London Flexible Office Fit Out: A Creative Space

Oxgate House

Building 1 entrance lobby Alexander Hills Architects

Building 1 roof terrace Alexander Hills Architects

View down the central upper landing of Building 2 Alexander Hills Architects

The upper landing of Building 2 Alexander Hills Architects

A studio door set Alexander Hills Architects

Building 2 eaves studio Alexander Hills Architects

Building 2 ground floor studio with shutters Alexander Hills Architects

Building 3 studio space Alexander Hills Architects

Building 3 ground floor studio Alexander Hills Architects

Building 3 studio unit Alexander Hills Architects

Building 3 stair core Alexander Hills Architects

Category:
Commercial

Status:
Complete

Year:
2019

Area:
336sqm

Contractor:
OKTRA Building Contractors

Stages:
1 (Brief) to 3 (Developed Design)

Oxgate House was a former bathroom showroom and manufacturing plant. Comprised of three contiguous but distinct sections - buildings 1, 2, 3

The Client

Artistic Spaces

A view of a typical unit in Building 3

Design

Due to the sheer scale of the building, the arrangement of rentable studio units had to be robust, simple, and clear. With this in mind, the design response focused on a careful balance between generous circulation space, where individual users could cross over and interact - an informal neighbourliness - as well as rentable studio footage.

employs standard met-sec framing and painted plasterboard partitions. An intentionally modest palette allows attention to fall on carefully crafted moments. Each doorset was designed with a generous overlight and deep architrave, introducing proportion, rhythm and variation across the space. These elements lend subtle individuality to each workspace while maintaining the overall calm of the wider office.

A view down the first floor of Building 2

Materiality

Materiality plays a key role in anchoring the design. A central kitchen finished in reclaimed marble off-cuts, sourced from Leleni Studio in Barcelona, brings colour, texture and a sense of discovery. The irregular stone fragments contrast playfully with pink Formica cabinetry and the exposed timber floor, a focal point that captures the aesthetic confidence of Avenues' work in the fashion world.

Conclusion

Though the scale of this project is by far - if we calculate on floor area alone - the biggest we have undertaken, it is not the most complex.

The necessities of the design have been practical adjustments to the existing fabric, establishing a high threshold for demolition, and accommodating the existing patina of the space, albeit with various proposed insertions. In this way, our observation of the existing was honed to

Avenue Studio's kitchen, with Rosa Aurora marble offcuts by Leleni Studio

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