Hutchinson & Partners completes "modern and minimal" refurbishment of neoclassical Victoria House

Architecture studio Hutchinson & Partners employed a neutral palette of cream-coloured hues to complement the stonework of this 1920s office building in London, which was previously refurbished by British architect Will Alsop.

Hutchinson & Partners' extensive refurbishment of the Victoria House was carried out by the London and Berlin-based firm for the workspace provider LABS, which acquired the property in 2019 with a vision to transform the building into a modern workspace.

Victoria House (above) has been refurbished and decorated with modern, minimalist furniture (top image)

The 13-storey building sits on the eastern edge of Bloomsbury Square and was originally designed as the headquarters for the insurance company Liverpool and Victoria Friendly Company by the architect Charles William Long.

The neoclassical Grade-II listed block, which was previously refurbished in the early 2000s by Alsop, contains 27,000 square metres of office space, alongside retail, hospitality and event spaces.

A triple-height central hall houses informal meeting spaces

The studio aimed to update the historic marble-lined space to give it "a new, modern layer".

Throughout, the team used a palette of natural hard-wearing materials – such as marble, terrazzo, patinated brass, bronze, oak timber and leather surfaces – that complement the original architecture and its elegant proportions but update it with "modern and minimal" details.

Hutchison & Partners made use of neutral tones to complement the building's original architecture

The ground floor's grand spaces – a Subiaco marble and Italian travertine entrance hall, a terrazzo staircase and a triple-height central hall – have been reworked to host a series of social spaces.

These include a central bar, members' lounge and informal meetings spaces, while the upper levels have been updated to provide flexible workspaces with communal lounges, kitchens, libraries, meeting rooms and phone booths clustered around central timber-lined axes.

A terrazzo staircase leads to the upper storeys

The project includes more than 750 square metres of space within three communal suites.

The Alsop Suite and The Long Suite provide spaces for the office tenants to meet with clients, or collaborate and unwind, while The Heritage Suite contains a state-of-the-art gym, multi-use studio alongside a lecture room, boardroom and meeting room suite.

Some interventions introduced by Alsop during the previous 2000s refurbishment, such as a series of suspended office pods, remain untouched, while others have been updated, such as the floating glazed platform which has been reimagined in bespoke terrazzo and roughly hewn travertine slabs.

"The aim was to align the sense of old and new, while retaining a strict sense of historical narrative that easily allows the viewer to delineate between the past and the present and allows them to experience the building as a unified whole," said the studio.

"This emergent language has been used as a basis on which the evolving phased refurbishment of the wider building has been carried out."

Open-plan workspaces offer room for collaboration

British designer Fred Rigby was commissioned to create a bespoke furniture collection for the project that draws upon the soft forms found in nature.

The collection of curvaceous pieces includes a series of sinuous slatted oak privacy screens, oak and boucle fabric armchairs, and a collection of tables that nod to the oak doors of the landmark building.

A corrugated metal reception desk stands in the entrance hall

Other recent London office projects include an office interior by Hollie Bowden with a rich material palette informed by London's gentlemen's clubs, and a mid-century medical laboratory that has been transformed into a flexible office space by dMFK.

Photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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Kashiwa Sato creates "pure white toilet" in Tokyo

Graphic designer Kashiwa Sato has built a public toilet wrapped in white aluminium louvres alongside Ebisu station in central Tokyo, Japan.

Built as the latest addition to the Tokyo Toilet project, which will see 17 facilities designed by leading architects and designers built in the city, Sato's block stands outside a busy station.

Kashiwa Sato has designed a toilet alongside Ebisu station

Sato, who runs branding agency Samurai Inc and designed the brand strategy for Uniqlo, set out to create a bright, clean-looking facility.

The designer aimed to achieve this by surrounding the facility with white aluminium louvres.

The block is wrapped in white louvres

"Since the toilet, located beside the police box in front of the Ebisu station, is a neighborhood symbol that people see every day, we thought it should not be too conspicuous," explained Sato.

"The aluminium louvres give a bright and light impression, and we have tried to create a quiet appearance that blends naturally with the cityscape."

It was designed to look clean and bright

The louvres are separated with two-centimetre gaps to create a permeable wall that has an open space at its base.

The wall encloses a light-filled corridor that runs in a U-shape around the rectangular block with the entrances at each end. Inside the block are five toilet cubicles that are not divided by gender.

"The facility should be easy to enter, easy to use, and have a clean appearance that inspires the passersby to feel a little bit brighter and fresher," Sato continued.

"This pure white toilet was designed by addressing every point of consideration that is usually taken for granted in a restroom facility."

The entrances to the toilet block are at the ends of the U-shaped wall

Along with the block, Sato also designed the pictograms that are used to depict the various facilities.

These pictograms are being used on all of the facilities built as part of the Tokyo Toilet project.

