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Shubette HQ, London

Published: 15-Mar-2010

Fashion manufacturer Shubette wanted an HQ that reflected the quality and style of its brand, and architecture practice Barbara Weiss architects came up with a simple and elegant design that lets in the light

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Details

Project: Shubette
Design: BarbaraWeiss Architects
Size: 4,645 sq m
Completion time: Eight months

Project Description

Now a sleek, minimalist headquarters of women’s fashion company Shubette, which markets garments under the Gina Bacconi label, it has come a long way from its beginnings as a dilapidated industrial unit from the Eighties.

Barbara Weiss Architects undertook the design and supervised the fit-out of what has become design studios, showrooms, sample making facilities, offices and a warehouse.

The building presented the usual challenges: the exterior was unwelcoming, and inside the space was split between a ground floor and a modified mezzanine; rooms had limited natural light and air circulation was poor.

The architects stripped the old façade to create a simple, elegant finish, and the entrance and reception exude a sense of quality that continues through the understated interior. The reception area is now welcoming, spacious, light and airy, and houses a bespoke desk in zebrano designed by Barbara Weiss Architects. A lighting feature of fluorescent tubes resembling icicles hangs above the reception desk and a stylish new staircase with glass balustrades takes visitors up to the main workspace.

When it came to designing the first floor, Barbara Weiss Architects considered Shubette’s working practices, concluding that a large, open-plan workspace would optimize workflow while also providing the most pleasant working environment. To retain the natural light, the space is now top-lit and cellular offices have glass partitions: even from the centre of the space, it’s still possible to see outside.

Weiss believes in taking a holistic approach to designing buildings, so areas such as the kitchenette and washrooms have the same attention as the main space. ‘It is a democratic workspace where every member of staff enjoys the same quality environment,’ say the architects. ‘By keeping things simple we have achieved a design that is clean, elegant and conveys the right image while being an efficient and functional building that is the working heart of the company,’ adds Weiss.

Project Suppliers:

Joinery:

• M2–www.m2group.net

• Baumstark–www.balticnordic.com

Glass Partitioning:

• Intercity Services–www.inter-city.co.uk

Lighting:

• iGuzzini–www.iguzzini.com

• Original BTC –www.originalbtc.com

• SKK–www.skk.net

Stone flooring:

• Stonell–www.stonell.com

Timber flooring:

• Waxed floors–www.waxedfloors.com

This article was first published in FX Magazine.

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