Infused with the glamour and grandeur of the original building
London Regional Award 2019
David Chipperfield Architects for Selfridges
Contract value: Undisclosed
GIA: 882m²
An entrance building on the Duke Street facade of the famous department store now replaces a concrete infill, and a new accessories hall spans one entire side. These elements, together with a retail frontage on Duke Street, creates a new identity for the store’s east side, improving circulation and infused with the glamour and grandeur of the original building. Rather than form a hybrid of neighbouring architectural styles, the new entrance building maintains structural and visual independence with a stark, dark palette that contrasts the adjacent Portland stone. The upper facade is of slender bronze-clad structural columns that frame the glazing. This rests on a deep black precast concrete trabeated frame with two monumental piers flanking the entrance porch. Selfridges wanted to create the world’s largest and most comprehensive destination for accessories, while transforming the store with a monumental new entrance. This, it seems, has been achieved.