Sato designed the pictograms used on all Tokyo Toilet facilities

In total, 17 toilets are planned as part of the Nippon Foundation's Tokyo Toilet project.

Blocks completed so far include a trio of mushroom-like blocks designed by Toyo Ito, a pair of transparent blocks designed by Shigeru Ban and a house-shaped public toilet by fashion designer Nigo.

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Kendle Design Collaborative imbues Phoenix home with "zen-like quality"

Concrete blocks, stucco and glass form the exterior of a home by architecture firm Kendle Design Collaborative that embraces its setting in the Arizona desert.

The Echo Canyon Residence is located in on a wedge-shaped lot near Camelback Mountain, one of the city's iconic natural features.

The house is located near Camelback Mountain in Phoenix

The house was designed by local firm Kendle Design Collaborative for an empty-nester couple. A key goal for the project was to provide a strong connection to the environment.

In response, the team conceived a series of different-sized volumes positioned around outdoor spaces. Several curved elements soften the otherwise rectilinear appearance of the single-storey dwelling.

Curved elements soften the largely rectilinear home

Exterior walls are composed of split-face concrete masonry units (CMUs), stucco and large stretches of glass. In terms of both composition and materiality, the home is intended to be a study in layering various opacities.

"Flowing through the house, the play of opacity and transparency heightens the relationship to nature and the mountains while distilling a zen-like quality," the team said.

The entrance is found on the north side, where the architect placed a garage with glazed doors and a rounded, block wall.

"A curving block wall interspersed with sandblasted-glass panels and a gate conceals a quaint courtyard full of yuccas, agaves, and an ironwood tree that filters dappled light along the walkway up to the house," the team said.

A slender skylight above the hearth adds light to the great room

Encompassing 3,900 square foot (362 square metres), the house is divided into three parts. The public zone is situated in the centre of the home, while bedrooms are found in two adjacent wings.

The foyer leads toward an open-plan living room, kitchen and dining area. Lining one side of the great room is a 14-foot-high (4.2-metre) glazed wall, which offers an expansive view of the surrounding landscape.

Tan floor tiles and walnut cabinetry are found in the kitchen

A continuous stretch of Douglas fir clads the public zone's ceiling and an adjacent roof eave, helping unify the interior and exterior spaces.

An earthy colour palette was used for finishes and decor, which includes tan floor tiles and walnut kitchen cabinetry. A fireplace is set within a broad surround made of porcelain tile with a metallic finish.

A terrace overlooks a rock formation called Praying Monk

Above the hearth is a slender skylight, which spans the length of the great room. The aperture brings in natural light and introduces interesting shadows throughout the day.

"This unique feature allows for the home to, in a way, tell time," the architect said. "As the day progresses, the shadows and quality of light within the interior are always evolving."

The entrance to Echo Canyon Residence

The public area merges with a covered terrace, where friends and family can gather and enjoy a clear view of a rock formation called Praying Monk. Overhead, a circular opening in the canopy enables daylight to glide across the patio's surface.

Beyond the terrace is a yard that provides play space for grandchildren and dogs. It also offers a linear fire pit – a welcomed amenity on a cool, desert night.

A circular opening in the terrace's canopy

Kendle Design Collaborative was founded in 2002 by architect Brent Kendle. Other projects by the studio include the Dancing Light House, which has a dramatic angular roof and walls made of rammed earth and concrete.

The photography is by Kevin Brost.

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Project credits:

Architect: Kendle Design Collaborative
Landscape architect: Steve Martino & Associates
General contractor: Gm Hunt Builders & Remodelers
Appliances: Wolf/Subzero
Shading system: Lutron
Windows and doors: Western Window Systems

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Chulalongkorn University presents 10 student design projects as part of INDA Parade

An educational programme based on a train and a cultural funhouse are included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Also featured is a digital display exploring the river species in the Gulf of Thailand and a bus stop that also functions as a florist.

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Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

School: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Courses: Architecture
Tutors: Design Studio Instructors, Dr. Surapong Lertsithichai, Dr Sorachai Kornkasem, Dr Scott Drake, Christo Meyer, Marie-Louise Raue, Tijn van de Wijdeven, Paul Francis Feeney, William Bertram Hulbert, Michal Jurgielewicz, Patrick Donbeck, Payap Pakdeelao, Pratana Klieopatinon, Takanao Todo, Thomas Lozada, Chon Supawongse, Ekapob Suksudpaisarn, Pitchapa Jular, Eduardo Cassina, Per Stefan Svedberg, Hseng Tai Lintner, Warisara Sudswong, Liva Dudareva, Oliver Losser, Juan Cuevas Duran, Ema Hana Kacar and Kamonsin Chathurattaphol

School statement:

"INDA is the International Programme in Design and Architecture of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. It aims to nurture diversity in design approaches and methodologies based on a clear framework of constructive dialogue.

