Tabernacle Street offices

Tabernacle Street offices

Old Street is a hotbed of creativity and innovation. Home to a lively cultural scene, wealth of tech incubators, and fast connections to the rest of the city, the demand for workplaces here continues to grow. Tabernacle Street transforms a dated office building into a low impact, six-storey workplace through a combination of smart retrofit and elegant new build.

Hidden assets

The existing office building that sits onsite is somewhat of an anomaly in an area largely characterised by Victorian brick warehouses. Instead of demolishing the entire building and starting anew, the most valuable parts of the existing building are kept, while the new building is expanded and harmonised within its context. Retaining the concrete frame and core is a cost-effective way to lower environmental impact, while additional floor space is gained by adding two-storeys and extending the building to fill the site boundary. This also allows for a uniform grey brick façade treatment, in-keeping with the local character and completing the street frontage.

Client: Tabernacle House Ltd
Location: London, UK
Status: 
Submitted for planning Sep 2017
Area: 
3,370 sqm
Visuals: Wakyak

A healthy, low impact building that supports productivity and innovation.

The shared core and facility spaces gives the potential for one or many businesses to occupy the building. As working practices continue to evolve, the new office layouts enable businesses to expand or adapt over time. False ceilings are removed to give generous 2.8 – 3.14 metre floor-to-ceiling heights. This lends a warehouse aesthetic to the offices by exposing the natural beauty of the concrete soffits.

Ground floor plan

The challenge was to create a contemporary building that could work within the historic warehouse context, and to re-use the existing concrete frame to ensure a lower carbon footprint and cost for the client.
Jay Williams, Project Architect

The recessed fifth floor softens the new office building’s street presence.

Tabernacle Street offices are designed to be fully accessible to all. Level access is created by removing steps at the main entrance. The second entrance on Platina Street lead to shared employee areas. These are furnished with a shower room for cyclists, accessible toilet, bicycle parking that include stands for ambulant disabled employees, as well as charging stations for two mobility scooters.

Healthy workplace design

Employee wellbeing and environmentally sustainable practices were at the core of the design. The low impact solution of re-using the concrete structure is further supported by the addition of a light weight sedum roof to help filter city air and bat boxes to enhance biodiversity, while solar PV panels on the roof contribute a renewable source of energy. The addition of shower rooms and bicycle storage give employees the option of choosing a healthy, less stressful and more environmentally friendly commute.

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