One of London’s most beloved architectural icons, the Economist Plaza by Britain’s brutalist pioneers Alison and Peter Smithson, is being given new lease of life after a loving restoration by architects DSDHA for commercial real estate specialists Tishman Speyer
The complex – consisting of a raised open space, the 15-storey Economist Tower, the five-storey Bank Building and an eight-storey residential building – was acquired by its current owners in 2016, who immediately set out to refresh and restore it into a thriving, vital part of its London neighbourhood.
‘We tried to find a team that had the same aspirations as us’, says Tishman Speyer managing director Dan Nicholson, ‘and we found DSDHA. They were the right people for the project and understood what we were talking about. And they are also a husband-an-wife team, like the Smithsons. It felt like the right fit.’
The architects took on the challenge gladly. ‘It has been amazing to be in conversation with Alison and Peter Smithson over the years’, says DSDHA's Deborah Saunt. ‘They didn’t see [the Economist Plaza] as a building but as a fragment of the city. We immersed ourselves in research, anything we could find and we really understood this plaza as a place of movement.’
The Economist Building now features six floors of workspace, alongside retail and other uses, and remains true to the original architects’ vision – as befits its Grade II* listed building status. DSDHA worked towards restoring the existing fabric and incorporating new elements where needed; ones that would fit within the Smithsons’ intention.
Of course everything has been updated and brought into the 21st century with appropriate insulation, double glazing and so on, explains Saunt, who stresses that this evolution felt appropriate. ‘We found a quote by the Smithsons saying that buildings should adapt over time’, she adds, pointing out that, still, everything remains in keeping with the old designs. ‘We went back to its roots.’
The careful renovation extends to the complex’s beloved plaza, which now has a new rolling art program to match. Curator Alexander Caspari is behind the artistic direction, and the schedule kicks off with an installation by Swiss Olaf Breuning, entitled ‘Heads’.
The first sneak preview of the project was launched at the same time as the London Festival of Architecture. The building will become a highlight during the annual fair, hosting events and no doubt instigating debate about Brutalism’s architectural legacy, as well as the urban and public realms.
‘Hopefully now [the Plaza] will become a place you arrange to meet, and this renovation will put it back on the map’, says Nicholson.
In honour of its authors, and to mark this new chapter in the development’s life, the complex has now been renamed Smithson Plaza.
The former Economist Building will now house office space, alongside retail.
The interiors have been updated and brought into the 21st century.
The original plaza conisted of two towers of office space, one residential building and an elevated square that was open to the public
Photographer Michael Carapetian knew the Smithsons personally and was the first to capture the complex back when it first opened - he now returned for a new shoot to document the renovation.
Now, the publicly accessible plaza will feature a rolling art programme, whose first show is ‘Heads’ by Olaf Breuning.
Curator Alexander Caspari is behind the artistic direction of the Plaza art programme
The complex has been remained Smithson Plaza, in honour of its original architects, Alison and Peter Smithson.
The developers and architects aim for the open space to become a place where people who go, sit, meet and enjoy London.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the DSDHA website
-
Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian easeLA studio Broad Project takes us inside its cinematic renovation of a 1960s Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Jnane Rumi: clarity, reflection and connectionIn the quiet tranquillity of Marrakech’s Palmeraie, Jnane Rumi evokes a rich and colourful tapestry of Moroccan art, craftsmanship and design
-
Cindy Sherman in Menorca: ‘She's decades ahead of social media and the construction of identity for the camera’‘Cindy Sherman: The Women’, its title a nod to an image-conscious 1930s Broadway hit, takes the American artist's carefully constructed, highly performative works to Hauser & Wirth Menorca
-
A guide to modernism’s most influential architectsFrom Bauhaus and brutalism to California and midcentury, these are the architects who shaped modernist architecture in the 20th century
-
Mayumi Miyawaki’s Fukumura Cottage puts this lesser-known Japanese modernist in the spotlightDiscover the little-known modernist architect through this private home in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture countryside
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest buildingThe 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Eileen Gray: A guide to the pioneering modernist’s life and workGray forever shaped the course of design and architecture. Here's everything to know about her inspiring career
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth IIFor the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homesCanadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots togetherWolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
