{"id":4880,"date":"2026-02-17T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=4880"},"modified":"2026-02-20T08:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:40:10","slug":"shedkm-transforms-neglected-croydon-office-block-into-temporary-accommodation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/shedkm-transforms-neglected-croydon-office-block-into-temporary-accommodation\/","title":{"rendered":"ShedKM transforms neglected Croydon office block into temporary accommodation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zodiac<\/div>\n

UK studio ShedKM<\/a> has completed Zodiac, the transformation of a brutalist<\/a> office block in Croydon, London<\/a>, into temporary accommodation for families at risk of homelessness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Located in Broad Green, the original office, Zodiac House, was built in the 1960s as part of a wider complex including the Zodiac Court tower block, which became a local icon after featuring as the home of Mark and Jez in the UK sitcom Peep Show.<\/p>\n

\"Zodiac
ShedKM has converted a neglected office block into temporary accommodation \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When developer Common Projects acquired the\u00a0office building in 2020 with a view to helping meet the Borough’s need for temporary accommodation, it had stood derelict for over 25 years, but its concrete-framed structure remained intact.<\/p>\n

Working with a steering group of locals, ShedKM<\/a> set about transforming the former offices into a mix of 73 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, accompanied by a new public green space and community pavilion.<\/p>\n

\"Brutalist
Zodiac House was built in the 1960s and later became derelict\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The building itself was the perfect opportunity for repurposing into housing; it was close to key transport links and amenities, and the building footprint, depth and structural grid lent itself well for conversion,” ShedKM architectural lead Ella Flint told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“One of the key challenges we faced was changing the community’s perception of the building without undoing or removing too much of the building’s architectural and urban character,” she added.<\/p>\n

\"Zodiac
The apartments have bright white interiors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adopting the U-shaped floor plan of the existing building, ShedKM organised the apartments on either side of a central corridor, looking either outwards towards the city or inwards towards a pair of revived courtyards.<\/p>\n

The single-storey undercrofts that previously connected these courtyards have been turned into internal spaces, creating room for a communal residents’ lounge and level access through to the newly landscaped green space at Zodiac’s eastern entrance.<\/p>\n

\"Temporary
The green tones on the building’s exterior are referenced inside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aiming to retain the building’s distinctive brutalist character, ShedKM kept its existing pebbledash spandrel panels and concrete fins, replacing the original single-glazed windows with double glazing and grey metal panels.<\/p>\n

On its two entrances, the green tones of the building’s distinctive zodiac plaques are referenced by a series of deep green metal panels.<\/p>\n