Yalding House
YALDING HOUSE
BuckleyGrayYeoman
CATEGORY
Refurbishment
AREA
2510.0 sqm
PROJECT YEAR
2013
PHOTOGRAPHS
Hufton+Crow
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Stace
SERVICE ENGINEER
MecServe
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER (NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS)
AKI II
PLANNING CONSULTANT
Gerald Eve
Text description provided by architect.
BuckleyGrayYeoman has completed the 2,510 sq m refurbishment of Yalding House in Fitzrovia on behalf of British Land. The refurbished building will provide stylish office space as well as a restaurant unit on the ground floor and basement.
For over 60 years, from 1952 to 2013, Yalding House was the home to BBC Radio’s Music Department, housing Radio 3 and Radio 1, as well as the BBC Central Music Library.
BuckleyGrayYeoman’s comprehensive refurbishment of the 1930s office building inserts a new core into a redundant lightwell to modernise the circulation and facilities of the building.
On the office floors, the accretions of decades of use and ad-hoc modification were stripped away and brickwork and structural elements revealed to create fresh-feeling, unadorned spaces that make the most of generous floor-to-ceiling heights and celebrate the qualities and character of the original fabric of the building.
Period finishes applied with a contemporary eye for detail give the common areas of the building a vintage flavour, with feature walls of green ceramic tiles or timber panelling complemented by high-quality details like brass stair nosing.
In a nod to the musical heritage of the building, the Yalding House reception features an adjoining listening room, kitted out with leather sofas, a turntable and an extensive record collection.
Tenants of the building will be able to use the building for greeting guests and holding informal meetings in a unique setting. A bespoke artwork created using vinyl records sits behind the reception desk.
A bike workshop has been created in the basement, with secure storage for 56 bicycles, lockers, changing facilities and a workstand with tools to assist with on-the-go maintenance.
