75 Wallis Road: Retrofit/Refurbishment Project of the Year sponsored by AET Flexible Space. The project retains the basic structure and celebrates the huge variety of colour and texture inherent in the various bricks and mortars used through the ages. Huge timber trusses with 10m spans aided by ironwork strapping and tension rods look good for another 150 years. The existing structure provides protection as the building envelope, but it also offers a new public face for our business, displaying our creative purpose.
A muted colour palette draws on precedents from the original building materials and surrounding historical context, while creating a light-filled and calming atmosphere for HTA employees. There’s a series of hardworking spaces that reflect an understanding of their own organisational culture. Originally divided into four separate buildings, new openings configure the space to create varied character areas which meet the needs of the modern workplace. Drama is provided with double height spaces which host flexible working, events, and exhibitions. A homely reception area leads to the ‘lunchHTAbles’, a dedicated lunch space with a commercial kitchen. This social space also supports panel events, talks and design crits.
