The Kensington Building

Location: London, UK

Architect: Pilbrow & Partners

Finished: 2022

Photos: Hufton + Crow, Philip Vile

Petersen Magazine: Petersen 49

Products: K91

Categories: Commercial

The new Kensington Building at the corner of High Street Kensington and Wrights Lane in London is the result of a comprehensive transformation project that restores the cultural and historical relation to the neighbourhood, while also meeting all the requirements of a modern office building. The Kensington Building stands on the site occupied by Pontings since the 1970s. The older and original Pontings was one of the three grand dames of the heyday of the London department store, along with Barkers and Derry & Toms. Much of the façade’s structural ‘gravitas’ is down to the choice of brick, in this case, K91 laid in flush pointing. The brick blends well with the bright Moleanos stone, but up close, subtle variations in the warm grey tones are revealed, contrasting nicely with the glass and the delicate bronze detailing of the windows. This sensitive choice of materials goes a long way towards humanising the building and re-integrating it into the High Street. Petersen Tegl supplied a large number of specially moulded bricks to create the desired brickwork. The distinctive octagonal columns on the façade are made of special moulded brick. The rounded brick sections in the high-ceilinged lobby are also clad with customised K91, as is one side of the solid staircase: a curved brick section made of customised, rounded Kolumba.