Tell us a little bit about the project.

100 George Street is a new apartment building in the heart of Georgian London which we’ve designed for Native Land, Derwent London and The Portman Estate. The building forms part of the larger Baker Street project – also by Hopkins - which is creating new workplace, leisure and retail spaces around a new central courtyard and public realm in the heart of the historic Portman Estate. So, it’s a significant piece of urban placemaking. At George Street, we’ve designed the building, shell and core, and also the interiors.

How has the location inspired your approach to the project

The project is located in Marylebone, within the Portman Estate, which has been a fashionable area since the 18^th century. The history of the Portman Estate is fascinating and has been the source of our inspiration for the project. The Estate was built largely speculatively by one of the aristocratic landowners of London and includes many features that typify the architecture of that period; the rigid street grid, the pattern of building, the palette of materials, the use of landscaping, and the proportions of the street frontage for example. The Georgians were also masters at designing and integrating individual buildings within a wider public realm and townscape. They were making a new piece of London and creating both ‘building’ and ‘place’, which is also the vision behind the new development at Baker Street.

The massing and proportions across the scheme have been informed by the classic row of Georgian townhouses. We researched the different characteristics and qualities of the surrounding streets, in particular the materiality and form. We noticed that the primary streets within the Estate grid such as Gloucester Place and Baker Street tended to use a premium, yellow London Stock brick, whilst the secondary streets tended to use a more traditional brown brick. 

One of the strengths of Georgian architecture, and something that people really enjoy, is its use of repetition. There is something about that chimes with our modernist sensibilities and the way we look at architecture, and we’ve incorporated those repetitive elements into the new facades.

Overall, we’ve taken the core components of classic, timeless Georgian architecture, and worked those into a design for a modern residential building. It’s inspiration rather than imitation.

Renders © Chapman Eugene.

Native Land have a portfolio of exceptional projects. How did you approach the challenge of designing something specifically for them.

Working with Native Land has been a very enjoyable and collaborative process. Like us, each of their projects are very individual and bespoke, catering to the needs of the end user. Native Land  wanted its architects to develop a response to a particular site and its heritage to create something that is completely unique.

Native Land have been very clear about what they wanted the building to feel like. We went to visit a number of its projects, to understand not just the aesthetic, the quality and detailing, but also the facilities and operational and functional requirements.

There are 41 apartments at George Street and 24 flat types, so there is a huge variety of layouts within that for buyers looking for individuality. That level of complexity is about maximising the potential of the envelope of the building. The layouts work really hard to get the most out of the building in terms of space, views and aspects.

The prime residential market demands not just quality but differentiation. For us that meant taking those key elements of Georgian architecture, proportions and materials, but using and interpreting those in a contemporary way. All of the elements of the project have been designed specifically for George Street, for this one time only, which makes it a very special project for us and for the client.

We also wanted George Street to embody a typical ‘London’ building. If somebody chooses to live in London, they want their home to feel like London. The ground floor reception references the traditional London club room. This welcoming space is a modern interpretation of the ‘panelled room’ which grounds it within the Georgian estate, rather than anywhere else.

How have you approached the design of the interiors

The interiors we have created will eventually become an individual’s or family’s future home, and so whilst they need to have a clarity, structure and order they also need to allow residents to add their own character and personality. In the spirit of the Georgians, we wanted to develop an interior design that feels timeless.

We chose to use a palette of materials that would have been contemporary in the Georgian era; marble, travertine, oak, bronze and brass. We’ve taken those materials and used them in a pared-back, contemporary way but reinterpreted a number of details, for example, the travertine which we’ve used in the bathrooms for example is usually laid horizontally, but we’ve turned it 90 degrees, so it is vertical, and we’ve used waxed dark bronze fixtures which have a living finish so they will gain a patination over time and use. 

We have also had the pleasure of collaborating with interior designer, Chapman Eugene, to develop the wider vision, interior materiality of 100 George Street, which has been a fascinating and enjoyable learning experience for us.

What have you most enjoyed about working on George Street

Anyone who has the privilege of working on a project like 100 George Street will tell you that seeing the many years of work and collaboration coming together in the final building is the most incredible feeling of accomplishment. Personally, I’ve enjoyed working with, and learning from, a group of exemplary clients who really value design and who have supported and encouraged us on the long journey we’ve all gone on together.