Grafonola’, on Clerkenwell Road, has been renovated from a tired Victorian warehouse into a highly sustainable office building full of character and historic charm. The client was committed to achieving Net Carbon Zero whilst LDS ‘embraced the historical significance and character of the building’ by retaining ‘the aesthetic of the original timber sash windows and cast-iron structure’ and by revealing the existing fabric of the walls and floors. The Judges of the AJ Retrofit awards have declared: ‘There’s been a real effort to extend the scope of the brief around retention; it’s super impressive,’ said one judge. ‘It raises the opportunity for retention of other structures.’ Another said: ‘They’ve left just the right amount undone.’ The transformation of the building into a flexible, adaptive workspace has been creatively and sensitively achieved and has been recognised by this well-deserved award.
