First look inside the transformed Television Centre in White City
‘This is is a trully mixed-use project’, says Television Centre managing director Alistair Shaw. And indeed, the highly anticipated transformation of the iconic White City complex has been one of West London’s most exciting ongoing developments, including everything from the BBC Worldwide base and BBC Studioworks studios, to residential, soho house, offices, and a number of restaurants. This April, the launch of the residential-led mixed use development marks a new chapter in the iconic site’s life.
The site — that used to house the BBC’s headquarters — contains the Grade-II listed Helios building with its original golden statue and round piazza. This was once off limits to the public but now is open and leads through to Hammersmith park at the back. The architects, AHMM, worked on retaining as much of the history and the culture of the place as possible, they explain, however peppering it with new and contemporary elements and spaces. So the instantly recognisable round courtyard has been maintained, white overlooking windows were replaced with exact same but new and improved equivalents. ‘Most of the square still looks as it was the day it was built’, says Paul Monaghan of AHMM.
The common areas include the original, thin and elegant mid-century modern staircase and striking fin walls, adding further character to the residential element – matched by a new lifts core and terrazzo floor that references the original design. The apartments have been cleverly designed with plenty of hidden storage and built in furniture that multi tasks as a space-saving strategy, inspired at the same time by the building’s Fifties architecture. Interiors have been composed by Suzy Hoodless.
The complex also includes retail and leisure facilities, as well as a new 45-bedroom Soho House hotel and gym – the company’s largest ever, nestled underground and accessed via a core in the statue’s plinth. ‘At once a home, a place of work and a true destination, we look forward to welcoming all to Television Centre as it relaunches this April’, adds Haw.
This is just the first phase in the landmark complex’s grand plans. There’s affordable house by Maccreanor Lavington still to come, as well as more office and residential buildings by firms such as dRMM and Duggan Morris. In the meantime, a slew of dynamic, emerging practices have been enlisted to work on a series of penthouses — designs by Coffey Architects, Piercy and Company, Acher Architects and Haptic are due to be revealed in the summer. Watch this space.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of AHMM
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
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).
-
Explore Cornwall's cosiest coffee shops
Cornwall is known for its natural beauty and stunning landscape, here is our pick of coffee shops to enjoy the views and refuel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
The Museum of Shakespeare set to open in east London
The Museum of Shakespeare puts the remains of the ancient Curtain Playhouse at the centre of 'The Stage', a new urban development in the heart of Shoreditch
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Paddington Square transforms its patch of central London with its 'elevated cube'
Paddington Square by Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been completed, elevating a busy London site through sustainability, modern workspace and a plaza
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural car parks to drive into, in the UK and beyond
Architectural car parks form an important part of urban infrastructure but can provide a design statement too; here are some of the finest examples to peruse, in the UK and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation
The Architectural Association’s ‘Ripple Ripple Rippling’ is not your typical architecture show, taking an anthropological look at the flux between rural and urban, and bringing a part of China to Bedford Square in London
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell Published
-
Into the groove: Henriksen House is the UK’s first home extension featuring exposed clay block walls
Architect Michael Henriksen uses textured clay blocks, cork flooring and self-built joinery to transform his family home in St Albans near London
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and more
London Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Load into this reimagined Fortnite cityscape, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
A collaboration between Epic Games and ZHA, Re:Imagine London brings the architects’ modular forms into one of the world’s most popular multiplayer games
By Jonathan Bell Published