London based, Darling Associates have been shortlisted for the Office award in the International Design & Architecture Awards 2014.

Market Street office development actively enhances the setting of the adjacent Grade II Listed United Reform Church by improving views of the building from the town centre and improving the immediate surrounding public realm. The building is accessed via a double height, landscaped colonnade which guides visitors towards the entrance.

The main reception area is a double height space, echoing the proportions of the colonnade, creating a ‘grand lobby’ ambience with a distinctive feature reception wall which transfers the external materials palette to the interior. Quality was always the clients main priority throughout the project, our intent from the outset was to deliver a London specification and design stand commercial office space within the Thames gateway. Commercial office spaces can often suffer from a harsh and impersonal interior environment, our approach was to create a warm and welcoming environment. Evoking the feeling of comfort and luxury associated with a Boutique hotel.

The building also need to contribute to its surroundings, forming a key segment of the wider Maidenhead regeneration masterplan. As such it was required to be an exemplar piece of architecture, setting the tone for all future adjacent buildings within the wider masterplan. The most successful elements of the project is the interior design of the main reception area and the manner in which the building address the adjacent roundabout. The stepped massing of the scheme successfully manages the transition from the adjacent Grade II list church, to its imposing dominance of the main arterial route, where it the building acts as a signifier and gateway building.