Angel Building, London, UK

Architect	Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Date Built	2010
Location	407 St John St, Islington
Description
The Angel Building occupies the corner of Pentonville Road and St. John Street. In 2011 the Angel Building was presented the Regeneration & Renewal Award for Design Excellence and the RIBA Award for Architecture. It was also included in the RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist. As the architects explain on their website, this isn't a new building it is a, "...redefinition; of an out-of-date building; of a forgotten service yard; of a fragmented street edge. ... An existing concrete frame – extended vertically and horizontally to create a better contextual fit – is reused and wrapped in a highly-efficient glazed skin. .... ...... A forgotten service courtyard is transformed into a six-storey top-lit public room of grand proportions, set at the heart of the building to offer a variety of spaces to convene, dine and repose. ..... ..... Once an unloved 1980s office building facing demolition, it is now a 355,300 square foot hub of activity that’s redefining workplace with its mix of public atrium, café, bespoke works of art and rooftop terraces." The spectacular sculpture that dominates the atrium is entitled "Out of the Strong" designed by the Ian McChesney Studio. Their website explains that, "... Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness is a sculpture and seat in the Angel Building in London. The shape of the piece was generated by allowing treacle to fall from a spoon - the resulting form was then inverted. The unit comprises an oval seating area from which extends a narrow twenty two metre high spar. The title is taken from the motto on the Lyles Black Treacle tin which, in turn is a reference to a story in the Old Testament. It is fabricated from carbon fibre which is both strong and very light enabling it to be incredibly slender. At the foot of the piece is a seating area upholstered in leather by designer Bill Amberg." - The roof terrace - - More images of the building -