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Watling Street Offices

Located on the ancient Watling Street, this speculative office development was designed to balance commercial pragmatism with an appropriate response to its historic setting. The building sits at the edge of the Towcester conservation area, requiring careful negotiation between contemporary design ambitions and planning sensitivities.

Contextual Response

The building's mass is broken into three distinct volumes, reducing its apparent scale and echoing the grain of the surrounding townscape. Local Northamptonshire ironstone, sourced from a quarry less than ten miles away, grounds the building in its place while a zinc-clad upper storey adds a contemporary layer.

Workplace Quality

Inside, the floor plates are shallow — no desk is more than seven metres from a window, ensuring generous daylight and natural ventilation. Exposed cross-laminated timber ceilings provide warmth and acoustic comfort while expressing the building's sustainable credentials.

Watling Street Offices

A sensitively designed office building that responds to its historic Roman road setting.

ClientWatling Commercial Ltd
LocationTowcester, Northamptonshire
Year2022
Area1,600 m²
StatusCompleted
CategoryCommercial

Materials

Northamptonshire ironstoneZinc claddingCross-laminated timberGlass

Awards

  • RICS Award 2022
Watling Street Offices — Image 1
Watling Street Offices — Image 2
Watling Street Offices — Image 3