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WaughThistleton

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Profile

Andrew Waugh and Anthony Thistleton met at university in 1991. They shared a sense of humour and many of the same views fundamentally, but not exclusively, on architecture.

Conveniently complementary in their skill sets, the pair set up practice together in 1997. Fifteen years on, Waugh Thistleton have established an international reputation for their beautiful buildings. The practice has a long-standing aim to prove that intellectually rigorous architecture does not need to come at the expense of accessibility. The starting point for every project at Waugh Thistleton is always to consider the brief alongside the building’s cultural, social and historical context. We put enormous effort into understanding the nature of the site and the needs of the building’s users and believe that it is only from here that the design, materials and methods can be determined.

Waugh Thistleton Architects are dedicated to designing buildings that acknowledge their impact on the environment. The practice strives to produce environmentally sustainable design using leading edge technology; adding value through imaginative, innovative and positive design solutions.

An experienced, close-knit team, the practice meet regularly to discuss every current project. In addition to computer models both physical models and hand sketches are crucial to our design process and to communicate the work effectively. In this way, Waugh Thistleton have successfully delivered affordable housing and private residential projects, offices and commercial spaces, and buildings which accommodate mixed, cultural and leisure uses. Our success is reflected in both the competitions and design awards that we have won and the satisfied clients that we continue to work with.

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Murray Grove

Constructed from cross-laminated timber panels from the first floor up, the nine-storey Stadthaus is one of the tallest modern timber structures in the world and the first to construct load bearing walls and floor slabs, stair and lift cores entirely out of timber. The tower houses twenty-nine apartments with a neighbourhood meeting space on the ground floor.

The ground breaking structure is a result of the practice’s research in reducing carbon emissions, not only of the finished building but of the whole construction process. Concrete and steel production is an extremely energy intensive process, emitting large quantities of carbon dioxide, in contrast timber stores carbon as it grows. Stadthaus stores 186 tons of carbon within its structure for the duration of its lifetime. The entire building was completed on budget and on time in 49 weeks. This method of construction is incredibly accurate, and a healthy environment to both work on and live in. On its completion the building had zero defects and received 100% tenants approval; demonstrating that solid timber construction is a financially viable, environmentally sustainable and beautiful replacement for concrete and steel in high-density housing.

Murray GroveLondon N1

Metropolitan Housing Telford Homes

£3.6 million 29 mixed tenure flats Completed Jan, 2009

Awards2012

Green Apple Awards Building and Construction

2009RIBA President’s Medal for

Research

RIBA London Regional Award - shortlisted

Building for Life Gold Standard, CABE

LEAF Awards - shortlistedBritish Construction Industry

Awards

Innovation Award, Daily Mail Newspaper

2008Wood Award

Timber Trade Journal Award

Offsite Construction Wood Award

British Homes Award

The flats are arranged in a honeycomb pattern around a central core

Socially rented apartments

Private for sale apartments

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Phipp Street

The building sits on a corner in the heart of the South Shoreditch Conservation Area. By occupying a once empty site, it restores the scale of the street-scape by matching the height of the local Victorian warehouses. On approach the building is principally seen from an oblique angle due to the narrow widths of the surrounding streets. Recognising this the facade changes in depth across the storeys, from the flushed glazed commercial floors to the deep reveals of the residential upper storeys.

Each design and construction decision was underpinned by the desire to minimise the building’s impact on the environment. The hollow-core CobiaxDeck system in the concrete slab is a lightweight, fast and inexpensive method of reducing the dead weight of buildings. Decreasing the amount of concrete used in the frame construction by over a third has significant environmental benefits. Furthermore, the architecture deliberately makes optimum use of all available natural light and cross ventilation. The building on Phipp Street has two accessible green roof terraces, a brown roof, a myriad of solar energy technologies and very high levels of insulation.

Phipp StreetLondon, EC2A

Reichmann Properties£3.5 million

11 flats +500m2 of commercial

Completed 2008

CobiaxDeck system installed at Phipp Street

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Ramsgate StreetLondon, E8

Metropolitan Housing Telford Homes

£10.7 million 66 mixed tenure flats +1000m2 of office space

Completed July 2010

Ramsgate Street

Clad in glazed tiles with a vertical array of helical wind turbines at its spine, the fourteen-storey tower has become a landmark for Hackney. The building houses sixty-six apartments, and 1,000 square metres of office space. The form of the building is set by its context: the tower stands at the North of the site facing an open area and sits on a four storey plinth, matching the height of the surrounding buildings.

