One Finsbury Avenue

Marina Adams words
Richard Bryant photos

The Architecture Club members

On a wet Monday evening The Architecture Club gathered in the public space at the heart of No 1 Finsbury Avenue in the Broadgate area of the city of London.

This building, originally designed by Peter Foggo at Arup in the 1980s, was Grade II listed in 2015 and has now been refurbished by architects Alford Hall Monaghan Morris.

We were welcomed by Mike Stiff after which Ken Powell gave an historical overview of this important city building. The project architect Paul Monaghan [AHMM] followed, describing the organization of the refurbished building which centres on the public atrium. This public space at ground level restores the route from Wilson Street through to Finsbury Avenue Square, connecting on to Broadgate and Liverpool Street Station.

The design of the atrium refers to the tradition of London garden squares. At its centre is the brightly painted Atoll Café and ‘garden’. We were privileged to have with us Morag Myerscough, the artist designer builder of this brightly coloured work.
After the introduction, we split into two groups and were taken through security into the private parts of the building. The six staircases are numbered, painted each with a different bold colour integral to way finding in the building. The washrooms are designed with a ‘domestic feel’, using pastel coloured tiles inspired by the Art Deco period.

The huge open plan office floors have been stripped back, exposing the original great steel frame of the building, now painted black. The services are also exposed, to generate additional height where a suspended ceiling would have diminished the space.

We were astonished to learn that the original heating system included circulation of the heated water through the tubular window frames. This has been retained.

On the 7^th floor we were introduced to what Paul referred to as ‘Ibiza’, one of several outside spaces for use by the occupants. The terrace looks towards the towers of the City of London and we were able to see the mass of tall buildings including the Nat West Tower and the Gherkin. Below was Finsbury Avenue Square and Broadgate.

Returning to the ground floor we were led into Finsbury Avenue Square and past busy restaurants and bars already occupying the ground floor of the building, then into the bar at the corner. Through the bar and down to The Everyman Cinema. In this time of Extinction Rebellion, it was good to see a much better use of what had been the basement car park.

The Architecture Club visit finished back in the ‘Public London Square’ at the centre of 1 Finsbury Avenue. In the time-honoured Architecture Club way, thanks to Rowena, there were glasses and some wine and nibbles laid out on the tables of the Atoll Café.

This had been a very interesting visit indeed. It was very good to see a historical building so appropriately and beautifully repurposed.