Hackney Town Hall
by Hawkins\Brown
Client London Borough of Hackney
Awards RIBA London Award 2018
This was a long-term multi-phased conservation project carried out on a very well used civic building.
It is more than simply a refurbishment though, as certain architectural moves have made significant improvements. The entrance sequence has been rearranged, sweeping away more recent additions, and the resulting layout is in fact an improvement on the original which was a little cramped. Two external courtyards have been covered over to create entertainment spaces, each include a metal screen to conceal some of the services at one end,this is the most overt, possibly the only obvious intervention by the architects. All new mechanical and electrical services have been threaded through the existing building to bring the building up to date. Impressively these have been kept invisible throughout. In some places new but ‘in-keeping’ detailing has been employed to enable this.
These larger moves have generally been well-judged but the really impressive work has gone into the detailing. Nowhere has any cost or effort been spared so that the refurbishment has been carried out to the very highest standards. New bespoke brass light fittings based on one existing chandelier were commissioned from the same foundry as the originals. Stone tiles sourced from same continental quarry, with existing tiles pulled up, cut lengthways and re-laid to double up the coverage. The Veneer work in main chamber was carried out in-situ and to a very high standard. New loose furniture was commissioned to match the original bespoke furniture. These are just some examples; the overall detailing is impeccable and is the most rewarding aspect of the project. This refurbishment has been carried out to a very high standard. The architectural moves are both well-judged and, where necessary, invisible, resulting in a very well executed project.
Internal Area 9,500 m²
Contractor Osborne
Structural Engineers Wareham & Associates
Environmental / M&E Engineers Jacobs
Quantity Surveyor / Cost Consultant Ridge & Partners
Design Turnerbates Design & Architecture
Interior Design Hawkins\Brown
Project Management Ridge & Partners
Lighting Design DPA Lighting Consultants
