Reworking Industrial Heritage: Turner Works Transforms a Textile Site into a Creative Hub in London

Architecture studio Turner Works has completed the extension and transformation of a former textile manufacturing site in London’s Harringay Warehouse District into Florentia Village, a creative hub that reinterprets industrial architecture as a flexible framework for contemporary creative economies.

An aerial view of a modern industrial business cluster with sawtooth roofs, solar panels, and colorful pink and orange external walkways connecting the buildings. — An aerial perspective of the Florentia Village extension by Turner Works, highlighting the sustainable sawtooth roof design and the vibrant “street-in-the-sky” circulation system.

Commissioned by developer General Projects, the project adds a 9,290-square-metre extension to a 1970s industrial building, creating a home for around 50 creative businesses across north London.

A modern industrial-style building complex in London featuring corrugated metal siding, a sage green ground-floor unit, and a prominent orange steel gantry with "FLORENTIA" in large green lettering. — The colorful and revitalized industrial hub, Florentia Village, designed by Turner Works in North London.

Steel Additions Rooted in Industrial Memory

Responding to the site’s industrial character, Turner Works introduced four new steel buildings on land previously occupied by storage containers, more than doubling the original footprint of the complex. The new structures reference industrial vernacular through sawtooth roofs, varied roof pitches and clerestory glazing that brings daylight deep into the interiors.

A wide shot of a modern industrial courtyard featuring grey corrugated metal buildings with bright pink balconies, doors, and planters under a blue sky with light clouds. — Architectural detail of the Florentia Village extension in London, highlighting the bold use of pink on industrial functional elements.

Today, Florentia Village offers flexible workshops, studios and light industrial units ranging from 46 to 1,400 square metres, alongside shared community spaces and a café, all organised around courtyards and external walkways.

Robust Materials with a Contemporary Expression

The project employs a material palette described as “robust and hardworking”, including corrugated galvanised steel, green fibre cement panels and polycarbonate glazing, balancing durability, sustainability and industrial identity.

An elevated outdoor courtyard and bridge painted in vibrant orange and pink, connecting gray corrugated metal industrial buildings at Florentia Village in London. — The Turner Works extension of Florentia Village in London features a striking contrast between industrial corrugated metal and bold, colorful walkways that create a modern communal hub.

Bolted steel frames shape the geometric forms of the buildings, reducing construction waste while allowing elements to be dismantled and recycled in the future. Bright pink and orange accents animate the exterior circulation spaces, echoing the bold colours historically used on the original buildings.

Adaptable Interiors for Evolving Creative Work

Internally, ground-floor workshops incorporate mezzanine levels to support both production and studio use, while smaller attic studios above are connected via raised external walkways overlooking the courtyards.

A vibrant pink external staircase and elevated terrace attached to a gray corrugated metal industrial building with matching pink doors and shutters. — The industrial aesthetic of Florentia Village is softened by a playful pink circulation system, featuring a complex external staircase that serves as a focal point for the courtyard.

Finishes are deliberately restrained, using exposed concrete, blockwork and OSB panels, creating a neutral backdrop that allows occupants to personalise their spaces over time rather than conform to a fixed interior scheme.

An interior view of a modern industrial warehouse space featuring walls lined with Oriented Strand Board (OSB), a sloped metal roof with exposed steel beams, and a light green double door in the center. — The extension of Florentia Village by Turner Works showcases a raw, functional aesthetic using sustainable materials like OSB and exposed steel.

A Forward Look for Architects

Florentia Village reflects a broader urban shift toward adaptive reuse of industrial sites as platforms for creative production. For architects, the project offers a reference for how raw materials, demountable structures and spatial flexibility can support low-cost, resilient work environments.

A vibrant, multi-level coworking space with red flooring, light wood communal tables, and OSB-paneled walls. People are working on laptops at a long desk, while a staircase leads to an upper mezzanine against a backdrop of green steel beams and exposed blockwork. — The interior design combines industrial materials with bold colors to create a warm, productive atmosphere for creative professionals at Florentia Village.

As cities continue to seek sustainable alternatives to demolition-led development, such projects highlight the potential of industrial architecture to serve as a durable and adaptable foundation for future urban economies.

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✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Florentia Village by Turner Works exemplifies a contemporary approach to Adaptive Reuse rooted in industrial architecture, transforming a former textile manufacturing site into a flexible ecosystem for creative production. The project extends a 1970s warehouse with steel-framed additions that reinterpret industrial vernacular through sawtooth roofs, clerestory glazing, and robust material expression, prioritising daylight, durability, and spatial adaptability. However, while the scheme successfully preserves industrial memory and supports diverse creative uses, it raises broader questions about contextual relevance and long-term affordability within rapidly evolving urban districts. As creative hubs risk becoming precursors to displacement, the challenge lies in ensuring such developments remain economically accessible and socially embedded. Nevertheless, Florentia Village demonstrates strong architectural ambition by treating industrial fabric not as a relic, but as a resilient framework capable of accommodating evolving spatial dynamics within the contemporary urban economy.