Photographing buildings, at its best, is a slow unfolding of character, a patient decoding of form, material, and intent. When you work alongside a practice like Orms for as long as I have, over many years and many buildings, what begins as a professional exchange becomes a journey, a shared pursuit of clarity, honesty, and delight in architecture.
I’ve followed Orms into calm, well-balanced refits, bold public gestures, gentle reweavings of urban grain. Each project has offered something singular, but all share a certain generosity of spirit. They have a definite clear-eyed optimism about what buildings can offer people. Delight will always be part of the calculation.
So when I was asked to photograph their transformation of 160 Old Street, a former Royal Mail building, long dormant and unloved,it felt not only like a commission, but a kind of homecoming.
It was here, in this 1970s concrete frame, that I saw Orms at its most distilled. The original bones of the building, respectfully revealed and placed centre stage. Then the touch of the new, a confident, green-glazed pavilion at street level, quietly joyful in its presence, connecting formerly disparate parts of the plan and offering something beguiling, the shifting light from an inner top lit street, glimpsed through the glazed facade.
In images, I tried to capture the way light slides across its handmade bricks, and the way it welcomes both visitor and passer-by into its orbit. It’s a small move with a big civic heart, a gesture I’ve come to associate with Orms.
Photographing the upper levels, I was struck by how well they’ve mastered the art of retrofit. Floorplate extensions, delicate steel additions, generous daylight . The exposed frame is honest, internal finishes are restrained, a thoughtful response to an existing structure that creates dialogue, not dominance.
Orms itself, is now headquartered within this very building. There’s something profoundly fitting about a practice living and working inside one of its own most exemplary projects. It’s a rare kind of self-reflection, one that speaks volumes about how far they’ve come, and where they intend to go.
That journey, in many ways, accelerated during the pandemic. While many retreated, Orms leaned in. The practice used the forced pause not to protect the status quo, but to reimagine what an architectural studio could be. They emerged with twice the turnover, a bigger team, and B Corp certification, achievements that speak not only of business acumen, but of values.
There’s something inspiring about seeing a practice walk its talk. It’s not just confidence, it’s an investment in their people, their clients and their neighbourhood. ORMS is a practice rooted in community, it is part of their DNA, and in 160 they have a truly splendid home.
RIBA London Award 2021
BCO National Award for Refurbished/Recycled Workplace in 2021.
AJ Retrofit Award.
