Astonishing, seven storey architectural triumph
Groupwork + Amin Taha Architects for 15CC
Contract value: £4.65m
GIA: 2,000 m²
Cost per m²: £2,325
This project is an astonishing, seven storey architectural triumph located close to Clerkenwell Green in central London. It’s the architect’s own development of apartments, sitting on the site of an 11th century Norman Abbey, and the thoroughness and care in every inch of the project crossed the border of obsession very early in the process.
The resulting building is a truly bespoke, hand-crafted work of art, but it is one that retains grace and balance. The facade is formed from limestone structural columns and beams which are set away from the building envelope and are presented in a variety of finishes: smooth, rough, drilled and straight from the quarry. A ‘fallen’ column with some decorative carving is symbolic of this hand-crafted workmanship of the material, richness of narrative and joy of the project. Communal elements in the development show playful inventiveness and materials used in the apartments themselves are concrete and wood, with polished floors, exposed ceilings, and oak doors and walls, arranged like a complex puzzle.
See other winners in the RIBA regional awards - London: Residential