vPPR recently won planning for this mixed-use development in Shoreditch, London for five new apartments and 6000 square foot of retail over two floors, including a new basement. The converted warehouse is located opposite the Soho House group’s Shoreditch House and next to Terence Conran’s Boundary Hotel and Restaurant. The area, first made popular by the Young British Artists, is now a vibrant 24 hour neighbourhood, in which high end fashion retailers are seeking new spaces.
Our proposal brings together a bold formal intervention with sturdy industrial materials, in keeping with the surrounding area. A new entrance to the apartments on the first, second and third floors is moved to quieter Chance Street. An elongated access courtyard threads through the deep block, acting as an internal street, bringing light to the back of the retail floors and the communal residential terraces that cascade down the back of the building. The new apartments open up onto these communal terraces, providing residents with a shared outdoor space, promoting neighbourly relations. A series of timber boxes, containing bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms are scattered within the raw warehouse spaces, allowing natural light from overhead into every room.