Brixton’s Department Store, the restored shop building that is now the Ferndale Road home of Squire & Partners architects, has gained a top national award.
A winner in the workplace category of the Royal Institute of British Architects annual awards, the Department Store is praised as “a wonderful case of preservation and updating”.
The judges say that the project “took an unoccupied and dilapidated former department store from 1906 and reimagined the buildings to create a series of inspiring work and social spaces for a multidisciplinary architecture and design practice.”
The brief included units for new and existing local businesses, including a community Post Office, coffee roastery, vinyl record store, delicatessen and a bar/restaurant.
“It is a stunning building which has been brought back to life,” say the judges. “It demonstrates exquisite and sensitive restoration, filled with beautiful material choice, attention to detail and wonderful spaces.”
They say that the project honours the building’s history by keeping graffiti, revealing original features and removing paint to original colours. All new items added to the building are highlighted in bronze, with an underlying colour scheme of gold and black.
“The ground floor model-making space provides inspiration to passers-by, who peer inside to see the display of what architects do and how we work,” say the judges.
