Brain Yard reinvents and extends three buildings in the Hatton Garden conservation area in Bloomsbury, London, to create a mix of apartments, workplace and retail space. The new scheme will sensitively retain the majority of the existing fabric to preserve its historic character, introduce new public connections through the site, and create a new public space.
The existing site includes three two storey shop-fronted buildings facing onto Gray’s Inn Road, a light industrial building known as Brain Yard, and Panther House, a four storey Edwardian warehouse.
The facade of 160-164 Gray’s Inn Road is to be retained and shopfronts restored; while above a new seven storey mansion block is created in line with the height of its neighbours.
The proposed courtyard is an integral part of the scheme, knitting the three buildings together with a space that can be experienced by the whole community: tenants, staff, local residents and neighbours.
The Brain Yard and Panther House buildings are extended with an additional two storeys clad in Corten steel with punched windows and detailing. Extending these buildings creates 25,000 square feet of new office space, contributing to the 100,000 square feet of office space across the development. The new additions step back at the fourth and fifth floor to create roof terraces for the office tenants.
