Printworks to be officially turned into offices following new council meeting

by Ashley Norris · July 12, 2022

The legendary Printworks venue in London will be officially turned into offices following a council meeting that happened yesterday. “The redevelopment of the Printworks will result in the retention and re-use of this iconic building, to create a best in class and flexible workplace,” said Andrew Tindale, associate at Hawkins/Brown.

Although the rumours that Printworks would be no more aren’t new, the official news that it will be turned into offices is. Despite everyone’s best efforts to save it, from those in the industry to avid partygoers, with online petitions, the outcome is sad for all involved and was decided in a recent meeting that happened yesterday (11 July) by Southwark Council’s planning committee.

Now, Printworks is set to be repurposed into office spaces and shops by using the iconic lengthy structure of the venue, and retaining the press halls, with an additional extension on the roof and southern end of the building itself. Hawkins/Brown is the company behind this transformation, and Andrew Tindale stated:

“The proposed design draws on extensive research into repurposing industrial buildings to create an innovative, one-of-a-kind place. We took inspiration from the bold and functional form of the original Harmsworth Quay Printworks building to generate the architectural response; retaining as much of the structure and framework of the existing building means that we are minimising demolition and embodied carbon.”

Image credit: planning designs for Printworks interior (via Architect’s Journal)

This is no doubt a devastating loss for our industry, as the venue which opened in 2017 has served to quickly become one of the most beloved UK venues. Everyone from Charlotte de Witte to deadmau5, and Jauz to Joel Corry as just a few examples have performed there, and it has made for many iconic memories.

In a way though, this isn’t goodbye as the team behind Printworks are opening up a new venue in London this October called The Beams. This will be the start of a fresh new beginning in another industrial setting, and we can’t wait to see how it goes.

Image Credit: Jake Davis