Bluebird Garage
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A timber grid imposes order on exposed services
Stafford Cliff and David Brittain Download Original
Conversion of a Grade-II listed garage into a Gastrodome housing a food market, restaurant, bar and private club
Originally built in 1923, the Bluebird garage was the largest motor garage in Europe. The main exterior facade, in a loose Art-Deco style with classical details and neo-Georgian wings, has been retained. The original lights have been replaced as have the small-paned copper-lite screens.
The exterior space has been transformed into public space. Paved in Yorkstone and Scottish Granite, a canopied market stall acts as the main focus. With a florist and kitchen shop to either side.
All floors were originally connected by car ramps. The only remaining ramp leads into the basement, where a carpark, production kitchen, staff room and plant room are now housed. The ground floor is column-free, ideal for a large-supermarket with customised ply shelving. The first floor contains a restaurant, bar and private dining club. The floor slab is hung from an exposed steel trussed-roof. A continuous rooflight has been added to allow for natural daylighting.
Data
- Completed: Mar 1997
- Floor area: 4,500m2
- Sector: Retail
- Total cost: £10M
- Procurement: JCT80
- Address: 350 King's Road, London, SW3 5UU , United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: CD Partnership
- Project architects: Ewan Anderson, Terrance Conran
- Client: Harris & Webber (Phase 1), Bluebird Store (Phase 2)
- Main contractor: Wallis
- Structural engineer: Dewhurst Macfarlane
- M&E consultant: Atelier Ten
- Planning supervisor: Jackson Coles
- Lighting consultant: Lighting Design Partnership
- Acoustic: Vernon Cole
- Cost consultant: EC Harris
- Cost consultant: Jackson Coles