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Architects: Make Architects
- Area: 1580 m²
- Year: 2009
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Photographs:Zander Olsen
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Manufacturers: CGL Facades
Text description provided by the architects. A relatively undistinguished 1960s block in Fitzrovia has been transformed by this highly distinctive refurbishment scheme, which increases the office and residential accommodation and gives the building a striking new identity. Using imaginative and sensitive design, the resultant scheme has created 12 new luxury apartments by extending the rear elevation, creating three new penthouse apartments on the existing penthouse level and adding an extra floor which contains a fourth penthouse.
The existing building presented two very different facades to the surrounding area. In response to these contrasting conditions, a highly modelled brass-clad elevation was created at the rear of the building which greatly enhances the appearance of this fascinating pocket of urban space. Each apartment features a projecting balcony with a perforated brass screen which mirrors the mews facade pattern and blends harmoniously with the neighbouring buildings.
By contrast, the Weymouth Street elevation features a discreet stepped addition to the existing structure, which is set back and clad in a darker alloy of the same brass. The unique appearance of the brass cladding will gradually weather and evolve over time due to the oxidisation process.
