PDP London opt for the bold and industrial at their studio in Eccleston Yards
Featured in Mix Interiors
A previously dark and unworkable space has been transformed into a highly bespoke new workplace for PDP London.
Situated minutes from Victoria Station, Eccleston Yards is an independent creative community made up of 80,000 sq ft of industrial buildings, transformed into 19 units offering everything from coworking and wellbeing to food and fashion.
Overlooking the development is PDP London’s first floor office space: an innovative refurbishment project that has created a light and bright architectural studio in a previously dark and tired office space – which the landlord, Grosvenor, was struggling to let.
Following internal consultations with staff, the design team’s vision was to create an inventive and collaborative environment, filled with light, where staff would enjoy coming to work each day and were proud to call home. The new studio also aimed to reflect the key components of collaboration and connection that PDP utilises in its approach to work.
Visual prominence of the entrance is created by a brightly coloured entrance arch set into a charred timber clad archway to enhance wayfinding, and windows have been enlarged to maximise the visual connection to the Yard and improve natural light within the office space.
Internally, the access stair maintains the raw finishes of the building materials, including surface mounted galvanised steel lighting. From here, the space is essentially two activity zones at first floor. The entrance to the office focuses on ‘The Hub’ – a multi-functional space for staff, clients and consultants to work and come together, as well as offering a great first impression for visitors. A large kitchen space with a high-quality coffee machine is also located here – a TopBrewer iPad controlled coffee machine set into the floating island creates a focal point and helps to make this space the heart of the office.
The main workspace is set up for flexible working to suit the many staff working full or flexible hours. Walls were removed from the hub space to create access to a newly created external terrace, vastly improving natural light in the office and providing much needed outdoor space and an external meeting space in the summer.
As tenants and architects, PDP felt it was an important requirement to remain faithful to the original building aesthetic: achieved by leaving areas of unfinished concrete, exposing columns and fire protection, and stripping the building back to its bare structure, returning the building’s industrial feel.
The team’s original plan to complete the industrial aesthetic with an unfinished concrete floor and large floating concrete island unit was met with problems. The existing floor loadings could not accommodate such a large amount of concrete, so this was achieved by specifying Microcement – a lightweight resin and sand-based product which achieves the required aesthetic at a thickness of 4mm, allowing the long-span island to be achieved at a fraction of the weight.
All consumable materials specified were selected to ensure the longest possible lifespan, with limited range of replacement parts. All lighting in the office space is from a single supplier, with only three types of replacement bulb required. Hard-wearing floor surfaces were specified to remove the need for replacement – and damage or wear serves to enhance the industrial aesthetic.
A great example of how good design can positively influence a business culture and improve ways of working.
Photography: Adam Parker
