Our brief was to create a contemporary office environment with sensitive treatment of the existing fabric.
Constructed approximately in 1880, Gunnery Terrace is located in Royal Arsenal Woolwich conservation area – a ‘key waterfront development on a formerly derelict and inaccessible site in Royal Borough of Greenwich.’
The building originally housed storage for the Army. Within the last 15 years it has been commercially developed and split into units. The main fabric of the existing building consists of solid external brick walls, castellated beams and columns, duo-pitched metal roof with north lights. Open plan interior with heights of 8.5m at the apex and 5.5m at the lowest point.
The external treatment has been kept to a minimum. Windows and doors have been replaced and new signage has been fitted above the entrance. An internal mezzanine floor provides additional floor are, whilst maintaining a comfortable ground floor. Internal brick walls have been painted white, with existing steelwork distinguished in a light grey colour, and the new structure in a dark grey. The internal ventilation system has been kept exposed, which contributes to the ‘industrial feel’ of the building. The office has been equipped with combined cooling and heating system with air conditioning to maintain comfort.
The palette of colours has been kept within whites and shades of grey to allow stronger colours only in specially designated areas to be emphasise. The main feature of the office is the use of the practice logo colours in polycarbonate fins forming the reception area, and white polycarbonate defining the break out area wrapped with internal changing multi-coloured lighting. Double story high quartz-sandstone feature wall located next to the staircase visually connects both floors. All three meeting rooms feature bespoke design manifestation with individual practice colours to identify them. Both floors are distinctively different. The ground floor is sleek, modern, full of colour, darker and lower space, whilst the mezzanine is white with shades of grey and lots of natural light and space. Both levels work successfully to create a fresh and visually stimulating office environment.
Client
Martin Arnold Ltd
Contractor
APC Building Services
Duration
5 months
Address
4 Gunnery Terrace, London
Use
Office
GIA
620m2
RIBA Work Stage
2-7
Sector
Private
Key Challenge
One of the key challenges was finding the right balance between preserving the site’s historic character and creating a space that works for modern needs. The existing building has a strong industrial feel, so it was important to retain this while carefully adapting the space.
As part of the brief, the building fabric had to be treated sensitively. To achieve this, the exterior changes were kept to a minimum, allowing the original character and history of the site to remain while giving the space a more modern feel.
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