The building is situated at a crossroads of narrow streets in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area. In the urban context, the construction of the four-storey building restores the scale of the local streetscape to its original stature by matching the height of adjacent architecture.

Due to the widths of the streets and the proximity of the neighbouring buildings, our building comprising 11 high-end residential units and 500 sqm of commercial space is primarily viewed from an oblique angle. To make a virtue of this situation, the facade demonstrates a varying depth across its different storeys from the flushed glazed commercial floors, to the deep masonry reveals of the upper storeys. The brick facade maintains a dialogue with the local context but the unapologetic modern detailing stays true to our architectural ethos.

Every single design and construction decision taken has been done so in favour of minimising the impact on the environment. We used a hollow-core CobiaxDeck deck system in the concrete slab which is a lightweight, environmentally friendly, fast and cheap method of reducing dead weight in buildings. Decreasing the amount of concrete used in construction has significant environmental benefits. The architecture deliberately makes optimum use of all available natural light and ventilation. In addition, Phipp Street boasts two accessible green roof terraces and a brown roof.