The local planning authority took some persuading that a fourteen-storey tower was the right solution for an area dominated by four storey buildings. The moniker of landmark building is one often employed by architects, but in this case the helical turbines and unique form of the building won the backing not only of Hackney but the GLA and CABE too. A key part of the project was our collaboration with the wind turbine manufacturer, Quiet Revolution, together devising how the building could best harness the wind. The tower acts as an aerofoil, concentrating the greatest wind to the spine of the building where the four vertical turbines are located. The power generated by the turbines exceed the targets set by the Mayor producing up to a third of the buildings electricity and saving over 7 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.

Wind tunnel tests

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Whitmore RoadLondon, N1

Private clients£1.7 million

3 private flats +320m2 of office space

270m2 photography studioCompleted 2012

Whitmore Road

This mixed use, seven storey building is located adjacent to the Whitmore Bridge over the Regent’s Canal. It provides the four client cooperative with two floors of office space, a double height photographic studio and three triplex apartments opening onto roof terraces which overlook the canal.

The building form illustrates the structural capabilities of prefabricated timber panels - maximising the multilateral strength of the material by arranging spaces to minimise lateral spans. At the centre of the building, the double height studio spans 9m and stretches to 23m of open column free space. This is achieved by the walls acting as beams and the party walls in the apartments above acting as trusses. The cross-laminated timber structure was erected in five weeks by a four man team.

Our extensive experience with timber construction has enabled us to push the boundaries of timber design in this project, cantilevering the timber building 1.5m over the canal. The cladding is sweet chestnut, a traditional British barn cladding timber. Timber reveals give depth to the elevations, and the large windows provide north light and canal views to the studio and offices.

Cross laminated timber panels

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Leonard Street

Leonard Street is in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area and one of our very first buildings. The original building was a semi derelict concrete frame structure - last used as a printing factory. The brief was to demolish it and build a new four storey building in its place.

We looked carefully at the existing structure and devised a light-weight timber and steel structure to sit on top of the existing building. We then hung a rain-screen façade from the additional structure cloaking both the new floors and existing first floor. The result appeared as a brand new building but at a vastly reduced cost and a shorter time on site.

The building has a restaurant on the ground floor, office space on the first floor with four live/work apartments on the upper stories. The roof has an array of solar thermal panels - new technology at the time. We were also responsible for the interior fit out of the restaurant – down to the design of the restaurant chairs themselves. The main dining room is a timber lined box; walls, floor and ceiling in a dark fully certified hardwood.

Leonard Street, London, EC2A

Urban Edge Group£2.1 million

4 live/work flats + 290m2 office space +

344m2 restaurantCompleted Dec 2002

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Furzey Hall Farm

Furzey Hall Farm is the restoration of a Victorian farmhouse and the conversion of an original 17th century barn and a new-build extension to link the two together. Situated in the Cotswolds, the new home was built for the artist Jake Chapman and his family.

Built by local contractors using local materials, the building responds to a stringent environmental agenda set by the client and architect. The renovation provides all modern comforts whilst retaining the character of the original building. The new element is clad in western red cedar with a charred finish setting the new element apart from its stone counterparts yet retaining a hint of the local vernacular. The contrast of the extension with the existing farmhouse and barn is dramatic but not overwhelming. The development includes a number of innovative methods of powering and heating. The heating system is underpinned by a ground source heat pump linked to an extensive series of coils laid in the adjacent field feeding the heating and hot water system. For use in the summer months, the outdoor pool is heated entirely by an air source heat pump and solely fed by water from the existing well and filtered through a bed of bull rushes.

Furzey Hall FarmCotswolds

Jake Chapman£1 million

Completed May 2009

Lines of vision across the building / relationship between the new and old

Awards2010

RIBA Manser Medal - shortlisted

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Tramshed

Designed and built in 1905, The Shoreditch Tramshed is a Grade II listed building which, until now, has been hidden away from public view. Actually built as an early sub-station, it is a magnificent single space shed. Along with restaurateur Mark Hix, we brought this hidden gem back to public enjoyment through the creation of a beautiful restaurant, thus confirming Shoreditch’s mantle as London’s home for fine art and fine food.

The impressive main hall needed a decisive design idea – one that recognised the heritage of the building and complemented the Edwardian glazed brick interiors. We have treated the restaurant and its furniture as interventions – self-sufficient objects in the space that do not compete with the existing interior finishes. We have employed great planks of Douglas fir, leather and heavy gauge stainless steel; materials that match up to the magnificent space and the hearty menu. We selected chairs also used by the USA prison service, and made from recycled coke bottles.

At the centre of the restaurant a Damien Hirst sculpture complements the design, bringing a bovine based formaldehyde focal point to the place.

