Black and cast iron columns in Colchester Lathe Green. Inspiration was taken from existing patterns and motifs to create a series of contemporary elements including bespoke laser-cut casings for heating/cooling units and patterned floor tiles in the WCs.
