68-86 Farringdon Road | Design and Access Statement MAY 2015 Contents

1. Introduction 5 6. Consultation and Design Development 48 1.1 Overview 5 6.1 Pre-application Meeting 1 - 16th October 2014 48 1.2 Project Team 6 6.2 Pre-application Meeting 2 - 18th November 2014 50 6.3 Design Review Panel - 9th December 2014 52 2. Site Context and Analysis 7 6.4 Pre-application Meeting 3 - 29th January 2015 54 2.1 Site Location 7 6.5 Public Consultation - 30-31st January 2015 56 2.3 Transport 8 6.6 Pre-application Meeting 4 - 17th March 2015 58 2.4 Existing Context 10 2.5 Surrounding Uses 15 7. The Proposed Scheme 60 2.6 Existing Site 17 7.1 Proposed Ground Floor Plan 60 2.7 Existing Massing 19 7.2 Typical Floor Plan 61 2.8 Site History and Historical Context 22 7.3 Roof Plan 62 2.9 Farringdon Road Urban Pattern and Streetscape 24 7.4 Office Layout 63 2.10 Character 26 7.5 Hub Hotel Room Types 64 2.11 Clerkenwell - Creative Business and Design Hub 28 7.6 Proximity of Neighbouring Buildings 65 2.12 Site Structural Constraints 30 7.7 Sections 66 7.8 Elevations 68 3. Planning Policy 32 7.9 Aerial Views 80 3.1 Local Planning Policy 32 7.10 CGI Views 82 3.2 View Management Framework (LVMF) 33 8. Strategies 84 4. Strategic Brief 34 8.1 Proposed Access Strategy 84 4.1 Strategic Brief 34 8.2 Security Strategy 86 4.2 The Hub Hotel Concept 35 8.3 Lighting Strategy 88 4.3 Residential Testing 36 4.4 Strategic Response to Brief 38 9. Summary 89 9.1 The Proposal 89 5. Initial Design Response 39 5.1 Existing and Historical Site Context 39 Appendix A: Architects Drawings 92 5.2 Site Constraints 40 5.3 Site Opportunities 41 5.4 Site Response 41 5.5 Initial Design Response 42 5.6 Response to Sunlight and Daylight Analysis 44 5.7 Ground Floor Activity 45 5.8 Ground Floor Servicing 46

01/05/15 _ rev C DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 3

1. Introduction

1.1 Overview The site of 68-86 Farringdon Road consists of a single building within a plot of 0.21 Hectares which falls within the administrative boundary of the London Borough of Islington (“LBI”).

The existing building on site comprises the five storey car parking facility, currently operated by NCP, comprising 294 parking spaces. The south eastern end of the building incorporates a small ancillary office unit at lower ground floor level.

• The locale of the site has a diversity and energy. • The redevelopment of this car park site presents an opportunity to replace the sterile, inactive frontage, with a diverse texture of interactive space. • Within the London Borough of Islington, the property has been allocated as a key development opportunity.

Our clients, Endurance Land has acquired the freehold of the site and is seeking to bring forward an employment-led mixed use proposal incorporating office, hotel and retail.

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 5 1.2 Project Team The following professional team has been assembled to ensure design solutions of the highest quality and sensitivity are proposed and ultimately delivered: Development Manager Fund & Operator Endurance Land Whitbread

Applicant: Endurance Land (Farringdon) Ltd www.enduranceland.com Project Manager Technical Advisor Hotel Operator: www.whitbread.co.uk Whitbread Group PLC GVA SLW Tower 8 Technical Advisor: Tower 8 www.tower8.co.uk

Project Manager: GVA Second London Wall www.gva.co.uk/secondlondonwall CONSULTEES Planning Consultant: GVA Planning www.gva.co.uk/planning

