Conversations in Concrete, Hackney

The site was a dilapidated Victorian warehouse in Hackney, possibly once tied to the area’s tanning industry. Unconcerned with commercial ambitions, Lee wanted a home shaped around his bachelor lifestyle – somewhere to sleep, eat, entertain, and occasionally work. One bedroom was enough. Some outdoor space would be a bonus. Above all, the building’s character was to remain at the heart of the design.

The architectural language was deliberately raw: fair-faced brickwork, exposed concrete, recycled timber, and large sliding and fixed glazing panels that frame light and views. The ground floor was lowered and re-laid as an exposed concrete slab, running out into the courtyard and garden to blur the line between inside and out.

We began with circulation. A diagonal axis was struck between the arrival block and the main body of the building, forming the organisational spine of the scheme. This became a three-storey cast in-situ concrete wall – structural, visual, and spatially unifying – anchoring the building both horizontally and vertically.

Throughout, the original brickwork was retained, its texture and imperfections celebrated. The resulting spaces feel robust yet refined, with practical circulation giving way to moments of drama and surprise. Conversations in Concrete embraces its industrial past while offering a dynamic, highly personal home – one that feels as honest and unpretentious as the brief that began it.