19th January 2024

Perega engineers new Worship Street workspace

Continuing our long-standing relationship with architects GPAD, our team has recently contributed to the refurbishment of 89.5 Worship Street. Set within the bustling hub of Shoreditch, the old warehouse has been given a new lease of life, with the creation of a state-of-the-art workplace.

Completed in October 2023, our team was tasked with helping to turn the ageing warehouse into a contemporary office space—a blend of historic charm and modern sophistication.

The project scope included the transformation of the basement, ground floor and truss-pitched roof into adaptable office spaces. The team designed a two-storey steel mezzanine structure placed above the current ground floor. This resulted in the creation of a first-floor office space at the former roof level, while the second story was repurposed into an elegant new roof terrace, complete with stylish glazing.

Within the confines of the pre-existing concrete and masonry building, our team faced some challenges. The intricate task of coordinating the integration of the new steel structure with the pre-existing concrete framework, required some of the existing concrete beams to be cut through.

In addition, the original basement did not span the entire footprint of the site. The new steel frame covered a larger area than the basement which presented an additional challenge. As the existing foundations would not have been sufficient for the new steel frame, our team quickly came up with a solution, designing new foundations at varying levels to overcome this.

Complicating matters further, existing service drainage runs had to be bridged over with the new foundations. The unfavourable condition of the existing ground posed challenges for the installation of new foundations, prompting the team to devise a creative piled solution.

Chris Fewson, Seniors Structural Engineer and project lead at Worship Street says “It’s been fantastic to see the transformation of Worship Street. From an old warehouse, it’s now an impressive office space that anyone would love to work in. The team faced challenges, but the result is a stunning new building equipped with a rooftop terrace”.

Designed in partnership with GPAD architects, the building showcases innovation, notably with a bridge that connects the adjacent office at 7 Curtain Road to the new first-floor office structure. This visionary space redefines traditional office spaces, with a seamless walkthrough between offices exemplifying Perega’s persistent commitment to breaking the mould of conventional design.

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