This warehouse also accommodates the design, marketing and business functions of its upmarket clothing company client. The architect was keen to address the accepted norms for corporate and warehouse architecture - on the one hand luxurious, on the other cleanly efficient - and chose brick as the principle material. It is affordable, locally available and gives the building rich texture, emphasised by the random slot windows that animate the interior. Construction flaws are retained and the structure and services expressed as a counterpoint to the excesses of the rag trade. Daylighting and natural ventilation are prioritised and a ‘safari roof’ provides cooling to support the sustainable intentions of the building.
Source:
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011.
