Norton Folgate

The Norton Folgate site, comprising three urban blocks, sits within the Elder Street Conservation Area and occupies a prominent position within The City Fringe between the City of London and Shoreditch. While the Conservation Area is small, there are dramatic changes in character from one street to the next. The masterplan has been developed to respond to this mixed character, bringing vacant or under used buildings back into use and reconnecting and enhancing the public realm. Rather than applying a blanket strategy, the masterplan employs a building-by-building approach to the retained existing buildings, utilizing restoration, refurbishment, extension, remodelling, and facade retention to breathe new life into the architecture. Sensitively designed new buildings have been introduced in a palette of materials, including brick which was selected for its robustness, quality, and appropriateness to the Conservation Area’s character. Given the variegated character of Norton Folgate, four different architectural practices were brought together to diversify the architectural approach and style. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) was appointed as masterplanner and designed three buildings, Blossom Yard & Studios, Nicholls and Clarke, and Loom Court. Stanton Williams, Morris + Company, and DSDHA designed Elder Yard and Studios, 15 Norton Folgate, and 16 Blossom Street respectively, with East leading the public realm strategy. Across the six buildings, a range office types with retail at ground level has been created with the aim of attracting tenants from start-ups and SMEs to mature organisations and appealing to the local tech and creative industries. The public realm design enhances the tight network of existing streets and creates three new yard spaces that draw on the character of the surrounding historic blocks.