Architect: Sheppard Robson www.sheppardrobson.com Planning Consultant Architect PR Advisor NETWORK RAIL Traffic Engineer: RGP www.rgp.co.uk GVA Sheppard Robson Quattro LONDON Structural Engineer: Waterman Group www.watermangroup.com UNDERGROUND M&E and Fire Engineer: Grontmij www.grontmij.co.uk NEIGHBOURS Acoustic and Scotch Partners www.scotchpartners.com Sunlight & Daylight Quantity Surveyor Structural Engineer Vibration Consultants: Point 2 Quantem Watermans LOCAL AUTHORITY Sunlight & Daylight Point 2 Surveyors www.point2surveyors.com Surveyor: HIGHWAYS Quantity Surveyor: Quantem Consulting LLP www.quantem.co.uk Transport Engineer MEP & Fire Engineer Acoustics & Vibration RGP Grontmij Scotch Partners Public Consultation Quatro www.quatro-pr.co.uk DESIGN REVIEW PANEL Co-ordinator:

CDM Consultant: Bernard Sims Associates www.bernardsimsassociates.co.uk

CDM Townscape & Heritage Verified Views Townscape Consultant: Tavenor Consultancy www.tavernorconsultancy.co.uk Bernard Sims Associates Tavernor Consultancy Cityscape Verified Views: Cityscape www.cityscapedigital.co.uk

6 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2. Site Context and Analysis

2.1 Site Location The site is located in the London Borough of Islington. It is bounded by Farringdon Road to the west, Bowling Green Lane to the south, Vineyard Walk to the north and Catherine Griffiths Court to the east.

Farringdon Road is a major route providing direct links to the City and King’s Cross.

Figure 1: SITE BOUNDARY PLAN

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 7 2.3 Transport

2.3.1 Public Transport The site lies within a one mile radius of Kings Cross Underground and Train Station and Angel, Russell Square, Chancery Lane and Barbican Underground Stations.

The first Crossrail services through central London will start in late 2018. In 2019 Farringdon will be connected directly to Heathrow and Reading in the west, and Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. is approximately 500m from the site.

There are bus stops immediately adjacent to the site and bus services are run at regular intervals. Additionally a Santander Cycle stand is located just south of the building on Farringdon Road.

2.3.2 Vehicle Access ROSEBERY AVENUE The site is on the busy Farringdon Road and is located close to other main routes of SPA FIELDS Clerkenwell Road and Rosebery Avenue. PARK Vehicle access to the existing NCP car park is from Bowling Green Lane, with the building exit leading onto Vineyard Walk to the North of the building.

ST JOHN STREET

BOWLING GREEN LANE

ST. JAMES’S CHURCH GARDEN GRAYS INN ROAD

ROSEBERY AVENUE

CLERKENWELL ROAD

FARRINGDON Train / Tube station

Crossrail

Bus stop

Santander cycle stand

Significant road

Site

Figure 2: TRANSPORT LINKS

8 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD To Angel

2.3.3 Connectivity

A401 Rosebery Avenue

A201 Farringdon Road To King’s Cross

A401 Rosebery Avenue

To / Gray’s Inn Field

Sunpath To Old Pedestrian routes Street

Vehicular routes A5201 Clerkenwell Green Space To Holborn

A201 Farringdon Road Towards Farringdon Underground Figure 3: CONNECTIVITY Station, Smithfield Market & the City

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 9 2.4 Existing Context

2.4.1 Farringdon Road Context

FARRINGDON INTERCHANGE NEW ARCHITECTURE FARRINGDON ROAD CORRIDOR 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD

• New Crossrail station and Smithfield redevelopment • Major commercial uses give way to more • No single use or character dominates at this point • Major new focus for commercial and retail led development varied ‘granular’ mix of commercial/residential uses inc. creative industries and professional • Large scale developments aimed at corporate occupiers services.

CLERKENWELL BUSINESS AND DESIGN HUB MOUNT PLEASANT

“Clerkenwell is home to more creative businesses and • Major residential led masterplan architects per square mile than anywhere else on the • New urban quarter planet, making it truly one of the most important design hubs in the world.”

