Copper’s HQ nestles into a hospitality hotbed
As one of the most-visited cities worldwide, London has something to offer nearly every traveler. For those seeking a good time, Soho beckons with its old-world, yet modern, mix of boutiques, theaters, restaurants… and a digital asset infrastructure provider? The warm glow that emanates from Copper’s headquarters in Soho fits so nicely into the neighborhood that most revelers are unaware that they are in the presence of a fintech company that helps institutions securely store and trade cryptocurrencies. Despite the building’s seven-story height rising above most of the city, the appealing illumination allows Copper to “hide” in plain sight.
The intent of the project was to have a nice mix between office lighting and hospitality, explained Jaime Fuentes McGreevy, design associate at Speirs Major Light Architecture (SMLA). “We’re in Soho, so there’s a contrast between new buildings and existing ones. It’s a historic neighborhood with iconic buildings, so it’s important to highlight that after dark, the general mood of the lighting is quite warm. It’s very much a hospitality, residential feel, and we balanced the color temperature so the building fit in.”
Copper was adamant that safety, security, control and innovation were all essential, but the building also needed to fit into a community that is home to a variety of hospitality venues, offices and residential space. Playing off of the company’s name, SMLA transformed the glass building into a secure copper-hued vault. In collaboration with interior architects Universal Design Studio, SMLA designed a sheer curtain to sit behind the glazing, forming a soft-textured screen. When evening descends, the curtains automatically draw, and an animated lighting effect begins. Gently pulsating light catches the folds of the fabric, creating an amber glow that discreetly conceals the view of the building’s interior from those traversing Soho’s busy streets.
Copper’s headquarters is a renovation of Broadwick House, which was designed by famed architect Richard Rogers. Because it possesses a glazed façade, SMLA had to be clever about solving the privacy issue, said Keith Bradshaw, senior partner and CEO at SMLA. The designers played with the idea of creating a copper box with lighting that could be both secure and, at times, transparent. Bradshaw added that they called upon the effect of a gauze curtain in the theater—backlighting results in a transparent look, while lighting the front makes it appear as a solid object.
Two different materials were explored when attempting to find a proper curtain—one was made out of copper material and the other a fabric that is only copper in appearance. Since the copper mesh was very heavy and expensive, the designers opted to go with the fabric. SMLA tested various lighting options and found that if the material was lit from above, it would be visible from the street. The team settled on uplighting, placing a row of high-quality dimmable linear LED luminaires around the perimeter on each floor between the curtain and a white blind, creating a backlit chamber that resulted in a “magical” effect. The vertical luminance levels were designed to blend with the visible brightness of the surrounding area.
“The deception is that you look at it and think it’s a solid object, but it’s actually fabric,” Bradshaw stated. “Rather than using RGBW light, we used RGBA—the W became amber. It’s basically a copper light that we used most of the time. It has the ability to program other sequences. [For example,] Soho is known for its LGBTQ community, so we can do Pride flags. What’s amazing about the way the light catches on the material is the softness the light drifts along, even though it’s coming from the bottom. It’s like the light gets caught in the gauze and is retained, even when you move the light away from it.”
Since Copper is the sole tenant in the building, the structure’s overall image could be controlled. However, Bradshaw added, there was still the issue of “patchwork occupancy,” where some floors or rooms are in use while others are not. The company’s hospitality area, including a private restaurant and open mezzanine space, is located on the top two floors, near the arc of the building. As a result, SMLA employed a built-in linear system to produce a warm color temperature on the inside of the upper floors to balance the look with the rest of the building.
The building’s copper-box beauty met Copper’s desire to be a good neighbor—it’s not too bright, it possesses an alluring color temperature and it can be playful when the occasion calls for it. While seamlessly integrating into Soho was important, SMLA also focused on the high level of security required in Copper’s line of business.
“It’s a private organization in a very public location; literally, there’s a pub on the corner,” Bradshaw said. “So, you immediately think, ‘How do we square that?’ Being in a location like this, it helps with staff retention and attracting high-quality staff. Even though security is important, you probably don’t want to be locked up at the outskirts of London. If you want the best people, you really need to be in the middle of town.”
On the exterior, Copper’s modest tone helps it keep a lower profile. The company’s name is gently presented in a lowercase font that doesn’t scream “fintech” or “cryptocurrency”; one might even believe the building to be home to a branding or advertising agency. According to Bradshaw, security is paramount to such a degree that when the company holds an event at its restaurant, organizers must gain permission to use some of the lighting features.
“It was one of those projects where practically and philosophically, everything just joined together very well, and the client was just ambitious enough to see it through,” Bradshaw added. “Because it’s an architecturally important building, we had a responsibility to the original architect to do justice to the building even though it’s a 21st-century occupation of their building. We wanted to do a renovation gently and respectfully, which I think we have. It’s not a dot-matrix façade. It’s quite soft and elegant and gently glows until it goes off to sleep.”
THE DESIGNERS |
- Keith Bradshaw is senior partner and CEO at Speirs Major Light Architecture.
- Jaime Fuentes McGreevy is a design associate at Speirs Major Light Architecture.
- Jungwon Jung is a project designer at Speirs Major Light Architecture.
- Bruno Leung is a project designer at Speirs Major Light Architecture.
Photos: Speirs Major/Ed Reeve