PLP Architecture’s Proposed Office Building Responds to London’s Historic Urban Identity

Save this picture!

Amongst the rapid materializing of telecoms, media and tech companies within the Blackfriar’s Southbank region, PLP Architecture has been chosen for the design of a new office building with the challenge of successfully integrating into the ever-changing local fabric.

“Our proposal speculates on the nature of the contemporary office tower,” explained the firm. “What is the architectural expression of today’s high-density workplace? How does the building acquire an identity specific to its media/tech occupiers and how is that identity conveyed to the city?”

Save this picture!

During the 1760s, Blackfriars Road was designated as the main thoroughfare to Blackfriars Bridge. Despite its close proximity to the City of London and recent crop of commercial and residential developments, the avenue is known for its well-preserved Georgian character.

Friars Bridge Court is organized through various vertically-stacked programs. A double-height lobby engages public activity at street level, while the lower portion of the building façade is composed of brick, matching the visual identity of surrounding conservation projects. The sandstone grid of the upper volume capitalizes on views on a larger scale.

Save this picture!

Additionally, a double-height gallery space acts as a social focal point, with unique spaces that “promote exchange and provoke spontaneous situations”. The transparent nature of the gallery allows insight into the various spaces, and a side core allows for uninterrupted floorplates catering to a number of different work preferences and mannerisms while offering ample views of the historic community.

• Architects

  PLP Architecture

• Developer

  Kennedy Wilson Europe

• Project Manager

  GVA Second London Wall

• Planning Consultant

  DP9

• Townscape Consultant

  Tavernor Consultancy

• Structure, Services, Traffic, & Environmental

  Waterman

• Cost Consultanr

  Alinea

• Landscape Designer

  Gillespies

• Commercial Agent

  CBRE

• Daylight & Sunlight Consultant

  Point 2 Surveyors

• Access Consultant

  Access=Design

• Vertical Transport & Fire Engineer

  Grontmij

• Facade Access & Management

  Reef

• Principal Designer

  PLP Architecture

• Facade Consultant

  BDA

• Wind Tunnel

  RWDI

• Legal

  Ashurst

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Courtesy of Luxigon

• Architects

  PLP Architecture

• Vertical Transport

  Grontmij

• Fire Engineer

  Grontmij

• Cost Consultant

  Alinea

News via: PLP Architecture.

Sky Central / AL_A + PLP Architecture + HASSELL