Loft 5.5 Alaska Buildings

Designed by Wallis Gilbert & Partners, architects of the iconic Firestone and Hoover buildings, the 1932 Alaska building operated as a fur tanning factory until being reinvented as of one of London’s first New York style loft apartment developments, by architects CZWG in 1989.

Located on the second floor of one of the new buildings added by CZWG in a style that references the horizontal emphasis, large windows and high ceilings of the host building’s architecture, this deep plan double-aspect 140m2 loft apartment had been the subject of a previous fit-out that did not meet the needs of its new owners.

A new second bathroom, store room, secondary escape route and kitchen have now been gathered in a centrally-located sharply-detailed freestanding service block, freeing up and exposing the entire corner-to-corner volume of the open-plan space that surrounds it. The positioning of the block facilitates window-to-window views across the loft, whilst also implying suitably proportioned sub-spaces around it for sleeping, working, watching TV, sitting, cooking and eating.

The floor of the rear area of the loft has been raised 600mm, providing a route below it for the water and waste connections, whilst also creating a degree of separation and improved proportions for two sleeping areas. These spaces can be entirely enclosed with concealed sliding walls when required.