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22029 MV001 D01 Bridge Options

Offices

Heritage Office Restoration and Media Hub

A thoughtful fusion of heritage and modern design, this proposal reimagines Utopia Village, a Victorian factory complex in the heart of Primrose Hill. By stripping away intrusive partitions, the space is transformed into open-plan offices that celebrate the original loft-style character. Carefully crafted interventions, including bespoke Crittall-style glazing, enhance the building’s historic features, aligning contemporary design with the site’s rich architectural legacy.

Primrose Hill, an early to mid-Victorian planned suburb, comprises a primarily residential character of terraced houses, typically late Georgian, with some more 'Italianate' style buildings. The district lies just north in London's Borough of Camden and is characterised by a Grade II listed public park of the same name. However, several buildings, differing in use, age, and style, are positioned within the centre of these urban blocks. An archetype of this trend is Utopia Village. An inverted 'L' shape in its layout, it hosts a mews-style complex that occupies a considerable plot of land amidst elevated residential dwellings. The original Victorian factory buildings are split into two, creating the mews-style layout to the east and the circa 1950s buildings occupying almost all the site's excess space to the west.

As such, the proposals sought internal modifications that provide a more suitable layout than what is currently evident in the existing buildings, which have been numerously subdivided and altered during their history. This is to create a suite of modern, uncluttered offices and revert to an open-plan arrangement by removing the existing partitions within the upper floors of the two ranges of Victorian buildings. Where new partitions are required, they are proposed to be lightweight and feature large areas of glazing to reestablish the openness of the original factory loft spaces.

Additionally, numerous design options were explored in developing proposals for enhancements to the existing gates, facades, and link bridge found at the site's entrances and in the original courtyard mews. As a result, a direction was chosen to align the language of the existing building with the proposed interventions through consistent application of materiality and proportion. The proposals also replace the unsympathetic glazing with a high-quality metal framed glazing system in a traditional Crittall style. Deemed more appropriate as it hosts a harmonious tone to complement the existing yellow London stock brickwork arched window heads in accent red brickwork. Offering a visual distinction that is novel and characterful.

  • Tag Architecture Tag Interior Architecture Tag Strategic Planning Tag Visualisation
22029 MV004 D04
Project Details
Project Name The Piano Works - Phase II
Project Reference 22029