Housing meets industrial heritage at Make Architects' Asta House in London
The reimagining of an office building in central London by Make Architects, Asta House, combines contemporary housing and 1950s industrial heritage
![Asta House facade](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jZDhaHh9UYgTkCLgBNGyGC-415-80.jpg)
Working with Derwent London, Make Architects has completed the full reimagining of an existing central London office building into contemporary housing. The project, Asta House, sits in Fitzrovia and involves the transformation of the building – which originally was created as an industrial structure in the 1950s – into a ‘high quality, sustainable mixed-use development.'
‘Asta House forms a significant part of the latest major mixed-use scheme known as 80 Charlotte Street which comprises commercial offices, private apartments including affordable residences, retail units and a new pocket park,' says project architect Kunwook Kang.
Now, the redesigned scheme contains 36 residences, offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. Two newly added storeys at the top provide space for a pair of penthouse apartments. The ground level includes a commercial space, which is now occupied by an architecture studio and a green, outdoors area.
Photography: Make Architects
‘The building is about contrast – old meets new, black against white, rough against smooth and matte against gloss. A play of distinct, yet complementary materials in colour and texture used throughout the design adopts a sophisticated industrial-chic styling for Fitzrovia’s eclectic feel,' says Kang. And while things may have changed behind the frontage, the architects made sure to maintain as much of the original structure as possible as well as the historical facade, which was restored.
‘The newly converted Asta House with its mix of uses will enhance the vibrant local community, physically and socially, with new residential provision, animated street frontages, a new public space, and better legibility and connectivity at street level,' adds Kang.
Interiors are pared down and bright, using light colours and a tactile material palette. Integrated joinery ensures clever storage solutions, allowing for flexible, open-plan living areas. The apartments have also been designed to the Ecohomes standard, achieving an ‘Excellent' rating.
Photography: Jack Hobhouse
Photography: Jack Hobhouse
Photography: Make Architects
Photography: Jack Hobhouse
Photography: Jack Hobhouse
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
An Uxbridge annexe by Bureau de Change is a design for effortless intergenerational living
Uxbridge Bower, a residential annexe in west London, is a contemporary addition offering both privacy and connection for the needs of a family
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published