"The school is a four-year bachelor programme with a strong emphasis on design studios through architectural design, topics and methodologies relevant to contemporary architecture, with a particular focus on South East Asian dynamics and specificities. Although INDA has adopted architecture as its main course topic, it aims to show how architecture connects to other disciplines, such as landscape architecture and urban design.

"INDA Parade is the main event of the school held at the end of each academic year. It aims to enable the community of students, instructors, alumni, guests and the public to discover and celebrate students' works collectively as an ongoing conversation.

"In 2020, challenged by recent events, INDA decided to use a social virtual reality platform as a complementary tool for exchanging and representing ideas, under the motto 'keep school real'. This year, participants joined the review and exhibition worlds with their avatars, interacting with others and exploring in great detail the many three dimensional models, large scale drawing boards and presentations in a mixed media environment with live streams.

"The VR environment enabled the INDA community to regain the proximity that is crucial to fostering excitement and momentum. The event concluded with a public presentation of shortlisted works, and the awarded projects are featured below. INDA Parade 2020, has been and remains open and accessible to everyone, proposing experimental methods of interaction and engagement and breaking down the boundaries between the school and the public."

"INDA Parade 2021 was designed by Takanao Todo."

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Atlas by Jew – Chinnapat Asavabenya

"Atlas is an autonomous digital platform created to govern change and enable the flow of data. To map time, the transaction, proposition, and interaction of our nature are discussed without making assumptions. Different systems and ideas of ownership are contextualised in various layers.

"Where the hierarchies of each layer are established through their relevancy among each inhabiting entity. Usage of the 'map' is done in parallel with the simulation of time, allowing us to envision the consequences of each decision consciously.

"Each map becomes an artefact of dialogue, an archive of the past discussion and simulation of the future."

Student: Jew – Chinnapat Asavabenya
Course: Year Four, Semester Two
Tutor: Michal Jurgielewicz
Email: chinnapat.asavabenya[at]gmail.com

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Bureau of the Urban Commons by Orm – Santhila Chanoknamchai

"The 'Bureau of the Urban Commons' is redefining the rule of engagement within the public realm of Bangkok through a series of civic-scale interventions that stitch the urban fabric vertically and horizontally.

"The project capitalises on the spatial potential of The Green Mile, a hidden 1.3-kilometre linear bridge that stitches across central Bangkok. It deploys multi-level connectivity strategies to promote active participation and co-creation engagement, operating on a feedback system expressed through the performative structures. Where along with the commonalities throughout the Green Mile, our everyday life would never be the same."

Student: Santhila Chanoknamchai
Course: Year four, Semester one
Tutor: Christo Meyer
Email: Santhila.ch[at]gmail.com

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Funhouse by BamBam – Rachapon Jidapasirikul

"The project challenges the notion of symbolism and ornament in architectural design. It explores a new typology of a public building, destabilising the increasingly obsolete libraries, cinemas and museums today.

"Instead, this building, its architecture, and its interior apparatus act as an interface between the physical world and the virtual world of the internet.

"Through a series of interactive sensory media rooms and AR and VR devices, visitors interface with information, education, communication, gaming, multimedia consumption, exhibitions and other forms of exchange. It is the spatialisation of the internet in the form of a recontextualised funhouse."

Student: BamBam – Rachapon Jidapasirikul
Course: Year four, Semester two
Tutor: Per Stefan Svedberg
Email: rachapon.jidapasirikul[at]cuinda.com

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Quarantine Cities: The Continuous Journey by Minnie – Anchalika Thepnumsommanus

"Quarantine Cities: The Continuous Journey" approaches the civic as an architecture for the instrumentalization of mental and emotional conditions as a consequence of the essential solitary quarantine during pandemic society.

"'Quarantine is a disease towards mental health', explores the possibility of offering 14-days quarantine as a continuous trip where travel is fearless."

Student: Minnie – Anchalika Thepnumsommanus
Course: Year three, Semester two
Tutor: Payap Pakdeelao

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Against the Dry by Khem – Thongthat Harnvorrayothin

"This era's consummation of 'dryness' has contributed to the rise of inequality throughout architecture and society. Dryness criticizes the in-create disconnection between existing and new builds. This project compares 'wet' and 'dry' design. It explores architectural ideas and modern needs and how theory influences design in the contemporary era.

"It explores the connection between them, discussing the widespread usage of architectural approaches in modern design through the observation from indigenous living in Bangkachao Bangkok. The natural layer is separated from the concrete coating.

"It concludes with the utopian planning proposal, which touches on all the subjects that made the city more 'wet'. The plan was called "fluid design," which included the allocation of the site, the architecture, and the community."

