The name “Curtain Street” probably goes back to the theaters in Tudor times, which were located here in Shoreditch / Hackney, north of the City of London. It probably also refers to the local textile and furniture manufacturers and to William Shakespeare himself, who lived in the neighborhood around 1500. This story inspired the architects Duggan Morris to create their corrugated aluminum façade in Curtain Road: it is actually drawn like a delicate curtain in front of the windows – invisible from the outside, it conceals a series of one-meter-wide, alternating glass and wall elements. Only three large panes, offset from each other, remain free as peep-box windows.
The recently completed office building is now waiting for tenants. Of course, they are not as easy to find as in a new building. The four relatively low storeys in the old walls have large ventilation units in every corner that can hardly be overlooked and look conventional with their perforated façades. The building was also considerably more expensive to construct because static angles were required to support the loads of the superimposed steel structure. The rooms are divided up in such a way that a gallery owner can take over the space on the ground floor and basement and a tenant can occupy the remaining floors above. This is why there are two separate entrances.
On the other hand, the light and width of the three new upper floors are impressive: the building had to be staggered back several times towards the rear so as not to impair the exposure of the neighboring courtyards. The architects made a virtue of necessity with the help of an attractive terrace landscape, which would also make a wonderful place to live.
You can find more information on this topic and another extension in London in Baumeister 7/2014.
Photos: Jack Hobhouse