Singer Studios, Shoreditch design, London buildings, England, capital architecture images, planning permission

Singer Studios in Shoreditch, London building news

9 October 2025

Architects: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Location: Shoreditch, northeast London, southeast England, UK

Images © Secchi Smith

Singer Studios, Shoreditch, England

General Projects wins approval for landmark mixed-use campus in Shoreditch

Plans for Singer Studios outline the creative retrofit of two existing buildings and construction of three new buildings close to Old Street underground station

The mixed-use site includes long-stay apart-hotel studios, a new stand-alone creative HQ, accessible public realm and small-scale retail units designed for local businesses

Creative real estate developer General Projects has today received planning permission from Hackney Council for Singer Studios, a major mixed-use development in Shoreditch, East London, totalling 185,000 sq ft.

The developer is transforming the current mix of six outdated buildings and vacant land into a creative urban neighbourhood, which will include 70,000 sq ft of sustainable office space, 202 long-stay apart-hotel studios, 12 new residential apartments, and small independent retail units for local businesses.

To bring its vision to life, General Projects is working with award-winning architect AHMM to perform significant restoration work on the existing terrace of Victorian buildings, alongside the delivery of three new design-led buildings. Sustainable construction methods will be used throughout, including the use of cross-laminated timber for the 8-story office building, reflecting General Projects’ ethos of prioritising environmental responsibility across their portfolio.
At the centre of the development, the current vacant land will be opened up to the public via four new accessible entrances, restoring historic public routes reaching Great Eastern Street, Tabernacle Street, and Singer Street. The proposal will deliver significant public space in the form of a new landscaped courtyard accessible to the public which will include active frontage, public art, and space to hold weekly markets for local suppliers, all set away from the traffic on the adjacent roads.

Frederic Schwass, Chief Development Officer at General Projects, said:
“Shoreditch and the Old Street roundabout has long been a hub for creativity and innovation in London. With the redevelopment of this gateway site, we’re excited to bring our vision to life – transforming a deteriorating plot into a new destination fit for the area’s already thriving industry. We’re pleased that Hackney Council is supporting our vision, which will serve as a landmark for development which both echoes and enhances Shoreditch’s unique character.”
Central to all General Projects developments is support for the local community. The developer is commissioning four artists to help imagine the entrances to the central space, supported by a £60,000 public art commitment. To do so, a public art panel will be established with local artists, community reps, council members, and developers, ensuring inclusivity and fairness in the competition process.

Additionally, the project will deliver significant enhancements to the surrounding public realm, including Tabernacle Square and its listed fountain. Designed to integrate closely with the local context, the development will also improve pedestrian connectivity and create new routes throughout the site.

The development seeks to achieve high-performing sustainability standards, meeting benchmarks such as BREEAM Outstanding and Net Zero Carbon in operation. It will also use sustainable construction methods, for example through the use of a hybrid cross-laminated timber and steel structure for the office building which will reduce embodied carbon by an expected 30%. The development will also feature bio-diverse and resilient landscaping, alongside cycle-parking to encourage active transport.

Philip Turner, Director at AHMM Architects, said:
“This project will revitalise a neglected city block, with different buildings with different uses, responding to difference contexts: the warehouses of south Shoreditch, the genteel set piece of Tabernacle Square, and the boulevard condition of Old Street. The buildings combine around a new landscaped courtyard which will offer the public a place to pause amid the hubbub of the wider city.”

Design Architect: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris | AHMM – https://www.ahmm.co.uk/