EXMOUTH MARKET ADJOINING SITES OPEN GREEN SPACE RESIDENTIAL QUARTER • Authentic pedestrian street with genuine sense • Focus for creative industries, (Architects, Showrooms etc…) • Important local amenity of place • large mature trees dominate • Focus for niche retail and restaurants - underpins evening economy 10 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2.4.2 Farringdon Road

Mount Pleasant - Major residential led development

Exmouth Market - Local centre - Cosmopolitan - Authentic - Independant - Still cool

Finsbury Health centre - Modernist icon

Recent infill developments Epicentre of British architecture scene

Farringdon Road

70’s / 80’s commerical buildings likely to be replaced by new Farringdon / Smithfield significant developments commercial development around major transport interchange

Figure 4: FARRINGDON ROAD

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 11 2.4.3 Surrounding Context

K B I

D G

A

F J

C E

H

B D

A C E

12 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD View 07 d10814 Northampton rd

FF H J

G I K

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 13

NCP Car Park, FarriNgdoN CHURCH OF OUR FINSBURY HEALTH CENTRE QUALITY CHOP HOUSE 2 EXMOUTH MARKET / 102 FARRINGDON ROAD 1 2 HOLY REDEEMER 5 8

6 CLERKENWELL FIRE STATION 7 40 ROSEBERY AVENUE 9 159 FARRINGDON ROAD

3 FORMER NOTTING WAREHOUSE / ENTERPRISE PRINTING MACHINE WORKS 4 FORMER BOWLING GREEN LANE BOARD SCHOOL 10 60 FARRINGDON ROAD

14 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2.5 Surrounding Uses

• Site occupies transitional location where larger commercial buildings give way to mix of uses (Residential, Retail, etc). • The character changes accordingly from corporate to cool...! • A rich variety of uses surround the site, these include residential, office and health care uses. There are a number of cafe/restaurant and retail uses in the locality, along with the Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office and the British Postal Museum and Archive to the west. • The surrounding residential properties are a mix of mews and terrace houses and flats. There are recent planning permissions granted to increase the residential provision in this area as part of mixed use developments containing offices. These include the redevelopment of a former car park site and the redevelopment of a former school.

Figure 5: GROUND FLOOR USE DIAGRAM Figure 6: FIRST FLOOR USE DIAGRAM

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 15 2.5.1 Conservation areas, Listed buildings and Local List KEY The surrounding buildings are mixed in age and character, as is characteristic of the CONSERVATION AREAS wider area. The building itself is not listed, neither are any of the directly adjacent 2 ROSEBERY AVENUE (CA34) buildings. CLERKENWELL GREEN (CA1) There are a number listed buildings in close proximity, including the former boarding school at 10 Bowling Green Lane and the former Notting Warehouse/Enterprise Printing Machine Works at 16-17 Bowling Green Lane, and the Grade 1 listed Finsbury Health LISTED BUILDINGS Centre. GRADE I 1 FINSBURY HEALTH CENTRE 8 CLERKENWELL GREEN CONSERVATION AREA (CA1) Guidance set out in the conservation area design guide includes: 1 GRADE II*

2 CHURCH OF OUR MOST • Wide variety of land uses in the area, vital to the local character HOLY REDEEMER 5 • Council will resist development solely for office use • Council generally wishes to retain and encourage attractive and lively GRADE II street frontages throughout the area. 6 3 FORMER NOTTING • Potential for streetscape improvements including traffic free pedestrian 4 WAREHOUSE spaces and improvements to the pedestrian environment, including traffic / ENTERPRISE PRINTING MACHINE WORKS calming measures 7 4 FORMER BOWLING GREEN • Break up monotonous horizontality LANE BOARD SCHOOL • Maintaining the street line or re-introducing the historic street line 5 QUALITY CHOP HOUSE • Promote enhancement schemes for improvements to the conservation area 6 CLERKENWELL FIRE STATION 9 7 40 ROSEBERY AVENUE • Potential to provide attractive private and semi-private amenity spaces for residents 3 and in some cases commercial uses

LOCAL LIST LOCALLY LISTED BUILDINGS ROSEBERY CONSERVATION AREA (CA34) OR FEATURES Guidance set out in the conservation area design guide includes: 8 2 EXMOUTH MARKET / 102 10 FARRINGDON ROAD • Wide variety of land uses in the area, vital to the local character 11 9 159 FARRINGDON ROAD • Promote ground floor retail or service uses to contribute to the vitality and street life 10 60 FARRINGDON ROAD • Shopfronts designed with consideration of Council’s shopfront design guide 11 58 FARRINGDON ROAD / 4-6 PEAR TREE COURT • Improve quality of paving, street furniture and open space – tarmac 12 paving should be replaced with traditional 900 x 600 slab paving 12 56 FARRINGDON ROAD 13 • Promote planting of more trees. 13 54 FARRINGDON ROAD

Figure 7: HERITAGE CONTEXT AND LOCAL CHARACTER DIAGRAM

16 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2.6 Existing Site

The existing carpark building has a long inactive frontage along Farringdon Road, Bowling Green Lane and Vineyard Walk. It is monolithic in nature, and lacks the articulation of activity.

The four metre change in level across the length of the site is barely acknowledged in the current elevation.

Vehicular access into the 294 space car park is gained from Bowling Green Lane, Vehicle Egress is provided on Vineyard Walk. Pedestrian entry points are provided on Farringdon Road and Vineyard Walk. Whilst Farringdon Road has a constant stream of traffic, vehicle movement along Vineyard Walk is infrequent. The adjacent images C, D and F are taken looking across Farringdon Road. Images A B A and B shows the approach to the site along Bowling Green Lane, and the vehicle entrance into the car park. Image E shows the vehicle egress on Vineyard Walk. Figure 9: BOWLING GREEN LANE Figure 10: NCP CAR PARK - BOWLING GREEN LANE

C

C D E Figure 11: FARRINGDON ROAD (BY ROYAL MAIL) Figure 12: FARRINGDON ROAD (LOOKING EAST) A

D B

F

E F

Figure 8: KEYPLAN Figure 13: VINEYARD WALK Figure 14: FARRINGDON ROAD (LOOKING NORTH)

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 17 2.6.1 Existing Site Massing

AUSTERE REAR BLANK FACADE CREATES AN IMPOSING RELATIONSHIP WITH NEIGHBOURS

LONG / LINEAR FRONTAGE

Figure 15: AERIAL LOOKING NORTH Figure 16: AERIAL LOOKING SOUTH

EXISTING FACADE HAS NO MONOLITHIC ACTIVITY BLAND FRONTAGE

Figure 17: STREET VIEW LOOKING NORTH UP FARRINGDON ROAD Figure 18: STREET VIEW LOOKING SOUTH UP FARRINGDON ROAD

18 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2.7 Existing Massing

The Mount Pleaseant Supplementary Planning Document sets out the existing building heights in the area surrounding the Royal Mail site and divides the building heights into three groups: typically 1 -4 stories; typically 4 - 8 stories and typically 8- 12 stories. South of Exmouth Market, Farringdon Road is firmly established as a mid rise area, of 4-8 stories. The row terraces immediate to the north of our site are at the lower end of this spectrum, at 4 stories, including a set back inhabited roof storey.

Low rise buildings Big urban context

Figure 19: EXISTING SITE MASSING CONTEXT Figure 20: EXISTING AND APPROVED BUILDING HEIGHTS

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 19 2.7.1 Existing Site Elevations 95.5m

SITE

FARRINGDON ROAD VINEYARD FARRINGDON ROAD BOWLING FARRINGDON ROAD WALK GREEN LANE ELEVATION A - FARRINGDON ROAD

28.4m 95.5m

SITE SITE

FARRINGDON ROAD BOWLING GREEN LANE CATHERINE BOWLING GREEN BACK OF SITE VINEYARD WALK GRIFFITHS COURT LANE

ELEVATION B - BOWLING GREEN LANE ELEVATION C - REAR OF NCP CAR PARK

20.5m

D SITE FINSBURY HEALTH CENTRE VINEYARD WALK FARRINGDON ROAD

E ELEVATION D - VINEYARD WALK C

A

B

BOWLING GREEN LANE CATHERINE GRIFFITHS COURT VINEYARD WALK

ELEVATION E - CATHERINE GRIFFITHS COURT Figure 21: KEYPLAN

20 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD 2.7.2 Existing Site Sections

The following highlights the transitional relationship that exists 20.3m between Farringdon Road and Catherine Griffiths Court to the rear. The existing car park is located in a position between the large Farringdon Road urban buildings and the smaller residential massing.

