WORKPLACE 083
of indoor greenery. For youngsters renting in major capital cities, employers know that few would have the luxury of a garden or balcony, so making the office atmosphere more of a biophilic delight wins them brownie (or greenie?) points.
John Robertson Architects concept
design is helping client HB Reavis achieve the top environmental and wellbeing accreditations for its Bloom Clerkenwell building. Comprising 14,500m2
workspace on seven levels all designed to of Grade A
minimise carbon footprint and maximise wellbeing, the 1,400m2
of planted roof terrace
and assorted planting woven throughout the structure means that almost 11% of the building comprises landscaped terraces – giving it the ‘highest office-to-terrace ratios of any building in London’. Tat includes a communal edible garden offering fruit and herbs. Tere’s also a 1,200ft2
fitness studio
with no membership fee. It has achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating, and a WELL Platinum certification.
Random Studios in Amsterdam is using nature and technology to make the most of both outdoor and indoor space. Its employees enjoy a 300m2
rooftop garden
(which helps with roof insulation as well as rainwater harvesting), as well as a whole range of tech and creative solutions deployed within its walls. As a tech company it used its skills to devise a ‘tech theatre’ to give them complete control over light, temperature, sound and even smell, all oriented towards boosting their workers’ moods.
CASE STUDY
32° EAST ARTS CENTRE | UGANDAN ARTS TRUST
Uganda’s first purpose-built community and contemporary arts space, 32° East Arts Centre | Ugandan Arts Trust, opened its doors in Kampala on 23 March 2023. It had taken seven years of tireless drive and energy from its founder, director and fundraisers, but also the skills and good will of architect James Hampton of New Makers Bureau, who donated his design services pro bono. The client, a not-for-profit organisation, started with a vision to promote and support East Africa’s contemporary art scene. The centre’s first iteration was four shipping containers, but thanks to some fortuitous land acquisitions and a tireless fundraising team, plus the friendship between London-based architect Hampton and the client team, this beautiful, red, rammed earth and baked brick structure has emerged, completing phase one of the scheme.
Built in collaboration with Kampala-based multidisciplinary design and building company Localworks, this flexible, fully accessible, single-storey structure offers four artist studios, a library, restrooms, and a spacious café that doubles up as exhibition, event and workspace until phase two arrives. Situated on a slope, the building is arranged around a shaded, step-free courtyard, creating another amenity and social gathering space, as well as outdoor studio for larger structures.
The construction is both sustainable and hyper-local. Following key principles of the circular economy, it is made mostly from materials found on or near the site. Rammed earth or bricks for walls were excavated directly from the site, and solar baked using a traditional compressed brick technique. Demolition materials from two adjacent unfit buildings have been used for fill and as aggregate. The foundations are made of locally quarried sandstone, and local eucalyptus timber used for the
rammed earth formworks and then reused as roof shingles.
Minimising solar gain is a major factor, given its location on the equator, and the design response includes slim polycarbonate rooflights for natural daylighting, and the use of shutters rather than glazed windows. The sweeping roof provides shade over the courtyard, and a porous textured pattern in brick screens creates ventilation as well as dappling. If targets are reached, the second phase will complete in 2024, comprising a gallery on two levels, four artist guest rooms (for residencies), two artist studios, ofices, kiosks and a walled courtyard garden.
Client 32° East Arts Centre | Ugandan Arts Trust
Architecture New Makers Bureau Main contractor Localworks, Kampala Area 470m2 Cost £1.15m
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