A few minutes away from Farringdon Station and located within the Hatton Garden Conservation Area, No. 3-11 Eyre Street Hill, although it is not a listed building, is a typical load bearing brick warehouse industrial building of its period.
This five-storey building was a combination of load bearing masonry and steel frame with timber floors.
The client’s vision was to build a penthouse on top of the existing building, to refurbish the existing first three storeys into office space, and the fourth and fifth storeys into six contemporary new apartments.
The brief for the commercial space was to deliver something versatile. The external walls were upgraded thermally throughout to create a more sustainable building, and the floors were upgraded to comply with the acoustics and fire regulations. The original features were left exposed to give the space some industrial character. Originally the building was divided through the middle by brick walls and chimneys. The brick walls were removed, with the associated structural walls required, but the chimneys were retained and left exposed,which contributes to the industrial feel of the building.
The fourth and fifth floors became residential space, with each floor containing a one bed, a two bed and a three bed apartment. Bright and airy open plan kitchens were proposed within the living area.The finishes within the apartments are quite contemporary, so this created a nice contrast with the original windows and the existing steel structure supporting the façade openings.
A new penthouse apartment was built on top of the existing roof area with an external copper cladding, and was recessed from the main elevation so it did not have an impact on the street configuration. This penthouse benefits from a generous terrace area around the perimeter of the building. A green roof was installed for the penthouse, and solar panels were provided.
