The way we are designed to work
View PDF | Print View
by: Admin
Total views: 213
The blurred boundaries between private, social and work space are a key feature of new era London. Loft culture has had a massive impact on the way we live and created a design aesthetic that is intrinsic to us all. Just look at the new hotels, cafes and clubs, boutiques and bars favoured by trendy media types: the architectural influence is paramount and among the fashionable styles the loft/industrial look with its gritty realism is at the top. The loft office has become a booming sector of the commercial property market. There's even a separate planning category (B1) for it. It's a London-wide phenomenon, not just in trendy hotspots such as Clerkenwell property and Shoreditch property. "People who live in lofts want to work in similar spaces. Their eyes have been opened to the benefits," says David Rosen, of estate agent Pilcher Hershman, which specialises in finding premises for creative businesses. "People who spend 50 per cent of their life at work don't want to be stuck in a dull, cramped work space. Industrial buildings have a certain spirit. The volume and light gives people a sense of liberation." It is not just the new breed of dotcoms that are queuing up to move into these offices. They are sought after by design-conscious companies that want to make a statement about their managerial style. Not so long ago offices were designed to keep people apart. Space planning was based on crude divisions of hierarchy and status. Loft offices tend to be open-plan, democratic areas that stimulate interaction among staff. New technology such as fibre-optic cabling has changed workplace interiors but the design crossover between lofts to live in and lofts to work in is evident. Indeed, such is the demand for loft offices that developers, who previously specialised in residential conversions, are now going down the more lucrative commercial property route. As with residential lofts, office units are sometimes sold as shells, ready for occupiers to fit out. Some of the most sought-after spaces are in old factories with street-level offices and residential lofts above. "Planners normally only give residential consent for the upper floors," says Derek Lewis, of estate agent Hurford Salvi Carr. "Up until a couple of years ago few developers knew what to do with these commercial spaces, but now there is a ready market, they are prepared to cut out voids to throw light into basement areas." Lewis quotes the case of an Art Deco warehouse in St John's Street, Clerkenwell, where the lower-ground floor has just been taken by software design firm Electronicink for an annual rent of £100,000. Rarely are such loft offices available freehold. Usually, occupiers take a lease and rent the space. In places such as Borough, rents have more than doubled during the past two years. Manhattan Loft Corporation, which pioneered residential lofts in the Nineties, has diversified into offices and is currently building a new loft development close to Tate Modern. Chairman Harry Handelsman says he is confident of achieving a record rent for the area of £40 per sq ft. This was unthinkable even 18 months ago, when the best offices in the area were unable to attract rents of £20 per sq ft. 'It's like joining a club. Londoners want to work in and be associated with good design' The Piper Building in SW6 is typical of the new loft villages sprouting up in unlikely locations. The distinctive white rendered building close to the Fulham waterfront was designed for British Gas in the Fifties. Today it is a development of designer apartments (some the work of high-profile architects John Pawson, Seth Stein and Ron Arad) and a collection of offices occupied by design-based businesses (including fashion retailer Joseph). With ceiling heights of more than four metres and huge floorplates, the building was an obvious candidate for conversion to lofts. Significantly, one of the commercial occupiers is Assael, architects with a reputation for cutting-edge residential design. The firm has worked on several big schemes for the likes of Nicholson, Berkeley and Persimmon. Director John Assael says: "A building like this attracts a premium even though the surrounding area is a bit grotty. It's like joining a club. Londoners want to work in and be associated with good design." He points out of the window to the car park and the sprinkling of Audi TTs and adds: "You can tell the type of people who live and work here. Design is important in all aspects of their lives." Assael has retained the characteristics of the building and created an open-plan interior that is both functional and familiar. There are mezzanine decks with scaffold-style balustrading, industrial lighting and exposed services, softened by blocks of colour (mainly calming blue) and palm trees. There is also a refectory area for relaxing. "We run our business in a transparent way and we want the office to reflect this. We are team workers. There are no walls, no doors to knock on and there is no need to make an appointment to speak to a colleague. It's more productive and more fun." Assael says that loft design has come full circle. The first residential spaces were inspired by commercial offices. "You only have to look at the latest Ikea catalogue to see how this style of design has filtered through to the mainstream." Stephanie Jackson, 28, the firm's admin manager, says the design and the office ethos "give a sense of freedom and help your thought processes. I would now find it impossible to work in a stuffy, closed office". She says she's been inspired to buy a loft space to convert into a home. |
Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote