City of London Office Interiors by ID:SR

100 Bishopsgate, Interior office design by ID:SR. Images: Copyright © Alex Upton

In the early autumn of 2020, when normality, accompanied by a faithful companion complacency, appeared to have tentatively returned to our daily lives. A time when workers were finally jettisoning their ‘work from home’ attire - lower-body: pyjamas, upper-body: vaguely presentable shirt - and relinquishing the prospect of conducting any further business meetings through a pixelated portal from the comfort of their beds, I was commissioned by Sheppard Robson architects to photograph the new office spaces their interior design team, ID:SR, had created for a prestigious international client. The offices were located across several floors of the recently completed 100 Bishopsgate tower in the City of London financial district, where the workers were set to return.

The tower itself, a mixed use development rising over 172 meters, with 40-storeys of office space, was designed by Allies and Morrison architects. With each occupant having different requirements for their work spaces, the interior design work was to be taken up by a design team chosen at the tenants discretion. As regular visitors to my blog will know - or visitor - I have worked with Sheppard Robson on a number of architectural photography projects. With previous commercial commissions, such as the offices at One Creechurch Place, the individual floors plates are usually austere shells awaiting the clients before they are fitted out, so in this case it was nice to be able to focus my camera on the interior design work and not solely the structural details.

Before elaborating any further on the particulars of the building and extolling the qualities of the interior design, I feel obligated to draw your attention to one, not so inconspicuous fact. It might soon, if not already, have come to the perceptive viewers attention, that several of the people in the photographs reappear throughout the various settings. This was neither a coincidence nor the result of several office workers clamouring for stardom before the lens by following me from one location to the next. No, this was the result of an entirely different set of circumstances, ones which necessitate the artifice behind much architectural photography. While I favour capturing a space in an uncontrived as possible manner sometimes it is just not practical to do so.

The office was still several days from being fully occupied and with interior photography it is often optimal to begin the work before such an occasion occurs, for in a matter of minuets a neat and orderly office can descend into a cacophony of hurried bodies and out of place furniture. Once clear shelves become a cascade of spilled pages, desktops submerge beneath mounds of spreadsheets, all precariously crowned with a slightly broken, but faithful office mug. So in some cases it is therefore preferable to enlist the help of models - in this case several of the interior architects whom worked on the project.

The first significant change ID:SR made to the original floor plates was the installation of staircases connecting the company offices at each level, saving employees from having to make repeated trips in the lift. Personal offices with glazed fronts surround the perimeter of the space, each with amazing views looking out onto the emerging cluster of skyscrapers. Moving inward towards the buildings core are a variety of private consultation rooms, collaborative work spaces and meeting rooms. Amongst these are kitchen and dining areas and less-specified seating areas where work or relaxation can take place individually or collaboratively. Notable is how the architects have made each space feel both distinct but also part of a cohesive whole and the variety of work spaces offer flexibility of use eschewing the conformity of old.

Colours, materials and furniture vary throughout, but each distinct area of use often replicates similar design features distinguishing their intended purpose, even if size and layout differ slightly. Having spent a considerable amount of time exploring the building and photographing each space I came to the conclusion that I could happily take up residence in one of the private offices overlooking the City, whether I could get much work done while gazing out upon the urban vista is another matter entirely. With the current situation still ongoing it sadly may be some time before these sophisticated, well designed offices are fully occupied. So for now they remain a fragment of hope in the minds of workers relegated to their kitchen table desks and daily zoom briefings. For readers wishing to see the complete set of interior photographs of 100 Bishopsgate, they can be found in the projects section of my portfolio.

