Heritage-led workspace and retail building, part new-build and part refurbishment, within the Blossom Street development in Spitalfields.

British Land
Spitalfields, London
£6.4 million
25,000 square feet

  • Design reflects architectural principles of neighbouring Georgian and Victorian properties
  • Consultation process with variety of stakeholders from local interest groups to diverse professional specialists
  • Concept borne out of vast body of research on site history
  • Wider scheme combines adaptive re-use and new-build elements
  • Community of small, flexible workplaces driven by principles of low-energy, long-life and loose-fit

Client: British Land
Structural Engineer: AKT II
Services Engineer: Arup
BREEAM Consultant: Atelier 10
Heritage: KM Heritage
Engagement: Hardhat
Landscape: East

Related research

Workplaces

Related work

R7 The Featherstone Building
Aug 2023-Site visit
Aug 2023-Site visit
Aug 2023-Site visit
On site June 2023
On site June 2023
Facade revisions With sash windows
Grid, Proportion & Fenestration Placement Paper models testing widths & depth of brick piers, cornices and openings.
Architectural Taxonomy A sample selection from the Elder Street Conservation Area.
Extraction of colour and texture from the local material samples.
@kirstyken #TradingPlaces & homage to 1910 bakers-exploring past and future of London @BlossomStreetE1
@Likely_Lass Blossom Street warehouses @BlossomStreet #NortonFolgate
Pre-Planning Exhibition at the Nicholls and Clarke Warehouse A view across the space towards a gathering around the site-wide model.
Public Consultation Event Design development is placed into the display cabinets with proposed visuals mounted onto the walls.
Public Consultation Event Illustrating key historic images, a timeline, drawings and records.
Pre-Planning Exhibition at the Nicholls and Clarke Warehouse A view of the site and the emerging context.
Permeating the Site Site analysis of surrounding streets, links through the site and connection with a central courtyard.
Folgate Street Elevation Exploring the design of 13-14 Norton Folgate and it's relationship with the neighbouring locally listed building.
Aligning Datums A design option testing a full step back on upper floors to align the new parapet with the ridge of the historic neighbouring building.
An Impression An elevation view of the historic overlay combined with the contemporary interventions.
Corner Shot An overview of the embossed historic layer combined with the modern elements of the new corner building.
Historic Overlay Initial facade studies of an embossed layer of the historical context layered onto the facade with large glazed punctures.
Options studies
Turning the Corner Sketches exploring rhythm, proportion and turning the corner from Norton Folgate to Folgate Street.
A Bird's Eye View exploring uses and access of breakout spaces and terraces.
Townscape Macros Analysis Emerging, existing and scale of local context
Historic Overlay Collage of an original historic photo and the Tallis elevation drawing.
Unfolded Elevation of Bishopsgate and Norton Folgate - Part 1 Illustrating a dramatic increase of scale towards the City.
Unfolded Street Elevations of Bishopsgate - Part 2 Contextual surveys showing stark contrasts of scale and style on the Bishopsgate axis onto which the site fronts.
@BlossomStreetE1 Excellent letter on #nortonfolgate from @AHMMArchitects @_SW_News @dugganmorrisarc #@DSDHA in @RIBAJ
Initial Facade Exploration The early experiment explores a possible corner design & it's mediation between the adjacent historic contexts.
Facade study Looking at window placement
From Nicholls & Clarke archive Blossom Street warehouses c1930 which will form part of @BlossomStreetE1 #nortonfolgate
Original signage In the Elder Street Conservation Area
Site Visit Visual inspection of the roofs of the existing Victorian and Georgian terraces.
Existing Site Photo A close-up photograph of the capital of an existing pilaster.

Blossom