SITE SECTION A TOPHAM STREET FARRINGDON ROAD ACCESS CATHERINE FINSBURY HEALTH WAY GRIFFITHS COURT CENTRE

20.3m 28.4m

SITE SITE BAKER’S ROW FARRINGDON ROAD ACCESS 1-18 CATHERINE FARRINGDON ROAD ACCESS 1-18 CATHERINE WAY GRIFFITHS COURT WAY GRIFFITHS COURT SECTION B SECTION C

95.5m

SITE VINEYARD WALK BOWLING GREEN SECTION D LANE

A

D E B

C

FARRINGDON ROAD SECTION E Figure 22: KEYPLAN

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 21 2.8 Site History and Historical Context

2.7.3 Farringdon Road Buildings employed by Sydney Waterlow’s builder Matthew Allen, and used by him in Waterlow’s Farringdon Road Buildings were declared unfit for human habitation in 1968 by the Langbourne Buildings and in Waterlow & Sons’ factory in Hill Street, Finsbury. Greater London Council, and demolished in 1976. Their site is now occupied by a multi- The following page highlights the large residential buildings that stood on the site storey car park erected c. 1989–90 for National Car Parks.” before the current NCP Car Park. Externally, the blocks were fairly plain, with façades of yellow stock brick, red-brick “These buildings stood on the east side of Farringdon Road between Bowling Green banding, and cills of the same concrete used for the floors. There was a small amount (TEXT & IMAGES COPIED DIRECTLY FROM WWW.BRITISH-HISTORY.AC.UK) Lane and Vineyard Walk. They were erected in 1872–4 by the Metropolitan Association of ornamentation—a machicolated cornice with shields, and statues or heraldic beasts We have used the historical buildings on site as a precedent for the proposed building. for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes, one of the oldest-established against the gable surmounting each block. Asphalted flat roofs provided space for drying The original 5 blocks were particularly stricking as individual objects and have informed of the model-dwellings companies. Designed by the architect Frederic Chancellor, they clothes and beating carpets, as well as recreation. the way the proposed massing is divided up along Farringdon Road. Likewise, the were planned along novel lines, embodying ideas long advocated by Charles Gatliff, stepping, heights and indents of the proposed building take clues from the site’s the Association’s secretary. Working-class dwellings, argued Gatliff, had to be built From the start, the flats were ‘highly appreciated’ by the tenants, typically general historical ancestor. to a high density, both to take account of the high land values in the inner city and to labourers, warehousemen, and porters; because of the high proportion of one-bedroom reflect the actual rather than supposed needs of families. This meant tall buildings, with flats many were single men. Although criticisms were made on sanitary grounds, the flats containing one or two bedrooms rather than the three conventionally regarded as new buildings were generally well-received. Nevertheless, they came to typify what necessary—third bedrooms being superfluous to many working-class parents, whose were widely seen as the worst features of block dwellings, their ugliness and supposedly younger children often slept in the main living-room. Farringdon Road Buildings were dehumanising scale: What terrible barracks, those Farringdon Road buildings! Vast, sheer erected by James Brown of Finsbury Pavement, a builder and contractor with brickworks walls, unbroken by even an attempt at ornament; row above row of windows in the mud- at Braintree and Chelmsford, whose tender of £39,360 was accepted in November coloured surface, upwards, upwards, lifeless eyes, murky openings that tell of bareness, 1872. The dwellings were formally opened on 13 November 1874 by the Home Secretary, disorder, comfortlessness within … Acres of these edifices … millions of tons of brute Richard Cross, whose Artisans’ Dwellings Act was passed the following year. brick and mortar, crushing the spirit as you gaze. Barracks, in truth; housing for the army of industrialism … Rather than a long double range of dwellings, with the road on one side and a yard on the other, as originally intended, Chancellor decided on five parallel blocks at right angles Figure 23: FARRINGDON ROAD BUILDINGS TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN to the road, with 20ft courtyards or playgrounds between. Each block was of six storeys plus basement, and included two shops on Farringdon Road, in the manner of the City’s earlier Corporation Buildings. Several advantages were claimed for this arrangement, including an increased density of dwellings on the site, and protection from the spread of fire. The basements were used partly for dwellings, partly as cellars for the shops. Each block contained fifty-two tenements, comprising 10 three-room, 14 two-room and 28 one-room apartments, all with a WC, pantry, and scullery, the whole development giving accommodation to well over a thousand people. Sleeping accommodation was included in the living-rooms of some tenements by means of alcoves for beds—a feature already adopted at Corporation Buildings.

