GPAD have secured planning permission for 130 Old Street, an existing office building in which they are currently one of the tenants. The refurbishment and extension of the existing building will deliver high quality office space as well as on site affordable workspace.

The retrofit project will see the retention of the existing concrete structure, with the addition of two new floors and extensions to the lower existing floors, providing a sustainable solution that will result in over eight storeys of floor space.

As part of the works, the principal façade will also be replaced with a new elevation that will look to improve the dialogue with the street through a more permeable ground floor. Juliette balconies on the upper floors create life; overlooking the street and animating it. The scheme proposes a palette of locally sourced brick and textured pink concrete to the principal façade, offset with metal cladding and fin details to the two new storeys and ground floor, creating a façade that has depth, a sense of permanence, and craft. The grid is dispersed with offset openings to make use of the existing structure and to break down the mass of the building.

Charles Bettes, Managing Director at GPAD: “We contribute to a lot of projects in Islington and particularly on Old Street and we hope that this scheme gives something back to the street whilst repositioning the existing building to meet the demands and desires of modern office users.”