London-based [Y/N] Studio has just released photos of its new Bradbury Works retrofit commercial project in the Dalston neighborhood of the city's Hackney borough.

Located in Gillett Square, the scheme refurbished existing workspaces in a Victorian-era brick masonry building while adding ten new mini retail units and a two-story extension to provide increased usability and interaction between its tenants and their neighbors in the square.

While retaining the brick facade and retail spaces located on the terrace level of the structure, Y/N’s project team was able to add larger workspaces, each with private mezzanines, to the third floor while ensuring improved cross ventilation through the addition of a new access deck that also provides tenants with a sweeping view of the capital. 

Another double-height covered external terrace is enacted between the retail component and third-floor workspaces. Finally, the design comes wrapped in a combined facade composed of lightweight polycarbonate panels at the upper levels and mill-finished aluminum in order to create a singular form the studio calls a “memory of the past behind a new iconic focal point in the square.”

“Bradbury Works is a unique new workspace in the heart of Dalston, offering affordable space to businesses and charities that need them most,” said Y/N Director Alex Smith. “The entire team have worked closely with HCD and their tenants to retain and enhance the best attributes of the existing building and its relationship to both Gillett Square and Bradbury Street, while providing much needed improvement to its facilities. The pitched roof form creates a large new floor plate offering workspaces with mezzanines while ensuring the building does not overshadow the square or detract from the traditional masonry of the Bradbury Street façade. Now complete, we are confident that the scheme will prove a success for HCD and retain the unique qualities that make Gillett Square so special.”

The firm itself now occupies a space in the development, which is emblematic of the development’s overall commitment to preserving local small businesses. All existing enterprises that occupied the building prior to its refurbishment were retained, and the slate of new tenants includes a minority youth mentoring service, designers, and other creative professionals.

This is a welcome addition to the neighboring Dalston Culture House by Hawkins\Brown and comes complete with a host of environmentally-friendly features that reflect the sustainability ambit of its architects. 

The total cost for the project was £3 million ($3.6 million USD). It was finished late last year after a Covid-delayed construction process which began in 2017.