Chris Dyson Architects reconfigured a Victorian craft workshop located at the back of existing homes in Hackney to create the residential building, Albion Works.

The design experiment is challenging and far from simple: transforming service facilities into apartment buildings, while respecting the privacy of neighbouring properties. The openings are therefore designed not to overlook the nearby buildings, towards which the brick facades remain silent, indicating the previous windows.

Inside, rough surfaces contrast with the wooden floor and marble tops used in the bathroom and kitchen, creating refined yet industrial-looking environments.

“This project is simultaneously contemporary and rooted in the 19th century. The new elevations present a palimpsest of the past with their recessed blind windows, while new generously proportioned Crittal glazed windows frame long views down across the gardens,” says Chris Dyson