Hop Exchange, London  

Client / The Peer Group

The brief / To restore the Hop Exchange to its former glory by giving a new use to an historic building.

The context/ The Hop Exchange is a Grade II listed building which was built as the centre of the Hop market for the English hops and beer industry in 1864 and designed by the architect R H Moore.  The building was severely fire-damaged in the 1920's and the top four floors were subsequently demolished, as well as the great cast iron roof over the Exchange's atrium space.

What are we doing / Greig + Stephenson's proposal to the building owners, The Peer Group, is to re-establish the building as a 'market'.  The concept is to redevelop the space as a retail-led scheme utilising the grand atrium floor as a public space and area for shopping, linking a new route connecting both Southwark Street and Park Street through to the new yard behind Park Street, Brew Wharf.  The aim is to sympathetically refurbish the building to contain a mix uses including retail and hospitality on the lower floors and offices and residential on the re-built top floors, thereby extending the building.  The concept for the residential component includes a new hotel for the area around Borough Market and London Bridge.