The flats were arranged on what Chancellor called the ‘Balcony plan’, which sought to avoid the drawbacks of the existing types of block dwelling: the staircaseaccess type, where staircases proliferated or, as in Corporation Buildings, unduly affected the internal layout; and the loss of privacy (and light) experienced in gallery-access flats, where neighbouring tenants going to and fro passed right in front of the windows. His solution was to group four flats around each staircase in two pairs, each pair with its own balcony. Privacy and security were increased by providing iron gates at the entrance passages to each flat. Chancellor thought the balconies would not only increase ventilation, but allow the inhabitants to express (and improve) themselves by cultivating flowers there: ‘I do not believe that a man who is fond of his flowers could ever thrash his wife, or that a wife who takes a pride in her flowers will ever have a slovenly and untidy dwelling’.

The accommodation of the individual flats was also informed by Chancellor’s view of the importance of privacy. Each was fully self-contained, for, as he put it, shared wash- houses and WCs were ‘a constant source of quarrelling and illwill’, and ‘loss of modesty and self-respect may in countless cases be first traced to the necessity of using in common one closet by two or more families’. Rooms were ventilated by means of air-bricks opening on to flues—which some tenants immediately covered up. The floors were constructed with rolled-iron joists set in

coke-breeze and Portland cement concrete, the relatively cheap and fireproof material Figure 24: FARRINGDON ROAD BUILDINGS STREET VIEW Figure 25: FARRINGDON ROAD BUILDINGS SITE PLAN

22 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD AERIAL LOOKING NORTH AERIAL LOOKING SOUTH

STREET VIEW LOOKING NORTH UP FARRINGDON ROAD STREET VIEW LOOKING SOUTH UP FARRINGDON ROAD

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 23 2.9 Farringdon Road Urban Pattern and Streetscape

Analysis of Farringdon between Mount Pleasant and Smithfield Market shows how the Moving South around the junction of Clerkenwell Road, the scale increases with larger Around Smithfield the scale increases again with larger 8/9+ storey modern commercial historic urban pattern has evolved. pre and post-war commercial buildings. These are at 5/6 storeys with some very buildings, many of which somewhat dated. attractive Victorian commercial architecture. The characteristically functional warehouse At the North the original pattern of lower scale tight grained residential plots is evident style is considerably embellished with contrasting decorative features. Some rather dull/ The construction of a Crossrail hub at this location will provoke more development of with notably larger buildings in prominent locations (e.g. Sorting office at corner of generic modern buildings increase the scale without contributing much architecturally. larger scale commercial office buildings. The Turnmills building sets a benchmark for Rosebery Avenue) higher quality architecture. VINEYARD WALK VINEYARD GREEN LANE BOWLING ROSEBERY AVE ROSEBERY

Traditional Victorian terrace Traditional Victorian terrace 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD Dated architecture

