By the standards of these landmark buildings, 15 Broadwick Street is a modest office block, with a floor area of just 4000 m2, a construction cost of £6.9m and a height of six storeys. The Soho building is also polite, with flush facades in glass and aluminium and a set-back to match its neighbours.
Other than the finesse of the high-tech detailing, the only clue that the building has been designed by Richard Rogers Partnership is the trademark wall-climber lifts. Along with their vividly coloured lift mechanisms, the two lift shafts and cars are exposed to the street and rise to a rooftop tower of aluminium-louvred motor rooms.
The building's other dynamic feature is a half-barrel-vaulted roof enclosing double-height penthouse offices. This device also conceals the two top floors from the more intimate scale of the Berwick Street open-air market on the east side.
The building fills its tiny island site, which is bounded on all four sides by streets and narrow cobbled lanes. The architect has exploited the compact plot by placing entrances to the reception hall on three of the four side streets. The rest of the ground floor and basement is occupied by a restaurant, maintaining Soho's lively street life.
The speculative office has been let to motor giant Ford, which plans to relocate its car design office from Essex in order to tap into the buzz of central London's creative industries.
Developed by Derwent Valley Holdings, the block was built by Sisk, with Arup as structural engineer, BDSP as services engineer and Davis Langdon & Everest as QS.