Architecture Under Lockdown: Part 2

The Mole House by Adjaye Associates. Images: Copyright © Alex Upton

While trying to stifle the ever encroaching sense of ennui which was permeating my inner being during the final stages of the first lockdown, and before an existential crisis peaked, I decided to pick-up my camera, mount a Boris bike and venture out into the last days of what had been a wonderful summer (in terms of weather). Heading for Hackney with a friend, we decided to seek out some of the local, off the beaten path, architecture. Browsing through the latest architectural and design publications you would be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that every London street is punctuated by a bespoke home designed by an award winning architect. In reality they are much harder to come by and need some carefully planned research to locate - or a architect friend who is willing to put in the hard work for you. Hackney, being the vibrant, bohemian borough that it is, offered up plenty of architectural curiosities for our expedition.

First up on our tour was the Mole House design by recipient of the 2020 RIBA Royal Gold Medal David Adjaye. Deriving its name from the locally infamous, burrowing engineer, whom had a penchant for tunneling beneath his own home, the property came with a unique story; perfect foundations on which Adjaye Associates could build. The house conspicuously assimilates it’s imperfections; distressed and eroding materials; layers of history evidencing the dilapidation that once nearly concluded its existence. Exposed concrete smooths over the scared surface of the buildings original fabric, while not completely consuming it, creating a satisfying contrast between what was and what is. The project was commissioned by and is now home to artist Sue Webster.

The Sunken House by Adjaye Associates.

Next up, and only a short stroll away, was another David Adjaye designed home - somewhat discrediting my earlier statement regarding the proliferation of bespoke London homes - this one dating from 2007 and known as the Sunken House. The partially submerged three-storey home is clad with dark-stained cedar. The form, materials and minimal aesthetic are an aberration in the familiar brick townhouses and Jacobethan style architecture of De Beauvoir Town, Hackney. The property is home to luxury brand, design and architectural photographer Ed Reeve who commissioned David Adjaye back in 2003 to design the property. The home also functions as a space to hire out for photo and video shoots for those interested in exploring beyond the walled perimeter.

Hoxton Press by David Chipperfield & Karakusevic Carson Architects

The final destination to conclude our architectural expedition - cut short due to the stifling heat - was the Colville Estate in Hackney, home to two hexagonal towers designed by David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with Karakusevic Carson Architects; the team responsible for the redevelopment of the entire estate. The two Hoxton Press Towers, while similar in form are differentiated in both height and brick colour -handmade, water-struck Belgian bricks no less - one being clad in red the other a dark grey. Both are austere and minimal in form as one expects from David Chipperfield’s practice, but at the same time, are executed in a manner that utilises restraint and a limited palette to great effect.

Under normal conditions it’s often the architectural photographers aim to capture a building with a limited number of people in the frame; just enough to offer some context, sense of scale and suggestion of how the space is navigated, without it looking overcrowded and compositionally unsatisfying. Ironically with lockdown in place and new photography commissions dwindling due to restrictions, it was becoming difficult to find even a solitary figure to take on this unwitting role. The lone figures that did emerge into the frame, if only briefly, were a reminder of the new mode of existence that had enveloped the city.

Architecture Under Lockdown

Architecture under lockdown: The Tate Modern. Images: Copyright © Alex Upton

Inner cities under the lock-down quickly transformed into spectral voids of human activity. With the actors gone, only the stage was left, the props and backdrops to life patiently awaiting the next act. With the gradual easing of restrictions, people cautiously reemerged back into the spaces they once inhabited, only to find the buildings they frequented now existing as no more than architectural sculptures; without utility. No longer possessing a familiar function, an unconscious dérive began to take place - a re-purposing of space and changing relation to the urban environment.

As an architectural photographer often working in central London, this opened up opportunities to photograph the city as it is rarely seen. Normally, photographing buildings amidst the hustle and bustle of city life can often be a challenge; just as you have your subject perfectly aligned within the frame, a passerby in situ, the afternoon sun deploying it’s architecture enhancing rays, a large white van, or citizen, unconcerned with the evanescent nature of the decisive moment, will pass before the lens rendering what could have been a moment of eternal beauty into a fragment of memory and rising sensation of ire.

So it was with this rare opportunity, on a trip through London to photograph several projects for a client, that i decided to direct my camera towards some of London’s iconic architecture. Working just a short walk from the Tate Modern, a building which I have photographed a number of times, I came across a roller skater skillfully traversing the vast empty space near the rear entrance. It was a similar story along its western elevation, where crowds usually descend into the Turbine Hall, that on this occasion, only a lone cyclist, replete with wicker basket and red helmet passed by. Admittedly the tranquillity of these images belie the true nature of events, as the riverside entrance was teaming with life; kids dangling from the steel cables of Foster’s Millennium Bridge, skateboarders leaping down staircases and sunbathers huddled in socially distanced groups, soaking up the summer heat.

3 Broadgate by Orms Architects

3 Broadgate, London by Orms Architects 2019. Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

Hidden beneath the shimmering skin of Orms Architects new 3 Broadgate building is a structure descending from the 1980’s which once served as a marketing suite for the Broadgate estate. While retaining the cylindrical form of its predecessor Orms have hollowed out an archway at ground level opening the space to the public. As you are channelled through this new space a coffee shop greets you at one side while entry to the 3 floors above can be gained from the other.

Architectural photography of 3 Broadgate’s striking facade.

One of the most visually arresting aspects to the building is it’s rippling facade, formed from thousands of bronze coloured aluminium panels, which I’m sure architectural photographers will be flocking to visit as it makes for some amazing images. These decorative panels trace an arch on either side of the building revealing two of the interior spaces through the glazing. In its new incarnation 3 Broadgate will continue to serve as a marketing suite for the Broadgate estate.

Thousands of perforated aluminium panels cover the facade.

Since the building was first revealed from behind the scaffold I have paid repeated visits in anticipation that it would be ready to photograph, and while there are still some ongoing ground works - every architectural photographers nightmare - limiting certain angles, the building is mostly complete. At the time of its conception there were dissenting voices deriding the supposedly contentious plans, but seeing it complete it is hard to imagine what provoked such ire, the building is far superior to its predecessor and feels more welcoming, opening up space and creating a visual curiosity to those inclined to look in its direction.

Project Team:

Architect: Orms
Client: British Land
Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine
Structural engineer: Arup
Architectural Photographer: Alex Upton

Fruit & Wool Exchange Pavilion by Sheppard Robson

Sheppard Robson new Fruit & Wool Exchange Pavilion in Spitalfields , London. Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

In late 2018 i was commissioned to photograph this small, but unique building located in Spitalfields, London by Sheppard Robson architects. The small angular pavilion their team designed is located on the perimeter of the new Fruit & Wool Exchange development and has become home to a day and night Crispin Café. The main part of the development, located behind the pavilion, opposite Old Spitalfields Market was designed by another architectural practice, Bennetts Associates.

Rear entrance to the pavilion detailing the extended angular roof

From an architectural photographers perspective this was a particularly tricky building to shoot at that time of year. Its low, extended profile in context to the higher surrounding buildings meant that when the sun did meet with it’s exterior, the shadows of those buildings intermittently draped themselves over it surface obscuring from view the pavilions finer details. It was with these limitations to the architectural photography that I obtained most of the images at dusk.

Architectural Photography of the Fruit & Wool Exchange Pavilion

Surrounding the cafe is a new public space with landscaping undertaken by Robert Myers Associates. The most striking external feature of the metal-clad pavilion is it’s dynamic roof design, which sweeps up from the sides of the building an meets to form a sharp, piercing point at it’s apex. The juxtaposition to the brick facade of Bennetts Associates Fruit & Wool Exchange is quite sticking, but downplayed by its low profile. While I only obtained a few photographs of the pavilion due to the size of the project and ongoing works surrounding it you can take a look at the rest by visiting the projects page above.

Project Team:

Developer: Exemplar Properties
Architect: Sheppard Robson
Photography Client: Sheppard Robson
Architectural Photographer: Alex Upton

Barts Square Residential by Sheppard Robson

Barts Square Residential Buildings by Sheppard Robson Architects. All images Copyright © Alex Upton

Here is another London architectural photography project I recently undertook for my client Sheppard Robson Architects. This article provides a selection of preliminary images I took of the Barts Square residential development, a scheme currently taking shape in the City of London, just north of St Paul’s Cathedral. I say preliminary since it is a rather large 3.2 acre phased development, comprising offices, retail and the aforementioned residential units, 236 to be precise. The project is being master planned under the direction of lead architects Sheppard Robson who have brought in architectural practices Maccreannor Lavington and Piercy & Company to act as sub-consultants on the scheme.

Contrasting the old and new architectural details that form the facade of the Barts Square residencies.

The residential aspect of Barts Square comprises an assortment of architecture where historically significant buildings have been retained and woven into the fabric of the contemporary structures surrounding them. In keeping with the strict guidelines for developments in sensitive areas of the City of London the materials and designs of the new builds are high quality and reference both the historic and environmental context in which they find themselves situated. The new buildings snugly fit into the existing narrow street patterns creating enclaves of privacy for the residents and a labyrinth like structure intrinsic to Victorian-era urban planning, causing all but the savviest Flâneur to retrace their steps as they wonder how on earth they entered the complex and if they will ever make their exit.

Architectural Photography of the Piercy & Company designed building at Barts Square.

The apparent tranquility seen in the architectural photographs presented here belie the hustle and bustle of what is still a partially active construction site. Once again my already depleted reserves of patience were put to the test as each time I positioned my camera and tripod to take a shot, a fluorescent clad worker or delivery truck would, as if by magic, manifest within my field of vision. During such testing circumstances it is often only a split second, where the perfect conditions align and sun, pedestrians, architecture all fall into an evanescent, harmonious synchronicity, before instantaneously collapsing before the lens back into the cacophonous muddle of urban life.

The architectural details on the Barts Square Apartments reference surrounding historic buildings.

These photographs of Barts Square were commissioned by my client Sheppard Robson to capture the completed buildings from the first phase of the development. While limited in the scope of what could be captured on that day, hopefully they offer a glimpse into what will be a high quality development when all eventually comes together in the final stages of construction. When time permits I will add a more comprehensive set of images showcasing some of the luxurious interiors designed by Johnson Naylor in the residential buildings, which are now partially occupied.

Project Team:

Architects: Sheppard Robson (Piercy & Company, Maccreannor Lavington)
Client: Helical PLC
Main Contractor: McLaren
Structural Engineer: Waterman Group
Landscape Architect: Gross Max
Interior Architect: Johnson Naylor
Architectural Photographer: Alex Upton

BBC DIY SOS: Dale Youth Boxing Club by Featherstone Young

Architectural Photography of Dale Youth Boxing Club

Location: North Kensington, London, UK.
Developer: BBC and Westway Trust
Architect Featherstone Young
Photography Client: Kalwall UK

Located in the shadow of the elevated A40 road in North Kensington is Bay 20, a plot of land owned and operated by the Westway Trust. The contentious history of the site and the multifarious visions that came and went with the years that it intermittently lay in a state alternating between occupation and dormancy, are well documented in an article by Isabelle Priest in the RIBA Journal. In the wake of the tragedy that was the Grenfell Tower fire in 2018, these unused spaces were utilised by the local communities as places to convene, although the Bay 20 plot remained inaccessible; a dark, desolate space that prompted avoidance.

Rear Entrance to Bay 20 and Dale Youth Boxing Club

Fortunately this state of impasse was to come to an end when, after the fire, directors at the BBC’s show DIY SOS decided to create something for the community in the area. Working within a two to three week build time the project sought to involve the local residents in the project as much as possible, consulting their opinions at various stages throughout the design process. The suppliers of materials and building contractors, all charitably offered their services free of charge and the architectural practice Featherstone Young were approached to create designs for the two buildings that were to occupy the site.

