dMFK Architects recently completed the renovation of 'York House,' the Office Group (TOG)'s latest flexible workspace, now open in King's Cross on Pentonville Road. The reimagined workspace, set across 70,000 sq ft over eight stories, transforms the former 1980's office building into a larger dynamic space for TOG's membership base, featuring best in class amenities including a state-of-the-art gym, café, library, terraces and roof gardens with panoramic views of the city.
In designing the interior concept, dMFK cited influences from the Golden Age of British sculpture, furniture, and craft in reference to the building's roots in the post-war British art scene, including a retained sculpture created by Geoffrey Clarke, a pioneer of the period.
The work to open up York House and create a welcoming entrance at ground level comprised a substantial five-story extension, constructed using a timber frame and angled lattice brickwork in the same brick as the original building. In transforming the existing façade, dMFK, together with Webb Yates Engineers, have created a decorative external effect complemented by a soft internal diffuse light, illuminating the building as an eye-catching beacon.
Upon entering York House, TOG members and visitors will be greeted by a double-height reception area formed of raw finishes; the original concrete structure, a new exposed timber frame, and a brick façade. The reception desk is formed as a solid mass of blackened lacquered mild steel that sits in contrast to the intricate façade and feature grid of lighting on the exposed timber soffit above.
Internally the building has been stripped back to its frame, featuring a fit-out of dark wood and terracotta tiles, with deep red and green upholstery inspired by the mid-tones of Robin Day. As with TOG's other workspaces, access to natural daylight remains a priority with the intention of creating a positive and productive environment for members. Wide glazed openings created at the ground and lower floors in York House maximize daylight across all of the office and communal lounge spaces.
On the upper floors, a number of private and communal courtyards and stepped roof terraces provide alfresco spaces for TOG's nomadic members to work from, including a rooftop pavilion crafted from innovative and sustainable materials such as cross-laminated timber and perforated folded aluminum. A second roof terrace on the 7th floor has been created, wrapped in a parapet of plum-colored bricks in a stacked dog-tooth pattern, offering sweeping views across Canary Wharf, the City and St. Pancras.
"Our seventh and largest office building for The Office Group, this is undoubtedly our most ambitious to date," commented Ben Knight, Director at dMFK Architects. "dMFK's goal from the outset was to achieve more permeability - opening the building up to the daylight, giving it a more welcoming feel, and maximising the potential of the space throughout. The unusual façade adds a new landmark building to TOG's portfolio."
Photography: Jack Hobhouse