Is this reimagined 1980s brick building the answer to future living?

In the heart of London, Trace is a new circular design project, bringing together contemporary design aesthetics and sustainable, retrofit principles. The scheme was led by Bureau de Change architects (known for London residential projects, such as a Fulham house and an Uxbridge annexe) for property development company HGG London. It reimagines a four-storey 1980s brick building on Drummond Street, Euston, into a case study for 21st-century multi-family housing.

Inside Trace by Bureau de Change

Billy Mavropoulos, co-founder and director of Bureau de Change, said: 'Trace looks both backwards and forwards. By combining traditional architectural memory with contemporary fabrication, we’ve created a building rooted in its context yet designed for future living.’

At the core of the design are the architect-and-client team's efforts towards sustainable architecture, in this case focusing on the value of the circular economy. With the option to demolish and rebuild, Bureau de Change decided to work with the structure's original bones and highlight the beauty of existing characteristics and contextual history, shaped by a mix of Georgian terraces and 20th-century redevelopment.

With this in mind, and with an emphasis on repurposing the majority of the existing structure, the firm added two new floors to the existing building to create five contemporary apartments in total (three two-bedroom apartments on the first, second and third floors, and two one-bedroom apartments). Each has London skyline views and outdoor terraces.

What is most intriguing about this project is the new site-specific glass-reinforced concrete (GRC) composite, which was made bespoke for the project’s façade, using materials harvested from the original building. Says Mavropoulos: ‘The circular principle of repurposing the façade became a guiding idea, both environmentally and conceptually for the project as a whole.’

Bureau de Change were inspired by Georgian architectural details, from its proportions to its dramatic arches. The firm used the mid-brown bricks of the previous façade, which were crushed and recycled to form a new textured ‘stone’ that now clads the building. This is an intriguing modern interpretation of a rustic exterior.

Other sustainable touches include (and are not limited to) upgraded insulation, winter garden balconies and bicycle parking. This all coincides with the Euston Area Plan, an initiative that encourages ‘sensitive growth, sustainable development and the enhancement of the area’s unique character’. Trace is an example of how low-carbon design can integrate seamlessly into an urban context.

b-de-c.com