Turnmill

Turnmill sits on a prominent corner site in London’s Clerkenwell Green Conservation Area. The brief was to create a beautiful, sustainable, efficient and flexible office space of high quality with active uses at street-level to positively contribute to the streetscape. To negotiate and embrace the complex relationship between old and new, Turnmill required a very special façade material. Handmade Roman format Petersen Tegl Kolumba bricks create a horizontal rhythm across the façade and reflect the sturdy masonry characteristics of the area. The adjacent Old Sessions House informed the development of the three subtle brick colours, rooting the building in its immediate context. Chamfered window reveals fan out across the building, optimising views out for the office users, and en-masse animate the façade, emphasising the solidity and texture of the brick. On Turnmill Street, the brickwork continues inside through the curved entrance where it gives way to a palette of polished concrete, polished plaster, and brass detailing. The double height reception space and glazed link above break the massing into two elements, preserving the established grain of Clerkenwell. A continuous ribbon of external roof terrace provides outdoor amenity space and panoramic views of the City. A similar arrangement at street level has transformed the public realm on Turnmill Street, focusing on visitor experience by enlivening the ground floor level with uninterrupted active frontages to two restaurants, Terence Conran's Albion and Jason Atherton’s Sosharu, beyond the opening hours of the offices. Pre-let on a 20 year lease to Saatchi & Saatchi owners Publicis Groupe, 15 months ahead of completion, Turnmill provides provides over 70,500 sq ft of high quality office space and is a tribute to both the historical fabric of Clerkenwell and its present day incarnation as the centre of London’s creative media industry.