The transformation of former Inland Revenue Offices in the Grade I listed Somerset House into The Exchange, a new shared workspace and cafe bar.

The scheme converts 6,500 sq ft of the New Wing into a diverse range of workspaces for freelancers, individuals and small businesses working in the arts and creative industries, an important addition to Somerset House’s dynamic community of creative enterprises, artists and makers. The scheme provides 200 shared workspaces, meeting rooms, personal booths, café bar, kitchen and shower facilities and is supported by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. Located in the basement of the New Wing the designs increase the amount and type of daylight enjoyed by the workspaces.

A new steel mezzanine inserted within the historic fabric provides 15% more workspaces. An existing south facing window has been converted into a new door, introducing south light and giving access to a previously unused terrace.

In the café four existing columns define a central all-white space. The square columns are decorated with a contemporary interpretation of the New Wing entrance columns’ 19th century hand-painted terrazzo, created with an assortment of laser-cut aluminium stencils. A matching terrazzo patterned floor is created with water-cut natural linoleum.

The studio is an open plan workspace, broken up by two distinct enclosures, containing fabric-lined meeting rooms and phone booths. Their forms are sampled from the existing building and their surfaces are interactive - billiard green chalk board and pink magnetic paint. A series of bespoke long tables provide a flexible range of workspaces for individuals or groups, actively nurturing informal collaboration with a scattering of small desks and soft seating.

We worked with the Somerset House curators to integrate the display of works by residents and exhibiting artists in the Exchange, creating a collaborative space that is enriched by the production of the wider Somerset House community.

Awards

• New London Awards Best Workplace 2022
• AJ Retrofit Workplace Fit-out Highly Commended 2022