A space to work at low cost. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio

23/07/2023. [Dalston - LON] UK
metalocus, ANTONIO CORREDERA

Following funding from the Greater London Authority, the well-known Bradbury Works, an office building renovated by architecture firm [Y/N] Studio, recently reopened its doors to new and old tenants. The building has an L-shape overlooking Gillett Square to the north and adjacent Bradbury Street to the south, in Dalston, an area of East London.

Bradbury Works is one of the most unique and community-focused public spaces in the English capital. The client, a community interest company, provides affordable workspace for local businesses. They needed to provide maximum additional space of high quality on a tight budget.

Their solution both extends and wraps an existing brick terrace building in lightweight and insulative polycarbonate cladding. The new building includes the refurbishment and provision of 1100m² of affordable workspaces, adding an extension that contains a further 500 square meters of workspaces, and replacing 10 retail units on the site.

Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio. Photograph by French + Tye.

Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio. Photograph by French + Tye.

Site plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Ground floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

First floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Second floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Third floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Fourth floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Fifth floor plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Roof plan. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Cross section. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Gillett Square elevation. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Bradbury Street elevation. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Side elevation. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Cross section and Façade detail. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Exploded axonometry. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Detail façade. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Model. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio.

Local studio [Y/N] Studio designed a steel frame clad with aluminum and polycarbonate panels adding an industrial feel to Bradbury Works, a retail and office building. In the larger units, private mezzanine levels have been inserted beneath the pitched roof, ensuring that the overshadowing of the square below is kept to a minimum.

Located in a former car park that over the past 20 years has been gradually transformed into a lively community hub, Bradbury Works is operated by not-for-profit community interest company Hackney Co-operative Developments.

“The team at [Y/N] Studio has been great to work with on the redevelopment of our largest affordable workspace site in Dalston. From the initial interpretation of the brief through to the continued development of the scheme, Alex and the team at [Y/N] Studio have consistently shown an understanding of what we have wanted to achieve, as well as the balance between practicality and creative thinking to overcome issues.”

Anthonia Onigbode, CEO, Hackney Co-operative Developments CIC

Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio. Photograph by French + Tye.

Project description by [Y/N] Studio

Bradbury Works in Gillett Square, Dalston, has now re-opened its doors to new and returning tenants. The new building includes the refurbishment of 600m² of existing affordable workspace, the replacement of ten mini retail units, and the provision of almost 500m² of extra workspace in a two-story extension. Bradbury Works is the next step in the evolving story of one of the most unique and community-focused public spaces in the capital.

The scheme looks to retain the best attributes of the existing building including its tenants while providing additional flexible spaces to suit a variety of businesses. Facing into the square, new 10m² retail pods are provided with fully openable glazed frontages which are further protected by profiled metal gates for security and privacy when closed but can transform the individual spaces with vibrant signage when open.

The original masonry structure of the existing Victorian terrace has been retained, refurbished, and renovated, providing small and medium 10-36m² workspace units while preserving the existing shops, bars, and restaurants facing onto Bradbury Street. A covered double-height external terrace space provides access to the upper units. Picnic tables, evergreen ferns, and climbing plants intend to encourage tenants to come together in all seasons and increase interaction with the square. On the third floor, new workspaces with private mezzanine levels in the pitch are accessed by a south-facing external deck.

Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio. Photograph by French + Tye.

Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio. Photograph by French + Tye.

Access to the new building is via the existing entrance which has been retained and improved by providing a new fully glazed entrance. New branding and wayfinding signage was designed by [Y/N] Studio. The existing stairwell and entrance have been repainted with the colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) referring to the ‘CMYK’ printing color range where four simple and contrasting colors combined can be used to create any artwork. This mirrors the ambition for the building to become a melting pot of cultures and disciplines that are greater than the sum of their parts. In all other areas of the building, a simple color palette of muted grey flooring and white-painted walls allows tenants the agency to customize their space to suit their requirements and personalities.

Finally, the building is wrapped in a homogenous polycarbonate façade and completed with a profiled mill-finished aluminum base and roof. The lightweight and reflective skin creates the appearance of a singular form, however, on closer inspection the translucent character of the material allows the white-painted brick façade and the terrace to remain visible from outside. Behind, the façade allows for plenty of light to enter the workspaces and breakout spaces. During the daytime, the cladding reflects the changing colors of the sky and external environment while glowing at night to reveal internal activities.

More information

Architects

[Y/N] Studio. Lead architect.- Alex Smith.

Project team

Alex Smith, Maegan Icke, Ayse Cagin Bailey, Elena Gruber, Roxani Tseranidou, Carolina Borgatti, Ezmira Peraj, Ainhoa Valle.

Collaborators

Project Management.- Helios Project Management.
Structural engineer.- Engenuiti.
M&E consultant.- Thornley and Lumb.
Quantity surveyor.- Beacon Project Services.
Planning Consultant.- JMS Planning and Development.
Collaborating Architect.- HawkinsBrown – initial stages only.
Interior Design / Signage.- [Y/N] Studio.
Heritage Consultant.- KM Heritage.
Daylight and Sunlight.- Schroeders Begg.

Client

Hackney Co-opererative Developments.

Main contractor

Vortex Interiors.

Area

1,578m².

Dates

2017 - 2022.

Location

Gillett Square. Dalston, London, UK.

Manufacturers

Jakob, IdealCombi, RODECA GMBH, Russwood, Staco, Vectorworks, Velux.

Photography

French + Tye.

Alex Smith. [Y/N] Studio

[Y/N] Studio is a studio founded in 2017 and led by Alex Smith. They have been working on a diverse range of commissions, including carefully detailed residential extensions, 100+ multi-unit housing schemes, a large workspace in Dalston, A masterplan in Portugal, a mixed-use tower in South London, and a footbridge for Network Rail.

In 2019 they completed their first project, a carefully detailed prefabricated timber and glass house. Notable other projects include a competition-winning scheme for 4 coastal holiday homes in Kent, which are designed as a continuous spiral of floorplates to maximize sea views and reduce circulation space. More recently they gained planning permission for their largest scheme to date, a 49-home mixed-use project in Strood that combines traditional vernacular roof forms with a traditional courtyard housing project.

In 2022 they completed the extension and refurbishment of the Bradbury Street Workspaces which face onto Gillett Square in Hackney. Bradbury Works includes around 1500m² of new and refurbished affordable workspaces, and start-up retail units which will help to ensure continuity of the unique and diverse community that has emerged since the square was constructed nearly 20 years ago.

The people who work with them are talented and ambitious with backgrounds working in across Europe for internationally recognized practices. As a studio, they are active in teaching and academia and appreciate the importance of architectural education.

Director Alex Smith currently teaches at Oxford Brookes University, University of Westminster, Canterbury School of Architecture, and London Metropolitan University. Alex Smith is an architect based in London. He has previous experience of working in Copenhagen for Julien De Smedt and in London for Hawkins/Brown where he completed a series of innovative award-winning buildings including The Cube Building in Hackney and Hilden Grange Prep School in Kent.

Alex studied at the Royal College of Art and has taught 3rd year at the Canterbury School of Architecture since 2012. He has also been a visiting critic and workshop coordinator at the RCA, The University of Brighton, Oxford Brookes, and Central St Martins. Since 2018 he has been a visiting examiner on the professional practice Part 3 course at London Metropolitan University.

Alex leads all studio projects using his significant experience in the design and delivery of a variety of building types. Since forming [Y/N] Studio Ltd in January 2017 he has pushed every project they have undertaken to its maximum potential with support from a talented and growing team.

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A space to work at low cost. Bradbury Works by [Y/N] Studio

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