Studio for North

North redevelops the ground floor of a commercial building in Clerkenwell to create a new studio for a highly regarded London design agency. At first glance, the base-building appears to date from the 1960’s. However, the process of removing existing internal walls and linings revealed a much older warehouse and adjacent infilled light-court, originally constructed in 1877.

The main volume is reconfigured as a single, collaborative workspace and derives its character from the fabric of the original building which is carefully repaired and exposed. Support spaces are defined at either end by two floor-to-ceiling steel frames. These are partially infilled with patterned laminated glass sheets to provide privacy from the street at one end, and a partially-enclosed meeting room at the other.

A series of bespoke joinery items further divide the space, encouraging movement and staff by centralising common resources such as printers and pin-up space. The top-lit lightwell provides areas for social gathering. New softwood wall linings integrate storage and the existing roof-lights are motorised to provide natural ventilation and comfort.