Latest Premier Inn project in London
Sheppard Robson’s design for 66-86 Farringdon Road in London transforms a site – currently occupied by a multi-storey carpark – into a striking mixed-use development for client Endurance Land.
The scheme consists of a 170 guestroom hotel and retail spaces, with all elements of the development in-keeping with the vibrancy of Clerkenwell and nearby Exmouth Market, whilst also acknowledging the history of the site which is adjacent to two conservation areas.
The hotel will be operated by Premier Inn, using the company’s new ‘Hub’ concept for creating compact, high-quality hotel rooms. The hotel will include a touchdown cafe space which will be open to guests and the public.
The new building will provide retail, office and hotel frontages at ground floor level, with the hotel on the north and centre part of the site. The design divides a long narrow plot to create vertical blocks that negotiate the sloping topography of the site, creating a rhythm and proportion that relate to the surrounding urban grain.
The exterior of the project is formed from a concertina-like metal and glass façade that animates the street presence of the design, with this composition helping frame views from the office and hotel floorplates along Farringdon Road.
Sheppard Robson’s design is also informed by the size and proportions of the residential blocks that had previously occupied the site for much of the 20th century, allowing the new development to fit comfortably within its urban context.
Dan Burr, Partner at Sheppard Robson, comments: “We wanted to replace a carpark – which contributed little to the surrounding streetscape – with a building that feels part of Clerkenwell and recognises the area’s reputation as the UK’s design hub. The design takes a number of cues from the rich history of commercial buildings in the vicinity, using this to create a design that is both undeniably modern and rooted within its urban setting.”
