Archetech Issue 36 2018 | Page 54

MAKE ARCHITECTS A NEW OASIS OFF LONDON’S OXFORD STREET MAKE ARCHITECTS LAUNCHES RATHBONE SQUARE A former Royal Mail sorting office site, just off London’s Oxford Street has been transformed into a high-quality mixed use development with a new publicly accessible garden, by Make Architects. Designed as a sorting office in 1951, the site was formerly inaccessible to the public when it was bought by London developer Great Portland Estates plc (GPE). Now, two L-shaped blocks stepping from six to nine storeys surround a garden that takes up 20% of the GDA. From the outset, Make worked with Publica to choreograph the routes and connections, and Gustafson Porter + Bowman to design the garden square. The garden gives a feeling of discovery that is typical of Fitzrovia, and provides an oasis away from the hubbub of Oxford Street.