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Architects: Paul Cocksedge
- Area: 64000 ft²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Mark Cocksedge
Text description provided by the architects. A living spiral staircase with open spaces for reading, drawing, relaxing and drinking tea forms the centrepiece of a newly created workspace in London’s Soho district.
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Designed by Paul Cocksedge Studio and completed this week, the unique sculptural staircase is a showcase feature of a contemporary office development by Resolution Property known as Ampersand. At 12.5-meters high, the staircase provides a dynamic connectivity between the building’s four office floors within a curvilinear atrium, embodying Ampersand’s creativity-meets-commerce brand.
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Paul Cocksedge’s design removes the load-bearing pillar from the centre of a traditional staircase design and replaces it with a series of zones for relaxation, creative thinking and informal workplace interaction. Planting along the entire balustrade forms a ‘flying’ garden which can be tended by the building’s office community and there is potential for the staircase to include edible planting such as fresh mint.
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On the first level of the staircase a Zettel'z 6 light designed by Ingo Maurer hangs on wires creating a place to draw or leave messages. The second staircase houses a library of source books for creative thought.
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The staircase is of timber and steel construction, using Forest Stewardship Council compliant American white oak. Paul Cocksedge worked in partnership with Arup during the 13-month build programme.
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Paul said: “If a staircase is essentially about going from A to B, there is now a whole world living and breathing in the space between the two. I hope the Living Staircase will be used in ways we hadn't at all expected! This is the beauty of it: it allows so much space for all kinds of activities. I'm really looking forward to Ampersand's staff taking over the structure and making it totally their own."
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Designed by architects Darling Associates, Ampersand provides 64,000 sq ft of high specification office space in a substantially remodelled and refurbished Soho building, with a roof terrace and new entrances on Wardour Street and Hollen Street. Developers Resolution Property adopted a designer-led ethos in their bid to create a stimulating and unusual workplace for prospective occupiers.
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