Grainhouse is a complex, heritage-led refurbishment that unifies and extends five buildings at the heart of Covent Garden. Once a seeds merchants warehouse, brass and iron founders and a non-conformist chapel, the design celebrates the character of the buildings and their history. The new mixed-use development combines flexible ground floor retail and leisure with sustainably designed office space above, tailored to small and medium businesses while retaining the original frontages and restoring original features.

For years, the site was earmarked for redevelopment, but due to its complexity and the general context of the Covent Garden conservation area, several previous schemes were refused by planners. Drawing from experience with heritage and complex sites and working in collaboration with the Covent Garden Area Trust, the architects created a scheme that would maximise the potential of the existing buildings whilst preserving and upgrading the historic streetscape.

The opportunity presented by the city block and its existing layout enabled the design team to combine and rationalize the internal floorplates around a new central atrium, creating a larger, more flexible space while preserving the external appearance of each building, ensuring they remain connected to their context. Additionally, the buildings were extended by two storeys, with separate but interconnected extensions tailored to the massing and fabric of each structure.