London’s Alternate Home will get a sustainable revamp

Alternate Home’s distinctive black parabolic arches and uncovered industrial trusses, designed by SOM in 1990, make it a landmark within the cityscape of London’s Broadgate campus – profitable the AIA’s Twenty-five Yr Award in 2015. Quick ahead to 2023 and London structure studio Piercy&Firm was commissioned by British Land and GIC to revamp the enduring construction’s inside, aiming to remodel its shared areas, bettering tenant facilities, whereas additionally pushing the boundaries of sustainable structure, using round financial system ideas. 

Alternate Home’s reception corridor brings new sense of heat

Piercy&Firm, a studio that’s properly versed in remodeling traditionally delicate areas, tapped into British Land’s huge archive, utilizing unique hand-drawn sketches of the constructing to tell its redesign. By benefiting from the transparency supplied by the unique steady floor ground glazing and double top, the architects established a brand new synergy between the inside and freshly landscaped Alternate Sq. (by DSDHA) exterior. This was achieved by the introduction of layered inside planting, pure supplies, and a color palette that mirrors the seasonal inexperienced scheme of the backyard. By enjoying with the idea of a ‘backyard room’, the inside modifications have introduced the surface in, and with it, a palpable sense of heat to the reception corridor. 

Geometric motifs create themes and moments

Massive-scale tapestry works by Kangan Arora, an Indian-born and London-based textile designer, have been launched. The items characteristic vibrant abstractions of the constructing’s attribute parabolic arches, metal trusses and beams. In the meantime, the elm wooden lattice shelving models designed by Benchmark, maintain delicate raku fired porcelain sculptures by ceramicist Nadine Bell, introducing new textures and tones to the house. The unit additionally mirrors the constructing’s general uncovered construction in its attribute joinery – a geometrical motif that’s additional echoed within the design of the workplace stage loos. 

Embracing round financial system ideas

Consistent with round financial system ideas which can be core to the studio’s general apply, over 4,000 sq ft of present Pentelikon marble was rigorously faraway from the location, reduce regionally, and hand-laid with cement to create terrazzo flooring for the bottom ground reception. Solely 40% of the present marble was used within the reception, permitting for this model to increase to flooring in raise lobbies on different flooring, in addition to sinktops on the workplace ground loos. The nice and cozy, uniquely-designed terrazzo brings a welcomed distinction in tone and texture to the unique constructing’s omnipresent black metal, creating a brand new grounding feeling to the shared areas.

There’s extra to come back; plans are underway to create a brand new 200 sq m rooftop terrace, tapping right into a beforehand unused house within the constructing. It will enhance the present vary of tenant facilities for working and internet hosting. With a design the promotes biodiversity and a biophilic strategy, Piercy&Firm continues to assist sustainability, whereas additionally creating new moments of relaxation, neighborhood and reference to nature.

From peeling again layers to disclose unique options and particulars, to opening up new methods by that enable folks to cross underneath the stomach of the constructing, and creating dialogues inside and all through the constructing, Piercy&Firm has made forward-thinking but respectful modifications to an architectural icon, subtly remodeling it for the twenty first century. 

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