50 HERITAGE & HISTORIC (INCLUDING ADAPTIVE RE-USE) SUPPLEMENT
STYLUS Originally a gramophone factory, the refurbishment of the building in London’s Old Street gave it a “coherent identity” while upgrading spaces to provide contemporary flexible workspace for the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ area
Haggerston Baths
One of my favourite heritage projects of ours was Haggerston Baths in Hackney, originally designed by Alfred Cross as a public bathhouse and swimming pool. Opened in 1904 and unfortunately closed in 2000, it had been in use for nearly a century. Despite being derelict and disused when we began work on the proposal, local residents were enthusiastically engaged with the redevelopment of the council-owned landmark.
Our goal was to return this magnificent space to its former glory, while preserving its original character. The key elements of special interest, such as the Edwardian steam boilers and ironwork arches in the main pool hall, were to be restored while ensuring the space remained relevant to the patterns of use and interests of the community as it is today. We proposed a positive community environment with an emphasis on spaces that could be used by everybody. Careful consideration was given to the physical interaction between spaces, remaining respectful to the key heritage elements. Yet the refurbishment simultaneously needed to retain a link with the community through providing spaces for a variety of activities; education, sport and art. With a broad, inclusive approach, the building was to incorporate exhibition space, dance studios, a cafe, and children’s workshops. We also proposed a sympathetic contemporary extension containing a mixture of office, retail and leisure space, while retaining the community focus. As with any intervention on a historic building, it was necessary to develop a language through which the new elements could interact with existing ones. The main atrium and pool hall, with its technically impressive eight-bayed steel-arched roof, became the centrepiece of the internal landscape, crucial in retaining visual connections through the new and existing spaces. The swimming pool itself was repurposed as a sunken floor cafe area. The concept was a 24-hour building with the different spaces being used by a variety of people throughout the day.
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It can be immensely rewarding to find the overall vision which draws on the history of a building, while reinventing and repurposing the architecture to create a new destination suited to meet the demands of today’s society
Stylus, Old Street
As a constellation of different eras, any historic city such as London gives an architect much to work with. History needs to be used to enhance the character and, as well as being flexible, you need to make clear what is old and what is new. One of our workspace refurbishments, Stylus in Old Street, was originally a Victorian gramophone factory. The brief centred on creating a coherent identity for the building, while upgrading it to provide the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ area with contemporary flexible workspace.
Allowing the existing building to fundamentally influence our design concept was crucial despite the fact that the only original element retained was the front facade. We alluded to the curious anachronisms of the ‘steampunk’ movement to mediate between the 19th and 21st centuries, creating a unique space that blends its industrial past with the surrounding tech city.
One of the features underscoring this approach is the bespoke reception desk, titled ‘The Dream Machine.’ Custom-made and designed with Mamou-Mani Architects, it consists of 3D-printed glowing flutes attached to a salvaged goods lift motor. Such projects illustrate one of the most exciting aspects of being an architect. It can be immensely rewarding to find the overall vision which draws on the history of a building, while reinventing and repurposing the architecture to create a new destination suited to meet the demands of today’s society. Sites will have idiosyncrasies, which sometimes pose challenges, however as we all know, restrictions spur our creativity.
Graeme Winestone is associate at gpad London ADF APRIL/MAY 2020
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