NORTH FARRINGDON ROAD RAY ST TOPHAM ST TOPHAM BAKERS ROW BAKERS CALTHORPE ST CALTHORPE ROSEBERY AVE ROSEBERY

Generic modern commercial Large scale buildings in corner locations Award winning contemporary A great pub! Embelished warehouse - Dated 70’s Commercial Clerkenwell style

24 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD CLERKENWELL RD

Clerkenwell style Contemporary quality architecture Generic modern commercial Major listed landmark building

FARRINGDON ROAD SOUTH SAFFRON ST SAFFRON ST CROSS ST GREVILLE ST CLERKENWELL RD CHARTERHOUSE ST CHARTERHOUSE

Clerkenwell style Generic modern commercial Clerkenwell style Clerkenwell style Generic modern commercial

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 25 2.10 Clerkenwell Character

“Clerkenwell and Farringdon Road are characterised by late 19th century mercantile commercial buildings, either large and sometimes ornate buildings specially erected for particular firms or creations of the speculative builder. Where plot depth allowed, its properties were serviced from a rear access.

Natural light was achieved at the rear of properties by stepping back the upper floors and the use of skylights to light lower floors.

Terrace warehouses provided smaller units or individual floors which could be let or sub-let providing flexibility to landlords and tenants.”

(TEXT & IMAGES FROM WWW.BRITISH-HISTORY.AC.UK)

The characteristic language of buildings found within Clerkenwell is well recognised as a characteristic of the conservation area, and was a strong influence on our design approach.

These buildings were the brand image of businesses they housed. The embellished designs an expression of commercial confidence and pride.

The buildings are simply and pragmatically structures with regular bays giving a vertical emphasis. Secondary horizontals delineate street frontages and cornices. Vertically proportioned and deep set windows are typically accompanied by detailed decorative features. The depth and articulation at corners are confidently expressed with chamfered bays, crowned with pediments or (turret) features.

Our proposal seeks to reinterpret many of those features in a contemporary manner.

26 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD CONTRASTING GROUND AND VERTICALITY IS THE MAIN EMPHASIS WITH UPPER FLOORS SECONDARY HORIZONTAL BANDING

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 27 2.11 Clerkenwell - Creative Business and Design Hub

“Clerkenwell is home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet, making it truly one of the most important design hubs in the world.” (Clerkenwell Design Week)

In recent years Clerkenwell has become an established centre for creative industries with a particular focus on design (graphic, media, furniture, architecture etc) with a proliferation of SME’s clustered in the area.

Originally driven by the availability of cheap, shared warehouse space attracting small start-ups etc the area has now matured, hosting well known and design focussed businesses. Events such as Clerkenwell Design Week promote the area as London’s home for design. Our calculation is that the buildings should support this sector. Hotel/office and ground floor uses combine well and the architecture should respond to the creative edge that characterises the area.

(REFERENCE: CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK 2013 - THE NUMBERS 28 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD HIGHLIGHT THE RANGE OF EVENTS ON IN THE AREA) DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT 29 2.12 Site Structural Constraints

2.12.1 Network Rail and London Underground • The site is over the top of the Clerkenwell Tunnel No. 1 – used for the Thames Link train line. • A vertical air shaft (Open Shaft No. 1) rises up from the tunnel within the footprint of the building. • The shaft is 2.7m in diameter with 700mm thick walls. • Approximately 9.0m cover from the tunnel soffit extends to the upper side of the car park floor slab • The runs under Farringdon Road, approximately 5.5m from the boundary of the site

2.12.2 Existing Building • In situ reinforced concrete structural frame with ribbed concrete floor slab • In situ reinforced concrete retaining walls to ground floor • Structural frame comprises long span beams to span over Thameslink tunnel

2.12.3 Feasibility Options • The team are in discussion with Network Rail and London Underground to work through the constraints on the proposed works • The demolition and construction methodology will be based on the agreements reached with the two rail authorities • The vent shaft is in the ownership of Network Rail but is no longer required. Negotiations are ongoing to close the shaft and infill it

30 68-86 FARRINGDON ROAD