Sea Containers House was originally designed in 1974 as a waterfront hotel to boost tourism but instead functioned as offices for shipping company Sea Containers until 2007. Now the Blackfriars Bank icon has a new lease on life following a stylish redesign by Matheson Whiteley and BDG A-D.
The architecture practice and workplace design specialists won the commission for their ambitious design to transform the 20,000 sq m space into a dynamic workplace for OgilvyGroup and MEC, two of the Uk's most prominent marketing agencies. (This will be the first time in the companies' respective histories that their entire London team sits under one roof.)
Matheson Whiteley and BDG A-D's ambition was to bring ‘Sea Containers into the cultural, creative and commercial life of London’. A mean feat achieved by ‘dedicating the upper-level spaces to the most public program components, including a 200-person amphitheater and new roof-garden, establishing the building as a lively character along the River Thames.’
In a modern twist on tradition, the architects chose to place the building’s workspaces in the lower parts of the building, reserving the higher floors for hospitality facilities including a bistro cafe/bar, private dining and the aforementioned amphitheatre and roof garden.
The offices' interior layout was designed around the building's pre-existing structural elements, using them to their advantage whilst fulfilling the brief of enhanced communication through movement, choice and availability of multiple work spaces. After all, isn't life better when you are on the move?
The building was originally designed as a waterfront hotel, but instead housed offices for the Sea Container Company until 2007
The commission was won through an invited competition. Matheson Whiteley and BDG A-D secured the job with a proposal, which aimed to reestablish the building as a 'lively character along the river Thames'
The building's inner aesthetic has a raw, exposed feel, using polished and raw concrete throughout, with flashes of colour provided by the office's vibrant panels that wrap around the interior's perimeter
The office's lower floors are dedicated to workspace. The upper levels house hospitality and leisure facilities
The offices are set to become the home of OgilvyGroup and MEC, two of the UK’s most prominent marketing agencies. The building will also house a 200-seat amphitheatre and a rooftop garden, which will boast wide views over the river Thames
The interior program was designed around a series of preexisting structural interventions. The architects played with these elements also using them as alternative work environments
INFORMATION
For more information on the Shipping Container Office redevelopment visit Matheson Whiteley website or BDG A-D’s website
-
Is this London’s slickest burger joint?Already proven in Paris, Dumbo’s smash-hit formula of precision, confidence, and simplicity arrives in Shoreditch – and yes, it’s worth the wait
-
How to be butch: Clark Henley’s sharp, satirical and playful manual is back in printThe 1982 classic, ‘The Butch Manual: The Current Drag and How to Do It’, full of tongue-in-cheek advice, is available once again
-
Aston Martin goes goth, ramping up power, poise and dark glamour with the new Vantage SThese moody images mark the debut of the latest model out of Gaydon, the dynamically focused Aston Martin Vantage S
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the futureNorman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
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
-
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
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
