The building

The Newsroom at 60 Farringdon Road was originally built in 1875 as a bonded warehouse and consists of three floors. The Guardian and Observer Archive and Visitor Centre will occupy the ground floor of the building and a new three-floor structure to the rear.

In converting 60 Farringdon Road for its new function, the architects, Allies and Morrison, have devised a scheme that makes optimum use of the space available while remaining true to the original 19th century ground plan. The scheme is characterised by an imaginative use of glass which has been employed to open up the building to the outside - a new glass 'facade' has been installed behind the existing neo-classical pedimented brick original to create a colonade at street level; a pair of rooflights illuminate the main public area on the ground floor and the building has been pulled back from the boundry wall to bring natural light into the office space in a new three-floor structure to the rear.

The cafe and reception are located directly inside the new glass facade. Beyond them are located the exhibition space (top-lit), the lecture theatre (with retractable seating) and the archival storage vaults. The main exhibition space and lecture theatre have been designed to function independently or as one large congregational area. The archival storage vaults - 'frost-free fridges' with optimum conditions for the storage and preservation of paper and photographic materials - are not accessible to the public.

All additional facilities - the education department, the public study area, and the administrative offices - are located in the new three floor structure to the rear of the building. These more modest spaces are lit by a new lightwell which incorporates a small planted area and which opens off the schoolroom on the ground floor.