Buckle Street Studios – London
Buckle Street Studios, located in the Aldgate East neighborhood of London, is a new thirteen-story building comprised of 103 compact apartments, a mezzanine co-working space, coffee shop, meeting rooms and a concept store. Grzywinski+Pons designed the building from the ground up as well as all of the interiors and much of the furniture.
Low-rise heritage structures sit directly adjacent to contemporary high-rises. The architects employed radiused corners and transferred much of the scheme’s structural load to an expressionistic double-height arch to make the building sit softly within its block all the while drawing inspiration from the round headed windows, arched cornices and rounded quoins of the heritage buildings on the neighbouring streets
Being able to design the exterior and interior simultaneously afforded the studio a great opportunity to capitalise on architectural advantages they created and curate a truly integrated experience from within and without.
In the public spaces of the project, this integration from the inside out is fundamental. The principle organising element of these areas is the parabolic arch. Legible from the street through expansive glazing, it also supports and defines the mezzanine within to the double height space at grade while consolidating the load of the front half of the building above. The structural expressionism is softened with an integrated timber balustrade and fluted paneling, clay plaster finishes, dress curtains and soft furnishings. The floors and skirtings of fixed joinery are clad in brick congruent to the building’s facade.
By linking sumptuous custom sofas to beds and designing compact tiered tables, shallow linear shelves and hanging timber trays, the imperative to efficiently facilitate functionality yielded a comprehensive aesthetic that manages to feel luxurious. The palette: blush tinted clay, sage, timber, jute, creamy stone and velvety neutrals, further contribute to the plush serenity of the studios.
