Information about this scheme

1 Finsbury Avenue is a much loved, high quality Grade II listed building constructed in the early 1980s, and designed by Arup Associates (Peter Foggo). As the first building in the later Broadgate development, it was significant in defining the speculative office typology in London. The building facade was Grade II listed in 2015 and any new interventions had to be sensitive to the existing form and materials. These include additional roof terraces and connecting the ground floor with the public realm. Shifting the emphasis from single tenancy to mixed-use retail, leisure and flexible co-working office space targeting tech occupiers reinforces British Land’s vision for a vibrant masterplan and public realm. The building has been stripped of its corporate layers to expose an impressive steel frame, which was decorated as found. An honesty of new elements and exposed services created a striking industrial aesthetic. The ethos ‘Raw is More’ repositions the nature of office space within the City. Foggo’s original concept for a public route has been re-established, activating the ground floor and connecting this building with the wider Broadgate Campus. In the centre of the Lower Atrium there is a striking installation designed in collaboration with Studio Myerscough, which acts as a beacon of how this architecturally important and flexible office building has once again been reimagined. Finishes are parred to a simple palette of oak floorboards, matt black painted steelwork and white walls. Suspended light fittings complete the warehouse feel with a twist of quality.  The detailing and construction quality are beautifully controlled and consistent. With a building of this status many civic bodies were consulted, including Historic England, The Twentieth Century Society, GLA and many more and the result is impressive. By turning the ground floor over to a mix of retail and leisure and allowing the public to use it as a short cut, the building's ‘fortress’ qualities have now been diminished.