An important piece of UK architectural history has just been accepted into the national Building register: Sir David Chipperfield’s first building has been granted Grade II status as recommended by the Twentieth Century Society, having submitted the listing application in January 2025. This news celebrates the designation of 1 Cobham Mews Studios in Camden.
Constructed between 1987 and 1989 on what was once a derelict scrapyard, this unassuming studio complex served as the headquarters for David Chipperfield Architects for over two decades. Now, its future is in question. Current occupants Gustafson Porter + Bowman intend to convert the space into four residential dwellings. The C20 Society supports the principle of a new lease on life for the structure but advocates for its protection to ensure any residential conversion respects its heritage.
The listing offers a moment of reflection on Chipperfield’s long career, arriving as his practice, David Chipperfield Architects, marks its 40th anniversary. Recent developments elsewhere shed further light on his diverse legacy:
A Modernist blueprint for ‘English minimalism
Tucked away on a challenging, triangular plot, the Mews building reveals its architectural story primarily from above, its “controlled views” necessitated by the site’s backland position. The design, which references Japanese architecture and Victorian artists’ studios, channels natural light into loft-like spaces through skylights and glass bricks.
This minimalist approach, which the C20’s Alan Powers once dubbed “English Minimalism,” was key to reclaiming modernism at a time when the style was out of favour. The studio’s aesthetic, with its flat rendered walls, steel frame, and glass blocks, bears the apparent influence of the pre-war Modern Movement, reminiscent of Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre.
Inside, a sparse, honest material palette creates a rigorous, refined environment. The meticulous detailing, from the texture of oiled hardwood floors to the tactile quality of the exposed concrete spine wall, foregrounds craftsmanship.
As the listing notification report states, the building is praised for its “sophisticated composition realised with clarity and rigour”. It captures the “formative influences on Chipperfield’s approach” and prefigures the meticulous, materials-based aesthetic that would come to define his practice.
Chipperfield noted, “In this modest, modernist ‘backlands’ project, we can see early evidence of the rigour and meticulous attention to detail that would later become hallmarks of David Chipperfield’s work”.