Notting Hill Gate North Block

This project involved a comprehensive review of three adjacent sites in Notting Hill Gate, with proposals to refurbish and extend the existing building stock to provide over 87,000 sqft of new modern office and retail spaces.

Squire & Partners’ designs respect the prevalent 1950s international style – a key component of the local character and history of Notting Hill Gate – and aim to sensitively integrate new and existing built elements.

A family of contemporary stone framed buildings featuring chamfered windows and prominent upper floors underline the strong horizontal emphasis of the existing streetscape, which includes the RIBA Award winning brutalist Czech and Slovak embassies.

Animation is introduced through a series of coloured bands inspired by Kensington Gardens, Holland Park and Portabello Market, as well as the more decorative architecture of nearby Leighton House and Debenham House.

On the North Block, the colour palette of the handmade terracotta ‘baguettes’ were informed by the sequenced terraces opposite on Pembridge Road. The use of terracotta references Notting Hill’s history with potteries. The long glazed slots of both buildings’ new top floors pick up on the existing 1950s language, and coloured tiles in the recesses give an accent at high level, again referencing the ‘50s detailing.