BuckleyGrayYeoman was commissioned by Derwent London to transform the architectural identity of the existing 1930s industrial building, originally converted into offices in the late 1980s, to create exciting interior spaces, including site-specific artworks and bespoke furniture, right in the heartland of London’s creative industries.

The practice has reworked the way the building addresses the surrounding streets, adding full-height glazing at ground level and creating a new entrance facing onto Clerkenwell Green. The reorientation of the entrance maximizes the civic presence of the building, which in turn enhances the building’s identity in the local area.

BuckleyGrayYeoman worked closely with Derwent London to produce a modern, versatile office building that celebrates the original industrial character of the structure. The practice achieved a significant gain in floor area by infilling a central atrium, the resulting floorplates allow for well-lit, open-plan spaces that provide flexible configuration options for occupiers.

Drama is added to the top floors through a double height space and the addition of a steeply sloping glass roof. The original vaulted ceilings of the top floor combine with the building’s riveted steel columns, as well as a number of other original features found throughout the buildings, to create modern workspaces that reflect the building’s past.

The over-scaled ‘Newton’s Cradle’ artwork, designed by BuckleyGrayYeoman was conceived in response to the volume of this key space. The artwork is made of stainless steel spheres, suspended from the ceiling, put into motion with the same drive mechanisms used in the wings of an Airbus A380.

The comprehensive yet sensitive refurbishment of one of the last remaining warehouse buildings in the Clerkenwell Green conservation area, has created a building which has been highly acclaimed by the property industry in London, where it is widely acknowledged as the exemplar of recent office refurbishments.