It’s great to see how they have attempted to do things we wouldn’t have thought of.’.
We caught up with the team who run the space as well as some of the residents to see why the space works so well for them.... KRISTI MINCHIN, GREAT WESTERN STUDIOS.With only two metres separating the roof of the building from the A40 Westway and The Grand Union Canal only five meters from the walls of the building, the triangular structure of Great Western Studios is in a unique urban position.
Partway between Notting Hill and Paddington in West London, the space was originally an old paint factory, which the owners enlisted award-winning architect, Bryden Wood, to turn into studio space for the artistic community back in 2009.After the successful completion of the first project, Bryden Wood was commissioned a second time in 2017 to add a further two storeys to the building to create a total of 104 studio spaces.. GWS’ Marketing Executive, Kristi Minchin, says she was initially attracted to the building by the talent and creative energy of its occupants who include artists, architects, fashion brands, and creative tech companies.‘You could talk to forty people in one day and they are all working on completely different projects and it’s all happening under this one roof.
I love that so much.’ GWS offers a range of different studios from 150 square foot units for 1 to 2 people and runs all the way to 10,000 square foot units for 100+ employees.Minchin says, ‘Businesses can grow in the space.
Lots of people do upsize - that’s what the building is designed for,’ she adds, ’there’s also quite a lot of demand for the smaller atrium-facing spaces too as they are good shop fronts.
People like that because everyone who comes into the building will see you.’.This unlocks vast potential in terms of manufacturing a better quality of building - structures which are more air- and weather-tight, energy efficient and overall better performing.
Further, standardisation allows us to do a better job of integrating our mechanical and electrical engineering systems, which then has the knock-on effect of reducing the overall volume of a building by 30-40%.As the building gets smaller, so does the air handling plant.
This creates a reduction in running costs - heating and lighting.In other words, we create a virtuous circle of benefit.. What is the future of the construction industry?.
(Editor: Automatic Lights)