side of Brock House is on Great Portland Street, which, thanks to an abundance of car showrooms, became colloquially known as Motor Row in the 1920s and 1930s; Brock House itself hosted the manufacturing of car parts. ‘Digging around’ in this history, SODA found some ‘fantastic’ images, such as an old photograph of the space in use as a philharmonic hall with the St James Orchestra, and a poster from its time as a showroom for the Automotive Products Company. Physical evidence of the latter was also found when the building was being stripped out, with the discovery of steelwork reinforcing sections of the ground floor to support heavy machinery. SODA was keen to incorporate both sets or references and was able to reconcile the two in one design by applying each on different levels. The philharmonic/cinematic references ‘set the stage’ as it were, with a heavy curtain hung continuously around the central core acting as a backdrop upon which the hive of activity on the ground floor plays out. Given Brock House’s unusual feature of glazing on all sides with large showroom windows, this space – where SODA located most of the communal spaces and amenities – enjoys an audience of passersby. On top of the ‘sense of decadence’ established through colour and material choice are the elegant precision details of automotive
