Ben adams architects

Packington Street Apartments is a unique remake of a Victorian building shell, transforming it into BREEAM rated ‘excellent’ sustainable homes. Caption The site sits at the corner of Essex Road and Packington Street, adjacent to the listed Old Queen’s Head pub. Three distinct elevations face onto Essex Road, Packington Street, and Queen’s Head Street, with each new façade responding to the distinct character of the adjoining streetscapes. Caption As part of this project was the refurbishment of a former coach house to the rear of the building on Packington Street to create new residential units. Caption Here, characterful spaces were created using twenty-first century construction methods, to... More

This sensitive refurbishment of what was once Swan House delivers 20, 471 sqf of unique, contemporary offices across five floors in King’s Cross. Our brief was to reinvent the building without destroying its character. Our aesthetic for the new Fjord Building is inspired by its existing industrial heritage and its local history. Close to the canal basin, the area was once the hub of the Norwegian timber and ice trade and we have embraced the simple, pared-back principles of Scandinavian design. Caption We wanted to reveal the structure of the building, which had never been designed to be seen, to provide generous, flexible spaces with great views out on both sides. Ceiling heights have been opened up and services exposed, with e... More

Reanimating a commercial building in Westminster. 21 Dartmouth Street refurbishes an existing office building to maximise its commercial potential and provide a high-quality, contemporary office space in the Westminster area.  The project included the refurbishment of seven storeys plus a basement. Office floor space has been increased by stripping back tired, dated finishes and unnecessary boxing around columns, with new exposed servicing relocated at high level to open up ceiling heights at each floor. Structural steelwork and brickwork chimney flues have been exposed to reveal the building’s authentic character. A new reception provides a welcoming and contemporary entrance. Additional amenities include generous cycle stora... More

A meticulously crafted studio for font specialists, Monotype. Global typeface giant, Monotype, required an agile London headquarters space to meet its current and future needs. This new studio provides a contemporary environment that reflects its position at the forefront of digital technology design.  To maximise the possibilities for collaborative working and team growth, the 330 square metre space has been designed to be as versatile and adaptable as possible.  A dynamic spine wall of bespoke plywood joinery divides the main space into distinct zones for both collective activities and focused independent work, while a simple change in layout can introduce 32 new workstations and additional meeting space when needed. Finely c... More

41 Eastcheap is located in the City of London and is bordered by Eastcheap and Rood Lane. The building is located within the Eastcheap Conservation Area.   BAA experimented with tactile wood panelling in the reception area to welcome guests into the building. The undulating organic ceiling creates a wave experience generating subtle height differences across the room.   A planning application was required as the reception’s glazing line was pushed out in order to create a more inviting and brighter entrance.   On the upper floors, the lift lobbies were stripped out, allowing access from the lifts directly onto the floor, increasing the net internal area.   More

Informa is a multinational events and publications company with worldwide offices in 43 countries. Whilst the company employs some loose fit branding principles to create a corporate coherence, each individual office responds to its location to create a sense of place and individuality for its international teams. Every global business wants to combine international clout with local colour, but how can we do that with interior and workspace design?   Having already designed the Informa New City base, where we trialed the concept of combining distinct companies within a single building, we were familiar with some of the group's organizing principles and a hot desk/locker culture that would provide maximum flexibility of resources. in... More

BAA has used a Japanese-inspired approach to create a calm and peaceful working environment right next door to London's busiest station, Waterloo. A robust 1200 x 1200 grid device has been used throughout the 2800sqm space to divide, frame, and highlight areas, creating feature paneling and square glazing. For the meeting rooms, the glazed areas are expanded, with reeded glass used at lower levels for privacy and to maximise light flow between spaces. A serene materials palette has been used to convey a sense of tranquility. White tinted ash is used in all meeting room doors, with birch ply used for bespoke joinery items such as reception desks. Against this neutral canvas, individual meeting rooms have distinctive characters with brighte... More

A BREEAM excellent re-imagining of historic buildings in Islington.   A former 1850s sorting office in Islington, we transformed the space into a high-quality, single occupancy workspace. The building, on a prominent corner site in Essex Road close to Camden Passage.   The project radically adapts and extends the locally listed Merchants Hall to include a new reception front­ing Essex Road, a new four-storey extension in the rear vacant car park, and a new two-storey roof exten­sion. In addition the refurbishment of a former coach house to the rear of the building on Packington Street to create two units of affordable workspace and two new residential units.   A contemporary material palette includes white o... More

A new 6-storey extension to a Victorian wallpaper factory brings 21st century working to West London.  This bright and light office extension for rental market leaders, Workplace creates a new co-working offer, with collaboration at its core, in the heart of West London's leafy Chiswick. Our remit for the Barley Mow Centre was to demolish a single storey shed, built in the 1970s and replace it with a 6-storey office building, with improved and rationalised circulation throughout.  Aimed at start-ups, tech professionals and consultant who work with city clients, Barley Mow combines open place co-working spaces and opportunities for tenants to meet, share ideas, with more intimate spaces and private booths.  A new main entr... More

A 1980s office building reimagined to create flexible office space in London's financial district.   Senator House occupies a central location within the City of London, between the River Thames and St. Paul's Cathedral, long associated with the trading and financial services.   Our extension and refurbishment of a tired 1980s office block was designed to meet the needs of the modern worker with high quality, flexible office space and new communal amenities including generous bike facilities.    We considered the way in which the building was approached, maximizing opportunities to extend its assets. A new public garden on Queen Victoria Street provides a visual link to nearby Cleary Gardens and creates a more gene... More

Ben Adams Architects (BAA) have recently completed Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, the most recent addition to their renowned international collection of hideaway retreats. This captivating luxury hotel offers a fine dining experience and stay in the heart of East London.The design marries the creative energy of the location with Nobu’s values of simple luxury with a façade that fragments at the eastern end and descends into a new pocket park, overlooked by the warehouses of Great Eastern Street to the north.Concrete panels were used on the façade in order to relate to the strong timber elements inside the building and bronze portal frames define both the hotel and restaurant entrance. At ground level bamboo is used to provide screening to the lower... More