Stanton Williams and Universal Design Studio have turned the former home of London’s Met Police into flexible office space – complete with a floating canopy roof and speakeasy-style club.

The Office Group has taken over the Thames-side Tintagel House, which is the latest addition to its roster of London workspaces. Rising over 12 storeys, the building will now provide flexible offices for a number of businesses and startups.

The original building was completed in the 1960s, and used as the central hub for London’s Metropolitan Police – housing the majority of the organisation’s operation for over half a century.

Stanton Williams was enlisted to carry out the architectural interventions. The London-based practice added a new extension at ground and first floor levels, while the majority of the top floor was removed and swapped-out for a floating canopy roof to provide a terrace and bar for residents.

Universal Design Studio took charge of the interiors and was inspired by the Tintagel’s ‘secret life’ as the police HQ. Materials such as brushed stainless steel were chosen in reference to the building’s history of innovation – particularly its role as the home of the first-ever police computer.

Terrazzo and plush furnishings soften the harsher materials, paying homage to the space’s midcentury heritage.

Universal Design Studio was tasked with designing a broad menu of workspaces that would encourage a collaborative culture while providing varying levels of privacy.

Coworking and meeting spaces are separated from quiet corners. A bar, cafe and gym are housed on the top floor, alongside a speakeasy-style space that is hidden behind a cupboard door entrance.

Jason Holley, Universal Design Studio director said: ‘Working with the grain of the existing building and drawing on our knowledge of the local history we have created a diverse set of spaces, designed to nurture a creative culture that feels both sympathetic, yet thoroughly modern and innovative.’

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