We were asked by our owner-occupier client to put forward proposals to reconfigure their existing office premises, within a Victorian former industrial building in the London Bridge area, in order to provide permanent office space for themselves in addition to lettable space at ground floor level, shared meeting spaces at lower ground and a general overhaul of the building finishes.

A light touch was a main consideration throughout the scheme. The existing, open floor plan, regular fenestration pattern, and industrial material palette of brick and timber with cast iron detail, were all important drivers in reaching a design solution which referenced the existing industrial aesthetic whilst retaining maximum light-fall throughout the building, particularly at Lower Ground Level. Our proposals sought to better create and define individual areas to allow for private office space for both our client and their future tenant, whilst simultaneously creating a sense of shared ownership at Ground Floor entrance level and to the shared meeting spaces proposed to Lower Ground.

The insertion of glazed, crittal-style screens to delineate spaces, rather than traditional stud partition, allowed us to retain the light and open feeling of the existing building and make the most of natural light falling through the many windows to each, long, elevation. The insertion of a new, bespoke design, steel stair between lower ground and ground floor level allowed us to draw more light to lower ground level as well as to create a dedicated lobby space, and to remove the low quality, and poorly lit, existing timber staircase previously accessed through the Ground Floor office.

Throughout the building, a restricted, monotone palette of material finishes was applied to complement the existing industrial aesthetic.