C-Space

We were working to a demanding timeframe for the design and construction. The overarching brief was for flexible floor space and a high-quality environment and services – all while achieving the most amount of net lettable area and potential rental value. We brought our MEP, Acoustics, Sustainability, and Vertical Transportation expertise to the project, which allowed us to incorporate holistic passive design principles throughout the process.

Despite its age, the building was readily adaptable, with high ceilings, a good depth of floor plate, and some great opportunities for letting in daylight. The reorganisation of C-Space around the courtyard was central to its success. It freed up the valuable perimeter of the site for office space. By removing two existing stair cores and consolidating the core and floor space, a welcoming and stylish new entrance way could be created. Cut backs to the ground floor slab also created attractive basement office, driving up rental values. By working with the utility companies we were able to successfully reduce the footprint of an existing on-site substation and return net lettable area to the basement office floors.

We needed to completely strip out and replace all the building services systems. With energy efficiency, architectural aesthetics, and future tenant flexibility as key considerations, we implemented solutions such as LED lighting with daylight dimming and centralised building management system. In order to meet our brief of clean soffits that exposed the heritage nature of the building, we developed an innovative ventilation and cooling strategy. This used the floor void to do all the hard work, and freeing the ceilings up to look the part of a cool industrial building.

With the new courtyard now the centrepiece of the site, it is opened up to the public during daylight hours. Natural light floods into the building thanks to the full-height glazing, which also offers a connection to the lively Shoreditch streetscape. The result is a relationship between the building and the community that had not previously existed; it’s no wonder the majority of the development was let prior to practical completion. The project was also profiled as an exemplar of re-use and refurbishment by the British Council for Offices. Ultimately, C-Space shows how great design can bring value to client, tenant, community and city.