Charlotte Docherty, Associate, gpad london
Any city street in the UK is a complex tapestry of old and new. Yet far from being a restriction, historic buildings and features present rich resources for architects to work with. One of the more exciting aspects of our work is finding ways to meld the historic with cutting-edge design and creating something with a presence that’s joyful to work or live in.
What’s often a challenge, is maintaining unique characteristics and stopping a neighbourhood becoming over-sterilised. Paradoxically, despite the investment, if somewhere becomes overly generic it can also result in a drop in rental value if it is taken too far.
Using existing street patterns and materials
The patchwork of old and new buildings in historic cities such as London offers an architect much to feed off. As a designer, you need to be flexible and make clear what’s old and new to use history to enhance the character while opening a new chapter for the building or site.
gpad recently completed a workspace refurbishment in Old Street, where a crucial part of the brief was to create a coherent identity for the building. The front façade is the only part of the Victorian gramophone factory retained, however it was the chief source of inspiration for the rest of the design concept. Stylus is a great example of updating a building, remaining sympathetic to its history while providing workspace fit for the 21st century.
Sometimes the architect plays the role of an investigator, making discoveries on site. Working with the character of existing streetscapes and patterns can yield rich rewards, for example, with the integration of traditional brickwork into a new design.
Improving the old
Of course, reuse and retrofit is not just a buzzword but the mindset we’re all now adopting, which will have a huge impact on sustainability targets. Existing structures have a great deal of embodied energy, so in cases where the façade has reached the end of its serviceable life stripping old buildings back to the existing structure and re-cladding the façade is an admirable approach. Once you take into account what new-build requires in terms of logistics, e.g. the craning involved, it becomes evident the cost-benefit of reuse/retrofit could have in a tight urban environment, maybe this could free up room in the cost plan for investing in ecology and renewable energy solutions?
Planning
Historic, especially listed buildings often have stringent planning policies in place, but designers can achieve great things.
Our refurbishment of Grade II-listed Seven Dials Warehouse in Covent Garden includes reminders of the building’s heritage throughout. Original features were sensitively retained and restored with an industrial-luxe aesthetic while giving the building a new street presence with large new glazing. We exposed much of the original brickwork while providing state-of-the-art features such as rhythmic linear strip lighting and a floating folded steel staircase to access the new roof terrace.
As a designer, you should always be mindful of local history and how your design will support it, by investing time to understand the area’s priorities. In a conservation area or with a listed building this is amplified; you need to collaborate closely with conservation officers and heritage and planning consultants.
Architects need to set their client’s expectations early on. Developers have to know and be on board with the idea that while there might be a limit to how much the building can be transformed, the final product will be something unique. The idiosyncrasies are often what gives a place character. Limitations ask us to think differently and can improve our creativity.
