Hobhouse
HOBHOUSE
Brisac Gonzalez Architects
ARCHITECTS
Brisac Gonzalez Architects
AREA
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft
YEAR
2020
LOCATION
London, United Kingdom
CATEGORY
Commercial › Office Retail Cultural › Gallery Residential › Multi Unit Housing
Located along one of Central London’s oldest thoroughfares connecting Leicester and Trafalgar Squares; Hobhouse is a mixed use development comprising residential, office, gallery and retail spaces and providing a vibrant, accessible environment designed to enhance the streetscape and preserve the historical surroundings.
Designed by Arquitectonica with Brisac Gonzalez, Hobhouse integrates new build with the refurbishment of a 19th Century John Nash building and extensive underground brick vaults.
The new brick elevations comprise of six parts that gradually rise to the south, with chamfered façades and set back upper floors increasing the apex along the roof lines enhancing the public realm.
The new facades take cues from the retained Nash building using traditional handmade brickwork in a horizontal Flemish bond throughout. Two distinct tones of brick alternate between bays echoing the terraced scale of the surrounding streetscapes.
The darker washed brick blend references the patina of the retained facades; with the lighter pink brick being a nod to the buff and red bricks present in the surrounding streets.
At the chamfered facades, bespoke hand-laid bricks, each meticulously detailed, handcrafted and numbered, create tactile surfaces accentuated by projecting brick headers.
The window openings have surrounding metal frames which become more and more pronounced as the facades recede, exposing rectilinear forms.
At the ground floor, the brick facades are articulated as a rusticated horizontal band framing the entrance, retail and lobby spaces.
