Vivienne Westwood Studios
With a desire to expand and a need to create new spaces to work with, Vivienne Westwood and her team invited us to devise a strategy whereby the company could preserve the existing fondly loved premises and enjoy a sustainable and very economical 21st Century design studio.
Like Westwood, our relationship with the past is not to ignore or obliterate, but to use, understand and welcome the layers of history. By placing our new cantilevered structure over the existing building we transformed the old without replacing it. A whole new is created which expands the function and offers a striking visual identity.
The development respects the existing surroundings and is designed to integrate with the grain and pattern of the area. The structure above will support and embrace creativity alongside managerial departments. The old brick structure below the new, will retain its historic use of manufacture, archive and pattern cutting. The two elements are linked by new circulation revealed through the roof up into the underbelly of the new areas.
This link, which is essential to the functionality of the building is also a major emotional link allowing both the light of higher creativity and the understanding that the 'engine room' provides the foundation for everything.
The new building added over 1000msq and was constructed for a budget crunching £1500.00 msq.
Client: Vivienne Westwood Ltd
Location: Elcho Street, London
Design Team: Steve Jensen, Sigrid Andest.