Montacute Yards

In an innovative collaboration, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and Ben Adams Architects have created a tailored workspace with an over-arching sense of community and belonging that informs this design for Brockton Capital and Fora. The project is emblematic of urban re-connection, turning a tight, disused brownfield site into a new place for Shoreditch. Central to this is the creation of a series of connected, characterful public spaces providing places for locals and workers alike to discover and enjoy. New passageways connect the site – one a historic path that is reinstated, the other extending and activating a neglected dead-end street – and a new market underneath the East London Line viaduct, form the vibrant heart of the development. The building celebrates the industrial heritage of the area through the creation of a new type of warehouse for Shoreditch. Generous volumes and clearly expressed materiality – from its steel exoskeleton to the finishes within – combine to create unashamedly urban but highly flexible office spaces. The design places an emphasis on outdoor amenity through the creation of roof terraces of different sizes, aspect and character set within the Shoreditch rooftops. Further ancillary buildings, one a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse, the other a two-storey CLT warehouse, provide variety of scale and character. BAA’s interiors have been designed to contrast, yet compliment, AHMM’s contemporary steel and glass envelope, and feature luxuriant planting, bold textiles and warm lighting in a variety of spaces and settings. Playful references to the AHMM industrial aesthetic, include a mesh curtain at ground floor, industrial lighting, exposed steel beams and perforated metal finishes. The vibrancy of Shoreditch High Street is juxtaposed with a calm and welcoming new courtyard leading to the reception space, at the heart of the ground floor. The lower ground floor includes meeting rooms, kitchens, banquette seating and spill-out spaces, as well as bike parking, showers and a gym. Upper levels have been designed as workspaces which benefit from the large format glazing providing uninterrupted views of the city. The colour palette, fabrics and furniture were carefully chosen to add variety, texture and an intentionally domestic aesthetic. The interior treatment further explores a theme of connectivity within the building, punching holes through the slab, to join floors together and create additional fluidity. Wellbeing and sustainability are a strong focus of the fit-out. Natural finishes are used throughout to give a warm and tactile feel. Flooring is timber and concrete (with visible stone aggregate, reminiscent of a beach), surfaces of fixed furniture have been selected to be warm to the touch, and the entrance sequence features a green wall. The organisational layout of the building prioritised proximity to windows and outdoor space, with holes punched between floors to bring daylight to lower levels. A circadian lighting strategy adjusts throughout the day and LED strips uplight offices to create a softly glowing ‘sky’ contributing to a sense of calm.