Frost Architects - The Print Rooms

Frost Architects

• 2016

A rooftop and 5 storey side extension, as well as complete internal refurbishment, of a serviced office building in Southwark.

The Print Rooms operates as a serviced business centre for small and medium sized businesses which is owned and managed by Workspace Group PLC. The existing building was refurbished with all common parts, WC’s and circulation, upgraded and reconfigured. A further 23,000 sqft of lettable space was added to the building by constructing 2 additional floors on the roof and a 5 storey side extension in the existing loading bay. The new ground floor area of the side extension is now the new entrance to the building, incorporating café, reception, meeting room, admin facilities and informal coworking space. The reception and café area was designed to have an informal, playful feel, with rough materials such as expanded mesh panels, expressed structure and exposed services mixed with polished surfaces such as a mirrored wall and the polyester resin lacquered ply panels which line the perimeter of the space.

This playful approach was followed through into all aspects of the building, with inset yellow rubber doormats at the entrance of the new units and large scale dot matrix artwork which lines the corridor walls. The bespoke signage around the entrance doors incorporates backlit perforated aluminium panels which reveal the name of the building.