One Kemble Street, also known as Space House, is one of the most recognisable examples of modernist office architecture in London. The skyscraper is located on Kingsway in the Camden district and was designed in the 1960s by George Marsh of Richard Seifert’s studio, also known for the Centre Point project. Both buildings were commissioned by developer Harry Hyams and remained vacant for some time after completion. Since 2015, Space House has been on the list of protected buildings maintained by Historic England.
Architecture and construction of One Kemble Street
The complex consists of two connected buildings: an eight-storey rectangular building on Kingsway and a cylindrical tower standing on a triangular plot bounded by Kemble Street, Wild Street and Keeley Street. The two buildings are linked by a two-storey, built-up footbridge. The cylindrical form of the tower was chosen to minimise shading from the surrounding buildings. The tower was constructed from prefabricated concrete modules that were assembled without scaffolding, a highly innovative solution at the time. Each prefabricated element corresponded to the height of one storey and had a diameter of three metres. The floors of the building were designed as radially diverging concrete panels set on a central core. The building was supported on distinctive Y-shaped columns, identical to those at Centre Point. The precast elements were supplied by Portcrete Limited and the contractor was Robert McAlpine and Sons. The perpendicular-walled part of the complex, now known as CAA House, was also precast and designed as an open-plan office space with a central column arrangement and circulation areas at either end.
Changing fortunes and upgrades
The building had been leased by the Civil Aviation Authority since 1975. In January 2015, it was listed as a historic building. When the lease with the CAA expired in 2019, the process of redeveloping the complex began. The works, carried out from 2022 by Squire and Partners and Seaforth Land, included the removal of the technical floor at the top of the tower, which was replaced by a new level and an additional set-back storey. Despite the fact that the tower has a very distinctive cylindrical form, it has been designed not to dominate its surroundings. It remains hidden between the other buildings and is mainly visible from the side streets. Its façade of precast concrete creates a regular rhythm that sets it apart from London’s built environment without overwhelming it. In contrast, the façade of the section on Kingsway draws on the Edwardian character of the neighbouring townhouses. At the time of the building’s construction, the underground zone served as a car park and housed a petrol station, responding to the needs of a car-dominated era.
The future of modernist heritage
One Kemble Street remains a significant example of London Brutalism today. Although it has not been fully appreciated over the years, its architecture is now gaining prominence as an example of the creative use of prefabrication and bold spatial design. Following a recently completed refurbishment, the concrete complex has regained its original features and qualities, which had been lost over the years, and continues to serve residents and provide an aesthetically pleasing addition to the Camden area.
Source: ianvisits.co.uk, spacehouse.london
Also read: Architecture | UK | London | Brutalism | Skyscraper
