We were appointed by Workspace Group to replace a poor quality, 1980s office building in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Our brief is to design a sustainable building of the highest quality with a target of net zero carbon. The Shaftesbury Centre is part of a campus of Workspace buildings in North Kensington that vary from beautiful Victorian warehouse conversions to much more recent buildings of the last ten years.

The new space will provide 7,000 sqf of creative studio space in small and medium-sized units aimed at start-ups and small businesses. The building has a stepped profile at the upper floors with pocket terraces and larger roof gardens to provide shade, outdoor workspace, and a place to relax.

Set on the boundary of the Oxford Gardens Conservation area and next door to a Grade II listed building, the proposed development brings a quiet corner of the borough to life by replacing a tired building and an old carpark with vibrant workspace for the creative industries. The front of the new building is set back from the street to create a new public space, with a members club and café which opens out to it.