Renowned for their creative thinking, Virgin chose a convent for their group headquarters. Long and narrow in plan, our task was to house 170 people in just over 3,000 sq metres while keeping communication channels open throughout.

To provide a strong sense of arrival and visually link all floors we elected to create a three storey high opening through the ‘heart’ of the building. At the centre of this is an existing chimney breast of bare brick that is supported by a new steel structure. A new glass walled lift ‘climbs’ the rear face of this central feature. The exposure of the existing steel and timber trusses of the pitched roof further enhance this stunning space.

A water feature was installed around the lift pit giving the impression of the lift coming to rest on a small pool over which visitors sit on a suspended timber deck.