Pennington Street Warehouse named winner at BCO London Awards 2020

Published on 21 October 2020

JTP’s self-designed studio, Pennington Street Warehouse (PSW), has been named winner in the Corporate Workplace category at the 2020 BCO London Awards. Here, Managing Partner, Marcus Adams, shares some words on what this win signifies.

In a year that has seen many of us working from home, away from our studios and workplaces, JTP is really proud to have Pennington Street Warehouse recognised for being a ‘sensational space that’s designed for its most important asset - its people’.

PSW was designed with people at its heart; and it needs people to keep that heart beating. This year has seen a lot of speculation around the future of the workplace. After the work-from-home disruption of COVID-19, experts predict major change ahead when people return to the workplace.

Whilst we understand that workplaces will evolve, we believe they are still critically necessary. This accolade really acknowledges the importance of workplaces, not just as places to do work, but for the role they play as the hub of a community, often providing an economic boost to their localities.

We really believe that PSW challenges the preconceptions of what constitutes a workplace. The judges testified that PSW is somewhere that 'put a smile on everyone’s face'. But this goes beyond the remarkable adaptation of the building or its commitment to sustainability. The studio signifies something much more intangible.

It is a place where we make and nurture friendships. A place where we have face-to-face interactions. A place where we feel a sense of belonging. A place where we gather around the temperamental hot water dispenser to share tea-making strategies and other creative happenings. A place for accidental interactions. A place where we can mentor and be mentored. A place for informal development and networking that is so crucial, particularly early on in a career.

What this award signifies is that the workplace is far from defunct. In fact, it is very likely to remain a fixture of future life. Working will inevitably change as we emerge from the pandemic, but I still believe the creative and collaborative studio remains as important as ever.

Related Projects

Pennington Street Warehouse, Wapping,
London, United Kingdom

Reuse of Historic Building & Place
Stage: Completed