Prior to founding Material Works, Dickon Hayward was the lead Architect for the multi award winning Alphabeta building. 

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The brief for Alphabeta was to take the existing Triton Court - empty, dated and difficult to use - and transform it into a contemporary space that could appeal to a new, more fluid and adept workforce. Located on the intersection between Shoreditch and the City, the design objective was to reflect the merging creative, tech and financial sector industries shaping London’s new economy.

 

Throughout the interior the Architects scraped back the buildings’ old extensions and alterations to embrace the original steel columns, rivets and brickwork, restoring and celebrating the building’s historic facades and core. At the centre  a new seven-storey glazed atrium was inserted to create the dynamic, social heart of the building. The atrium is clad in a series of contrasting materials including charred timber, untreated mild steel sheet and extensive glazing. A series of steps in the facade projection break up the glazing grid into a sculptural form, further accentuated by seven projecting meeting rooms that cantilever into the space. The creation of a library, café, basketball court, co-working area, touchdown working spaces and shared rooftop terraces further foster the building‘s community, for the area’s homegrown economies to connect and grow.