ING's new design concept for 50 Farringdon road

50 Farringdon Street is a blunder. The gothic warehouses that transformed this area following the construction of Farringdon Street and the Metropolitan line in the mid-19th century are now being converted with new shops and restaurants along the street. Unfortunately more recent 1980s redevelopment created the commercial building at 50 Farringdon Street which has made no such contribution. The elevation along Farringdon Street provides an uninteresting frontage dedicated to service bays and has no interaction with the street. The main entrance on the corner of Cowcross Street also includes a barrier to prevent pedestrians walking past the doorway, creating an unnecessarily awkward corner at a busy pedestrian crossing on route to Farringdon Tube Station. We can do better.



Proposals by ING (the owner of 50 Farringdon) in conjunction with Islington Council look promising