orms respects expressive brutalism with the standard hotel in london

london-based architects orms presents its completed conversion of the former brutalist camden town hall annexe in king’s cross to the contemporary hotel, the standard. developed in partnership with crosstree real estate partners, the project marks the iconic brand’s first foray into the united kingdom market since launching in the united states. responsible for exterior shell and core, orms converts the former theater-turned-office building to a contemporary boutique hotel, retaining and cleaning the original brutalist concrete frame with its distinct rounded windows.

image courtesy of orms

on behalf of crosstree and the standard, london-based orms works alongside interior designer shawn hausman design and interior architect archer humphryes. the original tinted-windows in their iconic rounded rectangular frames are replaced with clear glass while the building’s corner condition expresses rounded panes with high-grade acoustic specification to combat noise from the traffic below. the existing precast concrete panels which make up the facade serve as an integral structural element which can neither be removed or altered without significant structural remodelling.

image © timothy soar

in the project conversion, orms removes the stair core and the concrete enclosure at roof level that once linked the annexe with the adjacent camden town hall. while this connective element allowed physical access between between the two buildings, it blocked views throughout the city. its removal allows for the sculptural volume of the building to be expressed as a stand-alone object for the first time. because the removal of the core partially reduces the stability of the building, the design team made use of a new internal goods lift core and a shear wall for re-stabilization.

image © timothy soar

associate at orms simon whittaker comments: ‘our proposal to reuse, adapt, and extend the existing brutalist building was supported by english heritage. they especially welcomed the reuse of the annexe on the grounds of its ‘considerable design merit’ and accepted that the height of the extension was ‘integral for making the design fit for purpose’. the bold design has completely transformed the perception of the building, reimagining it for its new use as a destination hotel.’

image © timothy soar