Black & White Building

The Office Group have owned and operated the existing building as flexible office and co-working space since 2013 and appointed Opera to lead the comprehensive redevelopment of the site, for what represents TOG’s first new build scheme - an all-timber structure adopting highly sustainable design principles.

The existing Victorian building, originally built for furniture manufacturing, sits within a conservation area on Rivington Street in the heart of Shoreditch’s creative district.

The building’s innovative design, combines a fully exposed glulam and CLT framed structure, wrapped by a timber-louvre curtain wall to form the external ‘skin’ of the building.

Opera has successfully led the project team in transforming the site into a high quality, flexible and social workspace of the type perfectly suited to young entrepreneurial companies. The new building provides an increase in new floor space of over four times the existing, whilst providing outdoor and roof terrace spaces.

The delivery of the project involved highly complex logistical challenges, with extensive third-party consents including party wall awards, rights of light, crane oversailing and a BAPA.