Frost Architects - New Covent Garden Market

Frost Architects

• 2017
• 12000m²
• GBP3,000,000

New Covent Garden Market is the largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market in the UK. The site is currently undergoing a complete redevelopment including a wide mix of uses. Part of this masterplan is the Food Exchange building which aims to provide office space for SME’s in the food industry.

Frost were asked to design the fit-out of this building, bringing its experience in business centres to advise on layout and interiors. The brief therefore looked to provide small office units together with facilities such as break out spaces, tea points, showers and WC’s. The interior uses the building’s shell of steel frame and steel holorib floor construction to give industrial style office space. Exposed services enhance this approach while careful detailing and setting out presents clean flexible spaces.

The main circulation cores give the building a professional and high spec public face combining the use of oak battens, globe light fittings and a black and white palette. The tea points and WC’s extend this monochromatic background with clean detailing such as flush full height cubicles and Dolphin sensor handwash systems.

The scheme also includes a turnkey fit-out for the new head offices for Covent Garden Market Authority. Frost helped to establish specific requirements for each person and department before producing a bespoke layout with furniture, storage and IT. The design includes a flexible boardroom with dividing partition and dual digital presentation capability. We worked closely with our friends at The Contract Chair Company to provide carefully tailored furniture solutions.