In summer 2017 architects Squire and Partners moved their 220 staff to a new home in Brixton, London. Having purchased a dilapidated Edwardian department store two years previously, the practice entirely reimagined the space allowing the existing fabric and layers of history to inform the new design. Collaborating with craftspeople and furniture makers, the restored and extended building provides an exciting array of work and event spaces for the various design disciplines within the practice. Approaching the design the architects allowed the narrative and history of the existing building to guide the process.

Stripping the building back to its raw state revealed a decayed grandeur and an extraordinary commitment to craft and detail by the original artisans of the day and many of these elements have been kept. On the exterior e.g. incrementally added shop fronts and layers of paint were removed to reveal original brickwork, stone, marble and terracotta. Inside invaluable elements such as original 111 year old mahogany and teak parquet flooring, a grand tiled central staircase, a series of cast iron radiators and a remarkable patina of colours have been preserved.