Reception area for Dale Youth Boxing Club

One of the buildings, it was decided, was to be the new home to the Dale Youth Boxing Club, which had formerly been based in the first floor of Grenfell Tower. This was the particular building for which I was commissioned to photograph both the interior and exterior spaces, by the client Kalwall UK, whom I had previously worked on a number of interesting projects with, such as West Croydon Bus Station and the Benenden Hospital Redevelopment. For the client this was an unique project as it saw their Kalwall curtain walling integrated seamlessly with intermittent panels of glazing, the product making up nearly the entirety of the external structure. As with the previous projects I had photographed by day these semi-opaque panels allowed natural light to gently permeate the buildings interior, while at night inverting this effect.

Dale Youth Boxing Club Exterior

Dictated by the contours of the site the new Dale Youth Boxing Club fits snugly underneath the flyover and features, over its two floors, a fully equipped training area, boxing ring and changing rooms. On my final visit to photograph the project in the early evening it was great to see the local residents, especially the children, making use of both the new walkway that the site has opened up and the facilities it offers -uninhibited by the anxiety that the site once projected. In the evening the space really comes to life with the gym’s internal light illuminating the building and the colourful panels of the community centre opposite creating a welcoming environment.

Training facilities inside Dale Youth Boxing Club

For those interested in seeing the project come to life, it’s conception, design and construction was featured over two episodes of the BBC’s DIY SOS programme. Like all new developments, their is often an air of apprehension and distrust in the local community as to how much they will benefit from them, but it is safe to say from my own visits to the site that these fears have been allayed and the locals, especially the children have really embraced the project and are already making great use of it.

In terms of both architecture and materials Bay 20 and The Dale Youth Boxing Club exemplify the transformative power of architecture and what can be done with limited resources, space, and a potentially oppressive location. The hard work of all those involved and their charitable donations have created a wonderful space where the local community can come together and experience a place that they helped to shape. It is sometimes these smaller, community based projects that make architectural photography such a rewarding profession; witnessing the local children and parents utilising and having fun in the space is surely sign of a successful endeavour.

Royal Mint Court Redevelopment by Sheppard Robson

Royal Mint Court London Showroom by Sheppard Robson 2017. Photography Copyright © Alex Upton

The Royal Mint Court building and its generous, fortified grounds occupy a rather large 5.23 acre site in central London. The historic building which served as the Royal Mint between 1809 and 1967 is surrounded by prestigious landmarks such as The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. In late 2017 I was commissioned by London-based architectural practice Sheppard Robson to photograph the onsite showroom they had designed in collaboration with their interiors department ID:SR Interiors. 

Showroom model of the proposed redevelopment of Royal Mint Court.

The architectural photography of Royal Mint Court which I undertook for the client captures the showroom displays; including 3D models of the proposed development, detailed information on the proposals along with interactive displays and writing on the sites historic context. There is also a pool room equipped with a bar and jukebox upon entering the building. The new development proposed by British property developers Delancey would be an office led scheme with the inclusion of new public spaces. While incorporating historic elements of the site it would also include the addition of several distinctively modern buildings.

Visualisations of the proposed Royal Mint Court development.

Before further exciting any readers over the details of the proposed development it should be noted that the scheme will now almost certainly be revised as the People’s Republic of China recently acquired the site from Delancey and the LRC Group with the intention of converting it into their new Embassy. The buildings fortified grounds, heritage and central location all no doubt being driving factors in their decision to relocate there.

Conference area for potential clients and visitors.

While it's disappointing to discover Sheppard Robson Architects' Royal Mint Court scheme will never likely see the light of day - especially after photographing its wonderful interior, which hints at what could have been - it is highly likely another grand scheme will follow in its wake as the rush to build landmark Embassies in the capital intensifies.