Given the narrow proportions of this small office building, the main objective was to maximize the amount of transparency while creating a buffer between the office areas and the buzz of the Old Street.

136 Old Street

TYPE Offices, Interior
STATUS Commission, Built
LOCATION London, UK
YEAR 1999
CLIENT Horizon Systems

DESIGN TEAM Eva Castro, Holger Kehne

The folding and tilting of the glass storefront produces multiple reflections, blending the images of exterior and interior. A second glass screen separates the entrance lobby from the working area at the back, and serves as an additional acoustic and visual buffer. The introduction of a pavement light and an internal light will allow the ground floor and formerly unusable basement to become one vertical space with varying degrees of visibility and privacy.

VERTICALITY

The objective of maximizing natural light and visual engagement for the expansive ground floor and basement, while also mitigating excess noise and foot traffic, was accomplished through the strategic implementation of multiple layers of glass. The first reflective plane –the street-front façade– deals with the perception of exterior and interior space. Maximum materialization of the glass plane was achieved by folding and tilting it into different segments so it would reflect the same image at different stages according to its movement and to the movement of the viewer. In this way, the glass virtually loses its transparency to become a screen that overlaps reflections of the context and the interior. The second and third layers–a full height glazed fire screen and a glass balustrade–act as resounding screens that echo the reflections from the street, and thus act as a protective filter while allowing light and views to penetrate the deep space. This series of glass layers produces reflections that inform the space with images and light while framing the activities between them.

HORIZONTALITY

While the previously mentioned vertical layers establish horizontal connections within the space, two horizontal incisions establish vertical connections to the once-unused basement. The first, crafted from sandblasted glass, allows colored light to filter into the basement. Casting its glow onto the sidewalk, this light serves as a mediator between the private and public domains, blurring their boundaries. This semi-translucent surface links the basement to the exterior, providing insights into movement, weather, and lighting conditions above. The second incision – a rectangular opening measuring approximately 1.6 m by 2 m – channels light and air into the formerly neglected basement, transforming it into a single expansive area with varying levels of visibility and privacy. Contrasting with white walls and ceilings, black-stained plywood floor panels are arranged in a grid pattern of 0.9 m by 2 m. All incisions, reflective layers, and a portion of the lighting are strategically positioned in relation to this modular framework. The color palette and spatial arrangement create a neutral, orthogonal backdrop against which the facade and transient phenomena stand out. Acting as a canvas, the white surfaces capture the atmospheric nuances of the weather and fleeting reflections from passing vehicles, while the black floors evoke the depths of a velvet sea.