Ilona Rose House

Situated on Charing Cross Road in London, Ilona Rose House was developed by Soho Estates on the site of the famous old Foyles Bookshop, which relocated next door.

Alongside new shops and restaurants, this 13-storey mixed use development offers high-quality office space for the film and creative industries and includes 12-13 Greek Street, an affordable housing scheme that backs onto a public courtyard dividing the development. It is all complemented by rooftop gardens, public art and transformed streetscape.

The building’s focal point is its extraordinary facade. Pink GRC panels are patterned with a moulded rose motif, patinated brass panels form a sweeping gold scoop and rose shaped ceramic tiles are coloured in Wedgwood blue - a homage to Josiah Wedgwood who had a showroom on the site in the 1700s.

Brickwork is central to this material palette, with cantilevered curved brick elevations, a three-story raking brick wall, and barrel vaulted brick soffit pushing the boundaries of masonry construction. The brickwork and ceramic tiled elevations are predominantly located along a new restaurant-lined public courtyard called James Court.

Architect Christian Wren from MATT Architecture worked closely with a brick merchant to choose the bricks most suited to this project, particularly looking for tumbled bricks to give a weathered look that would bring out the character of the brickwork.

Wienerberger’s Terca Super White was specified on the extensive south facing elevation of the development, which backs on to adjacent properties, addressing the brief for a white brick that would reflect light as much as possible on to the neighbouring buildings.

Elsewhere on the project, the stone-like colour and texture of Wivenhoe Blend met the requirement for a very light buff coloured brick to complement the medium buff and dark coloured bricks that form the important James Court brick elevation.  

Wienerberger’s product solutions also helped overcome the challenge of how to resolve the cantilevered brick elevations. Bespoke steel panels were installed with bonded brick slips, suspended from masonry support angles. A smooth transition from brick slip panel to traditional masonry construction was critical to maintain the aesthetics of the building but Wienerberger’s brick slips maintained the same quality and appearance as the full bricks, ensuring a consistent look across this tricky brick detail.

Ilona Rose House was shortlisted for a number of awards including the Brick Awards 2023 from the Brick Development Association, where the project was recognised in both the Innovation and Craftsmanship categories.

Christian Wren, Associate at MATT Architecture, said: “Our brief was to design something evocative and ambitious, pushing the boundaries of design and engineering. This is exemplified through our unique use of brickwork, working closely with brickwork contractor Lesterose.

“We were thrilled with the final look of the bricks. Now that the public landscaping works in James Court are complete, and restaurants have opened, we can’t wait to see the public enjoying the fantastic space, and take in our ambitious brickwork designs.”