amanda levete architects: 10 hills place

10 hills place by AL_A images courtesy amanda levete architectsamanda levete architects  have created an ingenious sculptural facade for a new office building just off london’s oxford street.

the project is levete’s response when asked by her client to adapt and extend an existing commercial building – a hybrid of an ornate and well-mannered corner piece fronting oxford street and a less distinguished three-storey 1970s addition to the rear, containing a retail unit on levels one and two and offices above. the architects were shifting the emphasis from oxford street to hills place, by placing a lightweight steel frame on the existing concrete structure, and applying a new skin to bring presence to a previously boring building.  at ground level a bespoke glass, mesh and dichromatic film sandwich is animated with fibre optics to create visual depth of field and a moiré pattern on an otherwise blank facade.  the skin continues down to the ground, enveloping the existing building.

lack of daylight in the narrow streets around this major retail artery was a key issue. ‘we looked at how artist lucio fontana would slash it to create a distorted, deformed surface from something that was initially flat.’ said levete. ‘an intervention that subtly draws attention to the building by the intrigue of a sculptural facade cut by glazed areas orientated towards the sky, maximizing the natural light available in this narrow street’.

the facade is fabricated using curved aluminium profiles assembled on-site. self cleaning glass and hidden gutters within the eyelids ensure the facade remains low maintenance. the fine faceting of the aluminium strips creates beautiful and complex reflections of sky and street, making the building highly visible from oxford street.

images courtesy amanda levete architects the facade is fabricated using curved aluminium profiles assembled on-site.

images courtesy amanda levete architects images courtesy amanda levete architects

images courtesy amanda levete architects images courtesy amanda levete architects

images courtesy amanda levete architects

images courtesy amanda levete architects

images courtesy amanda levete architectsstart on site february 2007 completion date september 2009

external floor area 1,321square meter client clarendon Properties project manager MGPM main contractor powells group structural engineer akera engineers service engineer barn partnership acoustic engineer hodgson and hodgson acoustic consultancy division facade frener & reifer