최근 완공된 오피스의 특징점은 기존 구두약공장의 건축환경을 연속시키는 최소한의 개보수로 쾌적한 오피스환경을 구축하는데 있다.
기존 건축환경(박공지붕)을 재해석한 지그재그 지붕은 건축물의 외형적 특징을 구축하는 주요한 디자인 요소로 사용되는 동시에 기존 20세기 벽돌공장 시대에 대한 향수를 고스란히 연속, 이웃한 기존 건축물과의 유대관계를 존속시키는 매개체로도 사용된다. (뒤에서 또이야기 하겠지만, 외부 벽돌파사드는 간결하게 정리된다.) 일반적인 모던건축과는 비교 불가한 아름다운 퀄리티를 강하게 발산하는 기존공장, 그리고 흥미로운 기능을 포함한 내부는 최소한의 변경을 통해(기존 구조물의 수복과 존치를 통한 경제적인 구축해법을 통해)출입구와 공용공간을 리노베이션한다. 여기에 오피스, 미팅룸, 프레젠테이션룸과 케터링 서비스 시설 그리고 아웃도어 테라스가 추가된다.
오리지널 브릭파사드는 굴뚝을 포함한 다른 전통적인 디테일처럼 새롭게 정비된다. 카울은 제거되고 새로운 공조장치가 삽입된 이전 굴뚝은 새로운 공조시스템의 일부분으로 삽입된다. 새롭게 재정비된 내부공간 중, 오피스는 이전 공장공간의 내재된 확장성을 유연한 오픈-플랜 오피스로 재구성하며, 첫번째층에 작은 파티션 룸과 커뮤니티 및 퍼블릭시설을 추가한다. 그리고 원형으로 밀폐된 루프탑 미팅룸은 이전 공장의 형태를 추억하는 박공지붕과 수작업 분위기를 연출하는 다이아몬드 형태의 징크타일 판넬로 구성된다.
건축물 중심부의 접근성을 강화하기 위해 거리에 면한 출입구 파사드는 거대한 유리판넬로 디자인된다. 여기에 상부 윈도우는 거리쪽이 아닌 인근주거 단지 방향으로 각도를 틀어 디자인함으로써 보다 많은 자연채광을 내부로 유도한다.(남북방향) 박공지붕은 주변 주거단지와 같은 형태를 암시하기도 하지만 기존 공장에 대한 재해석 작업이기도 하다.
reviewed by SJ,오사
Architecture 00 has transformed a former shoe-polish factory in London into offices, adding a zigzagging extension on the roof that mimics the gabled profile of the existing building
Charitable organisation the Ethical Property Company asked London studio Architecture 00 to develop a facility that could house various charities on a disused industrial site in Vauxhall.
The building also provides amenities including meeting rooms and a cafe – a resource that anyone can make use of.
Recognising the aesthetic and spatial qualities of the existing 20th-century brick factory building, as well as its heritage within the neighbourhood, the architects chose to preserve and extend it into an derelict service yard adjacent to the site.
Photography is by Rory Gardiner
"The original factory has a beautiful robust quality that is never quite
matched by modern buildings," architect Lyndon Pepper told Dezeen. "Its
main facade is very handsome and the interior spaces are generous, with
interesting features that were created for very specific functions."
Retaining
and restoring the existing structure also offered a more cost-effective
solution, so a design was formulated to update it with a new public
entrance and communal area, as well as additional offices, meeting
rooms, presentation spaces, catering facilities and outdoor terraces.
The
original brick facade features typical gable ends, as well as other
traditional details including chimneys. The cowls – originally fitted to
stop smoke blowing back down into the work spaces – were removed and
replaced with extractors, allowing the chimneys to be repurposed as part
of a new ventilation system.
The spaces of the former factory
became flexible open-plan offices, with a series of smaller subdivided
units on the first floor, while the new addition contains the communal
and public facilities.
To enhance the centre's feeling of
accessibility, the street-facing entrance facade comprises large areas
of glazing sandwiched between concrete slabs, allowing passersby to
observe the activities taking place inside.
On the upper floors, the
windows are angled to direct views towards the street rather than a
nearby residential area, which also helps to reduce unwanted solar gain
through the north-south orientation of the larger panes.
A cluster of
connected rooftop meeting rooms with pitched roofs echo the shape of
the factory behind and feature diamond-shaped zinc tile cladding
intended to give them a hand-crafted aesthetic.
"The pitched roofs of
the pavilion building were designed to indicate a familiar profile such
as that of a village hall, but they also mirror the pitch of the
existing building," explained Pepper.
The space between the old and
new buildings is an atrium illuminated by a large skylight, which can be
used as a cafe or informal workspace.
The brickwork of the former
factory's external wall is left exposed and is complemented by simple,
low-cost materials including concrete and wood.
"We wanted to retain
the pragmatic efficiency that accompanies most industrial buildings in
terms of flexibility, economy and material efficiency," said Pepper. "By
choosing materials that do not require finishes, as in industrial
buildings, you also become more economical both in the short and long
term."
Vertical timber battens applied to the sides of staircases and
the edges of the first-floor mezzanine accentuate the angular shapes of
these surfaces, while also improving the space's acoustic properties by
dampening echoes.
Wooden furniture fitted with castors emphasises
the flexibility of the interior, which is epitomised by a sectional
reception desk that can be stretched out for use as a large banqueting
table.
