Paradise

The Paradise project will create a new workplace building on the site of the former Costa Roastery, which sits in a prominent location opposite Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery and adjacent to the historic green space of Old Paradise Gardens - part of the Lambeth Palace Conservation Area. The aim of the project is to create an exemplar low carbon and highly sustainable building that relates strongly to its context and its rich cultural heritage. It aims to set new benchmarks of environmentally friendly, low carbon construction whilst promoting occupiers’ health and wellbeing. The architectural approach has sought to create a modern yet appropriate character for a building within a conservation area context. The façade draws inspiration from the former Royal Doulton HQ nearby and the glazed ceramic cladding reflects a progressive approach using traditional materials in a contemporary manner. The site’s location along the railway approaches into Waterloo Station offers huge opportunities of engagement with commuters. The design seeks to enhance the permeability of the building, making commuters aware of the presence of Old Paradise Gardens beyond while offering future users of the building the potential to interact with the railway at viaduct level in a dynamic way. The design can be a catalyst for linkages between the Gardens and Newport St, promoting opportunities to revitalise the viaducts. The building will be landmark timber framed. The generous floor heights and flexible open-plan in combination with the servicing strategy create a future flexible and low energy building. This whole life approach has also been reflected in the careful con-sideration given to the end of life strategy, such as allowing for easy disassembly structure connections. With the use of primarily timber structure in combination with a super-efficient all-electric M&E system, this building aims to be carbon negative for around 60 years of use from a whole-life perspective. The site’s unique central London location and proximity to the Old Paradise Gardens allows us to explore design options that maximise crucial health and well-being factors for users eg natural ventilation and access to green spaces. Through the design and materials, we also aim to positively impact the local community by careful consideration and appreciation of the area’s rich history.