VITRA’S NEW UK HEADQUARTERS

Thirdway breathes new life into London’s iconic Tramshed

Commercial design and build company Thirdway create Vitra’s new UK flagship headquarters in the iconic Grade II listed Tramshed in the heart of Shoreditch. The lovingly restored interior provides an industrial-style backdrop to Vitra’s furniture classics and contemporary design pieces.

The Tramshed sits within a conservation area built originally as a power station for the East London Tramway in 1905 on Rivington Street in Shoreditch and was originally designed by English architect

Emmanuel Vincent Harris. Tasked with respecting the heritage of Tramshed whilst imparting Vitra’s brand and identity into the space, Thirdway and Vitra worked closely to gently renovated the interior, preserving all the defining historic details and forging a link between old and new.

The colour scheme of red-toned shades and greens echoes the building’s existing architectural colours, whilst black details link back to the black steel elements of the historic building. The 920 square metre space is divided into three main areas: www.thirdway.com

‘The Club’ a post-pandemic workplace installation geared towards the needs of people in our new working lives. The area features a striking terrazzo bar with varied zones, thoughtfully divided with natural lighting demonstrating how the inspirational concept can be adapted to changing spatial conditions. A silver curtain offers a soft divider between seating areas and provides a private breakaway space.

Upstairs, there’s a ‘mezzanine area’ which showcases the Vitra approach to home interiors, with a calming aesthetic of plants, soft furnishings, and artworks. In contrast, the basement, also known as ‘The Gallery’, is an industrial white box space to be used as a blank canvas for exhibitions (currently the presentation of Jean Prouvé classics).

The year-long renovation -- regenerating a building to create a showroom -- is a new direction for Vitra, and something they will potentially look to do globally as a result of Thirdway’s innovative design.

Part of the process and story was to bring Tramshed back to life after being unloved for many years… the modern forms of Vitra’s furniture, objects and accessories can interact with the historical surroundings of Tramshed… “The old and the new enriching each other.