Rivington StreetLondon, EC2A

Mark Hix£1.4 million Restaurant

Completed May 2012

Awards2012

Hackney Design Award

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Leaside Road

The eighty unit residential scheme alongside the River Lea presents a unified and coherent solution for a mix of private and low cost housing. The scheme transformed the area by providing access to the River Lea that had not existed for over 150 years. The design concept derived from the desire to create a new interaction between the wide expanse of the Hackney Marshes and Clapton’s dense terraced housing.

The two affordable blocks provide thirty-two socially rented apartments for Metropolitan Housing Trust, with half of the units designed specifically for a Housing Association which provides low cost housing for local orthodox Jewish families. We worked closely with the community to understand and learn about their particular needs.

The proposed five blocks, three of which have been built so far, are organised around three gardens perpendicular to the river. The landscaped areas interact with the surrounding scenery. The orientation of the gardens define the form of the buildings. Residents and people living in the area can now enjoy open views and access to the River Lea and the Hackney marshes beyond.

Leaside RoadLondon, E5

Metropolitan Housing Independent Dwelling Society

£3.3 million38 mixed tenure flatsCompleted Dec 2009

Design strategy

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British Business Pavilion

For the six week period of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games the British Business Embassy hosted a series of high profile networking events at Lancaster House on The Mall. With the eyes of the world on London the event was an opportunity to showcase the very best of British design and innovation.

We were tasked with designing and building a temporary pavilion in the grounds of Lancaster House. We were selected through an invited competition after being awarded the RIBA President’s medal for Research in recognition of our work in timber construction. The pavilion was manufactured off site by specialist joiners as a series of modules that were assembled on site. The design proposal for the pavilion is based on the simple composition of an elongated timber floor plate with a low profile timber roof, supported by slender columns to the perimeter of the floor. The space is enclosed on all sides by a continuous glass wall, free from mullions. The simple form of the Pavilion’s elevation complemented the detailed classical façade of Lancaster House. Ramped access was also provided from the garden on both sides of the stone steps echoing the grand symmetry of the House behind.

Lancaster HouseLondon, SW1A

Innovision£250, 000 Temporary

July - Sept 2012

Cross section through pavilion

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Kingsland Road Shopping Centre

Kingsland Shopping Centre is a 2.7 hectare site in the heart of Dalston, an area in real need of regeneration. We were appointed by Criterion to masterplan the site and to design the first phase of five residential towers in detail. The finished scheme will provide 600 new homes and 18,500 square metres of retail space. As always, we are dedicated to providing vibrant and exciting places which are enjoyable to inhabit and sustainable to construct.

Our approach is to strengthen the identity and appeal of the area whilst protecting the unique character and heritage of Dalston. The squares and the routes connecting them are the most valued spaces within cities and our masterplan is designed to put people before vehicles and provide much needed open public space. In essence the variety of new meeting points and connecting pedestrian routes are designed to encourage interaction within the community and create an active street life. The proposed masterplan is structured along two main routes which provide different experiences and give urban legibility to the site. The form of the buildings is driven by the new pedestrian street network, creating landmarks at key entry points into the site.

Kingsland RoadLondon, E8

CriterionBudget not disclosed

600 mixed tenure flats + 18,500m2 retail

Pre-planning

Site sections showing masterplan in its surrounding context

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Stoke Newington RoadLondon, N16

Metropolitan Housing Trust£5 million

38 mixed tenure flats +500m2 of commercialCompleted Dec 2012

Stoke Newington Road

Developed for Metropolitan Housing Trust, this exciting mixed–use project redevelops a vacant site in Hackney. The scheme provides 38 mixed tenure apartments located around a central courtyard which is elevated one storey above 1,000 square metres of retail space. A four storey brick volume along Stoke Newington Road continues the existing street-scape; tying into the surrounding context. The brickwork is in two subtly different shades of red brick reflecting the rhythm of the building widths along the street. The volume steps up 2 storeys at the corner of Barretts Grove to create a strong presence on this prominent corner. A 7 storey zinc-clad volume intersects the brick of the rest of the building and overhangs the shop fronts below creating further articulation to the corner.

The dwellings provide a mixture of socially rented and shared ownership flats, ranging from 1 to 4 bedrooms. Benefitting from large windows, all flats have juliet balconies or external terraces. The central courtyard provides a combination of private terraces and communal open space and was conceived both as an enjoyable space to use and to provide attractive views from the flats above.

Elevated courtyard

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Dalston Lane

The building will have a strong and positive contribution to the local fragmented townscape, creating a palpable signal of the success of the recent regeneration of Dalston. Our proposal presents an opportunity to regenerate a neglected part of the Borough providing housing and retail space.

The elevations at ground and first floor are set back, with large glazed openings from the office out onto the Eastern Curve. The mass of the building rises up from the conservation area towards the centre of the site, thereby orientating the site yet respecting the lower scale buildings to the east. We have organised the plan as a succession of open spaces, with different characteristics and uses. These open spaces are defined by the built forms of the proposal, which are in turn set by the line of the street.

