Whitechapel, London Major Refurbishment Becomes Unlikely Catwalk

A construction site has formed the unlikely setting for award-winning Danish fashion designer and video artist Jens Laugesen’s new collection. Laugesen’s new film IN RECON/SOLARIS was shot in The Rowe, a 162,000-quare-foot office development in Whitechapel, London. He gained permission from the contractor, which is refurbishing and extending the building, BAM Construction, on behalf of developer, Frasers property.

The London-based designer, with over 20 years of experience in international fashion, chose the building after watching BAM working on it from his neighboring home during the pandemic.

The extensive and complex refurbishment works include upgrading the building’s existing six-story concrete frame and adding a six-story steel-structured extension. The building’s existing 1960s façade is being retained, formerly belonging to London Metropolitan University’s Sir John Cass Faculty of Art and in itself, something of an icon.

Laugesen says, “I was fascinated by watching first-hand the demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the new high-rise building, with a remodeled inside and additional floors added to the existing graded brutalist building. I love this metamodern concept of adding further structure to existing and saw similarities in my design practice where I take existing tailored garments to reconstruct new forms and identities. Because of these similarities, I thought it could be cool to do an image film inside the building in reconstruction, which was also the working title for the film project I developed with my long-time collaborators photographer Jean-Francois Carly and film editor Maxim Young.”

The building is now becoming a bit of a fashion item itself, targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and a WELL Gold certification, with design by Stirling Prize winning architects AHMM. It will run on 100% renewable electricity, providing a 45% carbon emission reduction compared to a standard office building. It will feature 17,000 square feet of external space and private terraces on every floor, plus an 8,000-square-foot communal roof garden. It is due for completion in fall of 2022.