The huge 115,000 square foot space was built in 1928. Its history is typical of many buildings in the neighbourhood, with the original industrial use replaced during the late twentieth century by artists and institutions seeking cheap – and reasonably central – spaces. In this case, it had been occupied most recently by Central St Martins and the London College of Printing. As Clerkenwell has matured as a creative district, older buildings are once again being reinvented for more corporate tenants. Our brief was to rework the building, targeting it at the media and creative organisations.
The building sits on a sloping site, and the old loading bay on Back Hill offered us the opportunity to open up and celebrate its inherent volume. By removing parts of some of the lower-floor slabs we created a cathedral-like triple-height space, extending upwards from the basement and linking to the upper ground floor.
