Wenlock Works, London

Located in central London, Wenlock Works utilises a combination of painted, glazed, and linear bricks to create a new, distinctive, and diverse facade for this 1980s refurbishment project.

Wenlock Works, once an industrial warehouse, has now been reconfigured into office space, perfect for the digital industry that’s growing in the Shoreditch area. By combining the original foyers and adding two new storeys plus a rear extension, the available flexible working space has also increased by almost 40%.

Working with architects Buckley Gray Yeoman, Brick Services assisted in the design and supply of the three bricks that played a crucial role in transforming this project. These include the La Paloma White Glazed bricks from our exclusive range and the Peterson Tegl Kolumba K55 Roman bricks, which feature both internally and externally.

The notable building on Shepherdess Walk was recognised at both the 2020 Building Awards and the Hackney Design Awards.

Buckley Gray Yeoman were keen to echo the warehouses that once lined Shepherdess Walk and the surrounding streets in their new design while also maintaining a contemporary aesthetic throughout. This is demonstrated through the incorporation of the large factory-style windows that scale the full height of the frontage.

To express this industrial design further, the team worked with structure, scale and direction across the project. The three distinct brick types are key to achieving this, with the linear and painted bricks forming well-defined horizontal boundaries on the external facade. The minimalist colour palette also pays tribute to the site's heritage, while the linear brickwork provides a contemporary feel that bridges the aesthetic gap between the building's history and the current tech start-ups that now frequent the area.

With the aesthetic direction in mind, Brick Services were able to assist Buckley Gray Yeoman in selecting the bricks that would best achieve their design vision. In addition to the chosen Kolumba K55 Roman bricks, the selected La Paloma White glazed bricks also offered the project a modern and sleek appearance.

The team also gave advice on the soon-to-be-painted brick as, although the colouring wouldn’t be seen, the texture needed to match the bricks retained from the original factory building. Brick Services' expertise meant they could identify the Forterra Atherstone Buff bricks as a seamless match for this purpose.

By reusing the existing structure, rather than demolishing and rebuilding it, the project team were also successful in keeping the carbon footprint of the project to a minimum. Utilising brick’s inherent thermal properties, reusability and natural properties also meant the building achieved BREEAM ‘Excellent’ upon completion.