Redchurch Street
by vPPR Architects
Client Redchurch Property Llp
Awards RIBA London Award 2017
The project involves the transformation of a Shoreditch warehouse into a series of shops with apartments at the upper levels. The retail accommodation addresses Redchurch Street while a private internal street provides access to the residential core, and light and air to the residential accommodation. The street allows windows in the rear of the retail units, which have a split level in section. The shop fronts also have an engaging bespoke metal pattern as an entablature.
At first floor level, one and two bedroom flats have living space facing over terraces and voids which are open to the circulation below. These terraces provide access into the apartments, which creates an unusual and engaging complexity, in part because they also act as balconies / gardens.
The jury admired the clarity of the planning to the first floor level apartments, which maximised open living space by providing a free-standing kitchen and bathroom enclosure around which circulation flows seamlessly from living to bedroom areas. The dual aspect configuration of the flats allows cross-ventilation and enriches the aspect from the units.
The top floor provides a generous flat for the owner of the building which is neatly detailed in a simple palette of materials, and includes an intriguing sunken bathroom.
The jury generally felt that the architects had demonstrated significant skill in weaving various different uses and flat types into an extremely tight site, with construction further complicated by the second and third floors remaining in occupation throughout the building. The result is a gentle intervention as seen from the street, concealing a complex and engaging use of space serving the residential on the upper floors.
Contractor Varbud Limited
Structural Engineers Heyne Tillett Steel
M&E Engineers Hoare Lea
Quantity Surveyor Measur
Internal Area 880 m²
