The Standard, London is a boutique hotel with 266 rooms, which was transformed from the Camden Town Hall Annexe, a Brutalist-style building originally constructed in 1974, and reopened in 2019. This project involved Orms for the exterior design, Archer Humphryes Architects for the interior architecture, and Shawn Hausman Design for the interior styling.

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Design and Renovation

• Preservation and Enhancement of the Exterior: The original façade made of precast concrete panels was preserved and cleaned to maintain the building’s authentic character. The original tinted windows were replaced with clear glass, and curved glass corners were introduced to create a softer, more harmonious interaction with the surrounding environment.
  

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• Vertical Extension: Three additional floors were built on top of the existing structure, increasing the room capacity. This was achieved by integrating new steel columns into the original structure to support the added load.
  

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• Installation of an External Elevator: A cylindrical red external elevator was installed on the northern façade, directly connecting to the 10th-floor restaurant, providing a bold and unique visual element to the building.

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Interior Design

The interior reinterprets the 1970s aesthetic in a modern way, utilizing bold colors and unique design features. The lobby includes a Library Lounge, which commemorates the building’s original function as a public library, with a collection of books spanning 26 different genres.

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Awards and Recognition

This project reused 94% of the existing building’s structure, achieving significant carbon savings, and received both the 2021 RIBA London Award and the RIBA National Award in recognition of its sustainability efforts.

picture source - https://orms.co.uk/work/the-standard-london/

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