BuckleyGrayYeoman has completed the 2,510 sq m refurbishment of Yalding House in Fitzrovia on behalf of British Land. The refurbished building will provide stylish office space as well as a restaurant unit on the ground floor and basement.
For over 60 years, from 1952 to 2013, Yalding House was the home to BBC Radio’s Music Department, housing Radio 3 and Radio 1, as well as the BBC Central Music Library.
Matt Yeoman, Director of BuckleyGrayYeoman said:
“We were delighted to be approached by British Land to design Yalding House, a flagship creative workspace project in a unique building. Yalding House has a fantastic history as the home of BBC Music and the work we’ve done has secured the building’s future as a desirable home for the innovative and creative businesses that flock to Fitzrovia.”
Alex Colvin, Leasing Director at British Land, said:
“Yalding House has been an exciting project for us. By retaining the original character of the building, and referencing its rich heritage throughout, we have created a unique space which combines authenticity with modern functionality.
“We expect the space to appeal to a broad mix of occupiers, but particularly to those creative and technology businesses that are clustering in other fringe locations, such as Camberwell and Shoreditch.”
BuckleyGrayYeoman’s comprehensive refurbishment of the 1930s office building inserts a new core into a redundant lightwell to modernise the circulation and facilities of the building. On the office floors, the accretions of decades of use and ad-hoc modification were stripped away and brickwork and structural elements revealed to create fresh-feeling, unadorned spaces that make the most of generous floor-to-ceiling heights and celebrate the qualities and character of the original fabric of the building.
Period finishes applied with a contemporary eye for detail give the common areas of the building a vintage flavour, with feature walls of green ceramic tiles or timber panelling complemented by high-quality details like brass stair nosing.
In a nod to the musical heritage of the building, the Yalding House reception features an adjoining listening room, kitted out with leather sofas, a turntable and an extensive record collection. Tenants of the building will be able to use the building for greeting guests and holding informal meetings in a unique setting. A bespoke artwork created using vinyl records sits behind the reception desk.
A bike workshop has been created in the basement, with secure storage for 56 bicycles, lockers, changing facilities and a workstand with tools to assist with on-the-go maintenance.
