The Photographers’ Gallery is a non-profit publicly funded organization devoted to disseminating and exhibiting photography. Founded in 1971, the organization decided in 2006 to move its home to an old red-brick Victorian warehouse, of 10.5 meters x 21.5 meters, located between Oxford Street and London’s Soho. The building is approached from Oxford Street through a narrow stepped passageway between two buildings.

Two new floors are added to the original brick building, doubling the exhibition space available with two halls of 185 square meters, completely structure-free. Meanwhile, the existing spaces, more fragmented, were fit out to accommodate the public service areas, a gallery, and an educational room. The original structure was reinforced to support the upper volume, finished with a matte black render that extends at some points to the original brick facade. Wood frames perforate these two layers, creating feature windows that become indoor lookouts and give the facades a dynamic character. The panoramic window of the top floor brings in northern light, and emphasizes the building’s urban presence.