The site for a new 21-story office building, dubbed Friars Bridge Court, from PLP Architecture is unique in terms of the surrounding architecture. The new building will replace an old office building from 1991 at the northern end of Blackfriars Road in the London Borough of Southwark. What makes the site unique, and, ultimately, what will make the building itself unique, is that buildings fairly uniform in height characterize the southern half of Blackfriars Road, but the northern half has a more varied street wall that culminates in a series of object towers near the northern terminus, according to the architect’s website.
In an effort to complement both the southern and northern buildings, the new tower will employ a series of transitional elements into its design. As the firm explains on its website, the building “is designed to strengthen the end of the block in which it sits and announce through its scale the transition to the more singular buildings towards the river.”
The design proposes a “volumetric extrusion” of a height similar to that of the mid-rise buildings nearby. The volume is then split vertically into two volumes. The Western volume is lowered in order to establish a street height with the other buildings adjoining the site. The volume, which has already been divided into two, is then divided further, horizontally across its base this time, to form an upper and lower component. The lower component, which includes the shorter western volume to form an “L” shape, is meant to anchor the building into the immediate context (meaning the uniform, smaller buildings on the south side of the street), while the upper component is to be perceived in the wider townscape setting.
Between the upper and lower volumes will be a large gallery space, providing open views into and out of the building. This gallery space exists at a point that works to strengthen datum lines on the facades of surrounding buildings. A recessed double-height lobby space is added at the ground level.
The building’s form is not the only transitional aspect of the tower. The masonry envelope will also differ between volumes. The lower portion of the building will be clad in a denser grain façade expressed through the use of light-colored brick. The upper volume’s facade will be a light sandstone colored mineral finished grid.
The result of all of these transitional elements is a building that manages to fit in with the smaller buildings immediately surrounding it while also softening the height difference between the southern and northern buildings.
The completed tower will provide 196,800 sf of office space and 7,300 sf of retail space. Additionally, the tower will emphasize flexibility in its office space, something the old building could not provide. Friars Bridge Court will also provide amenity spaces and two roof top terraces.
Rendering courtesy of PLP Architecture.
Related Stories
| Dec 5, 2011
Gables Residential brings mixed-use building to Houston's Tanglewood area
The design integrates a detailed brick and masonry facade, acknowledging the soft pastel color palette of the surrounding Mediterranean heritage of Tanglewood.
| Dec 5, 2011
SchenkelShultz Architecture designs Dr. Phillips Charities Headquarters building in Orlando
The building incorporates sustainable architectural features, environmentally friendly building products, energy-efficient systems, and environmentally-sensitive construction practices.
| Dec 2, 2011
What are you waiting for? BD+C's 2012 40 Under 40 nominations are due Friday, Jan. 20
Nominate a colleague, peer, or even yourself. Applications available here.
| Dec 1, 2011
VLK Architects’ office receives LEED certification
The West 7th development, which houses the firm’s office, was designed to be LEED for Core & Shell, which gave VLK the head start on finishing out the area for LEED Silver Certification CI.
| Nov 22, 2011
Corporate America adopting revolutionary technology
The survey also found that by 2015, the standard of square feet allocated per employee is expected to drop from 200 to estimates ranging from 50 to 100 square feet per person dependent upon the industry sector.
| Nov 18, 2011
Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability opens
Designed to exceed LEED Platinum, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is one of the most innovative and high performance buildings in North America today, demonstrating leading-edge green building design products, technologies, and systems.
| Nov 17, 2011
Hollister Construction Services renovating bank in Union City, N.J.
Project is part of a series of ground-up construction and renovation assignments.
| Nov 16, 2011
Project completion of BRAC 132, Office of the Chief Army Reserve Building, Ft. Belvoir, Va.
This fast-tracked, design-build project consists of a three-story, 88,470 sf administrative command building housing approximately 430 employees.
| Nov 15, 2011
Struggling economy demands construction industry embrace enterprise-wide risk management
In today’s business environment of high supply and limited demand, it has become especially vital for organizations in the construction sector to effectively manage risk.
| Nov 15, 2011
Miller joins Perkins Eastman as regional manager, Middle East and Northern Africa
Miller joins Perkins Eastman with more than 48 years of experience in architecture, design management, and construction administration for planning and infrastructure.