London, United Kingdom
“We are delighted to be working alongside Far East Orchard Limited to give Westminster Fire Station a new sense of purpose. Our joint vision is to deliver a beautiful boutique residential project that respects the history of the building retains and enhances its character, and reduces its environmental impact,” says managing director and co-founder of Alchemi Group Charlie Baxter.
“I am proud this has been realized and look forward to welcoming future owners into the building with our contemporary interpretation of history,” continues Baxter.
The project has been carefully reworked into residential use, and an entirely new element at the rear of the plot, separated from the older structure through the existence of an idyllic landscaped internal garden for the residents.
The project has two parts: the refurbishment of the existing building to create a restaurant and housing, and a new residential building to the rear of the site, which together define a new garden courtyard.
The external volume of the new building is stepped, cut back, and inflected to respond to the densely built-up context.
The design integrates pale bricks and iridescent glazed bricks to form a light-reflective structure, which refers to the pale Portland stone of the base, the glazed bricks on the interior of the fire station, and the history of brick buildings in Victoria.
Horizontal brick courses of iridescent bricks, set at the floor levels of the adjacent fire station, trace the lines of the fire station walkways over the new brickwork, weaving old and new together.
Vertical brickwork above these courses lines up with the railings of the old fire station.
The courses of iridescent bricks increase in number with the height of the building, acting to catch rays of sunlight and allowing the building to shimmer.
Project: Westminster Fire Station
Architects: Openstudio Architects
Developers: Alchemi Group
Structural Engineer: MNP
Services Engineer: Mecserve
Development Manager: Alchemi Group
Project Manager: Ikon Consultancy
Client: Far East Orchard Limited
Photographers: Alchemi Group