Student: Khem – Thongthat Harnvorrayothin
Course: Year three, Semester two
Tutor: Eduardo Cassina
Email: fahkhem[at]gmail.com

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GoogleExpress by Than – Thanapat Limpanaset

"GoogleExpress is an educational programme situated within a train. It critiques traditional institutions, and is a proposal built off of the upcoming 'Google Institute' with the ambition to disrupt the college degree by launching a new programme on digital citizenship and business start-up.

"Google Culture is embedded in the programme, treating education as a hectic, crash course to be completed together alongside the company, allowing levels of intimacy to be formed in every aspect of life on the train.

"To conquer the train, it strips away schedules, exams and uniforms and  pushes friendships and connections, where the emphasis is not the courses, but a rather hectic sprint towards digital citizenship. Here, trainees are fully in control of their own education."

Student: Than – Thanapat Limpanaset
Course: Year three, Semester one
Tutor: Liva Dudareva
Email: Tansinstagram[at]gmail.com

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Responsible Incinerated Passing (R.I.P.) by Poon - Tassaporn Sukhumhanakul

"Responsible Incinerated Passing (R.I.P.) is a site-specific methodology that aims to offset the carbon emitted into the atmosphere of Bangkok in the process of cremation.

"R.I.P. merges the technology of direct air capture with the sensitivity of Buddhist belief and aims to not only redesign the three existing temple typologies (the temple for The Commoners, The Monks, and The King) to decrease their environmental harm, but also acts as a behavioural guide on how to reduce one's carbon footprint, both before and after your remains are emitted into the sky, in the form of harmless mist rather than smoke."

Student: Poon - Tassaporn Sukhumhanakul
Course: Year two, Semester two
Tutor: Ema Hana Kacar
Email: sukhumdhanakul.t[at]gmail.com and poonsukhumdhanakul[at]gmail.com

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Dressed for the dead by Pann – Nara Lojanatorn

"This project investigates a range of informal to formal outfits. They are explored through contrasting rituals of the Teochew Cemetery, the everyday routine of a cemetery that has become a public park and an annual gathering place for ancestral worship.

"The typology of the cemetery presents no end. The tomb tiers are developed from traditional tombstone forms and construction, while the wood scaffold facilitates changing activities throughout the years. The visits may cease, but the spirit remains."

Student: Pann – Nara Lojanatorn
Course: Year two, Semester one
Tutor: Pratana Klieopatinon
Email: pannnara[at]gmail.com

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The Crustacean by Poon – Poonyapa Arakwatan

"The Crustacean explores the sea and river species in the Saen Saeb canal and the Gulf of Thailand. It is a series of cabinets of curiosities inspired by exoskeleton sea creatures and the darkness of the polluted canal.

"To express aesthetic sea creatures through digital display in contrast to pollution caused by people living along Saen Saeb canal and to encourage people to take responsibility for our waterways and the ocean.

"The cabinet includes two main displays; the AR texture is hidden in part of the cabinet, and the VR effect for experiencing the whole cabinet creatures come alive in the digital world."

Student: Poon – Poonyapa Arakwatan
Course: Year one, Semester two
Tutor: Per Stefan Svedberg
Email: poonyapaarakwatana[at]gmail.com

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The Petal of Time by Poon – Poonyapa Arakwatan

"Every place has character uniqueness, similar to Wat Kheak (Sri Maha Mariamman Temple) Hindu temple. Focusing on transportation and the rotting process of organics offering to the god, The Petal of Time is a kiosk where arrival and departure are waiting for the bus and interacting with flowers.

"The main programmes of The Petal of Time are the bus stop and the flower shop. Providing an opportunity for passengers waiting for the bus, buying flowers, and composting them after use. The essential concept that makes these programmes run harmoniously is inspired by organic transformation."

Student: Poon – Poonyapa Arakwatan
Course: Year one, Semester one
Tutor: Patrick Donbeck
Email: poonyapaarakwatana[at]gmail.com

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Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Whiz 2.0 luminaire by Meteor Lighting

Dezeen Showroom: Meteor Lighting has designed the Whiz 2.0 luminaire to illuminate spaces with high ceilings through either direct and indirect light.

The Whiz 2.0 ceiling light marries high performance with a compact form that Meteor Lighting describes as "architectural and sleek".

The Whiz 2.0 can be flipped to provide indirect lighting

Delivering a brightness of up to 36,000 lumens, the design boasts a number of innovative features.

Its shade can be flipped to provide either direct or indirect lighting, while the light's warmth can be tuned between 3,000 and 5,000 Kelvin.

The colour temperature can also be configured

Whiz 2.0 is also available with a special natatorium finish that makes the high-bay luminaire suited to wet environments like indoor swimming pools.

Winner of the Lightfair Innovation Award 2019, the Whiz 2.0 is compatible with ceiling heights above 10 metres.

Product: Whiz 2.0
Brand: Meteor Lighting
Contact: marketing@meteor-lighting.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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