As a naturally-ventilated spec-office with a focus on smart servicing, flexibility and adaptation to future uses and likely future climate, White Collar Factory at Old Street Yard is a brave and bold iteration of a five-year research project for Derwent London. A 16-storey tower is placed at the epicentre of London’s Tech City. A series of new alleys and passages connect a new public realm and the tower to two retained buildings and three new ones, all between four to five storeys. Together, they offer a mix of living and incubator working spaces to make a new place in the city. Featuring long spans, flexible floor plates, operable windows, generous volumes and robust construction, the tower represents a new type of office building that takes its cue from the multi-level factory typology. The project has become a trademark for a building type that combines the efficiencies of a new build with the character of a 19th century warehouse.
White Collar Factory is also home to a new studio for AHMM providing space for 110 members of staff. A mezzanine level has been created around the perimeter of the below ground office, connected via a suspended bridge across the space. The new studio’s meeting rooms, including the double height project room to the rear, have been created using the Jack modular meeting room system, developed by AHMM and deployed on previous projects including The Office Group’s space on the first, second and third floors above.