The Bethnal Green Office by Carmody Groarke has been named the AJ Design of the Year, recognizing the project as an outstanding example of urban reuse and regeneration. The building, which was once threatened with demolition, has been transformed into 2,200 square meters of flexible contemporary workspace through a lean, low-carbon upgrade and extension. The project also won in the Refurbishment Project category for projects over 10 million pounds at the 2025 AJ Architecture Awards.
The innovative design approach involved preserving the existing three-story, gray brick-clad concrete frame while adding a lightweight three-story steel and timber structure clad in galvanized steel on top. The new steel structure is cleverly threaded down through the concrete frame to bear on the original foundations. Only floor and roof slabs were removed and replaced with mass timber beams and floors, demonstrating a thoughtful approach to material reuse.
Sustainability was a key focus throughout the construction process, with all new components being bolted together to allow for future disassembly. The new façade is just 3mm thick and was predrilled prior to being hot-dip galvanized for complete weatherproofing. The building sits on a corner plot and accommodates a commercial unit at ground level, which has been newly opened out to the street while maintaining the low-key spirit of the eclectic high street.
The galvanized steel cladding features a spangled finish that appears either dappled gray or eye-catchingly sparkly depending on the weather conditions. The cladding is formed into cornice-like fins at each story, serving as brise-soleil for the new windows made from low-tech sliding industrial door units. This creates a distinctive horizontally stacked profile that the architects say was inspired by early 20th-century cast-iron façades of SoHo, New York, with their pronounced eaves and copings.
The building operates with natural ventilation and is heated by electric and renewable energy sources, achieving an operational energy use of 30.3 kWh per square meter per year. Internally, a new staircase sits in one corner of the plan, with secure bike storage, showers, and changing facilities at ground floor level. Above, Douglas fir flooring creates what the architects describe as "soft spots everywhere," enabling flexibility for clients to combine floors as needed.
The AJ editorial team selected the project as Design of the Year, stating that what has been created is "not just an inspired reimagining of a relatively mundane building as mini-landmark, but a replicable model for inner-city workspace regeneration." The project represents a preview of significant upcoming low-carbon and retrofit projects the firm is working on in the UK and Europe, including the British Library archive at Boston Spa and Design Museum Gent.
This recognition is part of a series of relatively small but significant recent completions for Carmody Groarke, including The ArtPlay pavilion at Dulwich Picture Gallery, the recently finished Power Hall for the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, and the Manser Medal-shortlisted Covent Garden apartment. The project achieved an embodied carbon footprint of 335.16 kgCO2 per square meter and includes 28 units of on-site energy generation.
The winners in 19 categories, plus three editorial-chosen awards, were announced at a celebratory dinner event at the Royal Lancaster London on November 27, 2025. The project was completed in June 2025 for client Unity Group (formerly DAO Estates), with Davies Maguire serving as structural engineer and Webb Yates Engineers handling services engineering.
