The White Building
The White Building
We acted as structural engineers, working alongside David Kohn Architects, for the £550,000 refurbishment and conversion of this derelict 1950s warehouse in Hackney Wick, which created a new cultural centre incorporating studios, café, events and gallery space that opened ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Situated beside the River Lee Navigation Canal, the 695m2 building was first used as an arts space for the arts and education charity SPACE Studio, before subsequently being converted for use as a micro-brewery and restaurant.
At ground floor level, carefully set-out blockwork walls gave a cost-effective sense of permanence and the placement of steel-framed windows made the interior feel like an outdoor, courtyard space. The new internal glazing echoed the existing exterior fenestration, reinforcing the idea of continuity between the canal side public spaces and the interiors. The ground floor was opened up to the canalside and Queen’s Yard to create a light-filled interior with visual and physical connections through the building.
Five new entrances were created that allow the building to be used in a variety of different configurations, and external works included connecting the canalside to White Post Lane with new wide steps doubling up as auditorium seating.
Client: London Legacy Development Corporation, SPACE Studios, CRATE
Architects: David Kohn Architects