Financial Times Printworks

The Financial Times Printworks was commissioned to accommodate two state-of-the-art printing presses, publishing and production facilities. The building had to be completed and ready to receive the presses within twelve months of the initial briefing session. Grimshaw’s design is an open-plan structure divided into two clear-span zones either side of a central service spine.

Until the Printworks was decommissioned, the presses were fully visible to commuters from the East India Dock Road through a long glazed screen. This 96-metre long screen is made up of a frameless structural glazing system developed especially for the building. The remaining areas are clad in a specially developed and tested panel system using super-plastic aluminium.

The Printworks was designed with the economy of industrialised building techniques in mind. A fast construction time was achieved and the building has proven to be flexible in use. It has undergone a successful change of function, following a six-month redevelopment programme, to become an internet switching centre.

Client

Financial Times / St Clements Press

Size

14,000 sq m

Completion Date:

1988

Selected Awards

1989

Structural Steel Design Awards Commendation

1989

Royal Institute of British Architects Awards

1989

Civic Trust Awards

1989

British Construction Industry Awards

1989

Royal Fine Art Commission Building of the Year Awards

1990

Constructa Preis

Credits

Photography by Jo Reid & John Peck