The facade is a series of surfaces: a layer of windows and balconies relating to the plan are applied to the hard surface layer of the facade. The facade is the insulated layer of the building, an active and protective shell. These layers are then wrapped around the mass of the building giving depth and form to the facade, revealing the balconies, the space behind the windows and the mass of the structure.

Dalston Lane, HackneyLondon, E8

Maurice InvestmentBudget not disclosed

121 mixed tenure flats + 2600m2 office space

Planning

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Bushey Cemetery and Prayer Halls

We have been commissioned by United Synagogue to develop a proposal for the extension of the Jewish Cemetery. Located north east of Bushey and firmly in London’s Green Belt, the cemetery is the single most significant sacred space for the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. The expansion will make it one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

The outstanding natural beauty of the 16 acre site and its surroundings were recognised as both an inspiration and a challenge. Both client and designers are distinctly aware of the special opportunities the project creates. The scheme reflects our commitment to design - an outstanding building in a beautiful landscape. A linear reed bed park including three ponds allow water attenuation creating a landscaped environment for contemplation. The new buildings will encircle the linear park to take best advantage of this landscaping, occupying a discreet corner of the site. The proposal is articulated by a cloistered timber colonnade connecting a series of single purpose buildings: two prayer halls, mirrored in plan and function; a mortuary and a service building, a new car park and associated access roads. The series of buildings in their vast landscape create a sequence of processional spaces.

BusheyUnited Synagogues

Budget not disclosedCemetery + prayer hall

Planning

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Marcon Place

The site area totals 0.08 hectares and comprises an existing three storey building, a car park and a small plot of vacant land. The proposal will replace the existing building with a purpose built residential scheme consisting of 23 units within a building that rises from 4 storeys in the west to 7 storeys to the east, adjacent to the railway bridge.

The building has been broken up into three principal volumes echoing the proportions of the architecture of the surrounding area. These volumes wrap the perimeter of the site, both addressing the street frontage and allowing the inclusion of a central private courtyard for the residents. The height of the buildings increase towards the north east corner, mirroring the development to the south of the site and addressing the larger scale of the railway and city beyond.

Each apartment has been orientated such that living spaces face east, south or west to obtain direct sunlight. The courtyard is overlooked by living spaces facing across it from east and west with circulation to the south. Light is encouraged into the courtyard over the single storey entrance space between the two halves of the development.

Marcon Place, HackneyLondon, E8

Pocket Living£2.9 million

23 flatsIn planning

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66-68 Paul Street

The development is located at the junction of Paul Street and Blackall Street in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area. The original brick buildings on the site were constructed around 1870 and throughout the years were occupied by numerous commercial industries from coffee rooms, a basket factory, bookbinders and printers. The building had been neglected for some time and it was not viable to save the structure. In order to retain the historical character along Paul Street, the shop front and brick facade were rebuilt, using reclaimed London stocks with original corbel and cornice details.

The Paul Street elevation includes an additional floor, built using reclaimed brickwork above the replicated facade. At fourth and fifth floors the building steps back to reduce the overall massing. The top storey appears as a discrete roof extension. The new brickwork is a pale colour to differentiate from the historic element of the proposal. The main residential entrance is from the narrow side street; to emphasise the entrance and make it visible from Paul Street a 5 storey ‘kink’ was created in the brickwork.

Paul Street, HackneyLondon, EC2AUnited House

£3.5 million9 flats +

310m2 office spaceCompleted Dec 2012

Existing facade retained

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Lyon Confluence

This competition entry for a social housing block is part of the wider master plan of Lyon Confluence, a European scale urban regeneration of an industrial area located at the confluence of the Rhone and the Soane rivers. The regeneration, led by the town of Lyon has set itself a very high environmental agenda which our project seeks to exceed.

The proposal, developed for the account of the OPAC du Rhône, provides 29 shared ownership housing units with underground parking. Formally, the design encompasses classic functionalist principles, whilst addressing contemporary issues of environmental responsibility through its use of sustainable materials. The building uses a timber panel structural frame, with timber cladding on the residential zones, differentiating the lighter circulation cores through the use of a perforated metal mesh cladding.

The scheme allows for a high standard of living, with each apartment benefitting from ample levels of natural light, universal provision of private external space, and 100% natural cross ventilation.

Lyon ConfluenceLyon, Rhône

Opac du Rhône£2.6 million

29 flatsCompetition entry

November 2012

The use of functionalist principles in the design

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WaughThistletonArchitects Ltd

74 Paul StreetLondon EC2A 4NA

Telephone+44 (0)20 7613 5727

Emailinfo@waughthistleton.com