Goldfinger House

Goldfinger House

Goldfinger House is a three-storey building with a central tower, constructed with a reinforced concrete frame (both in situ and pre-cast) combined with brick, concrete, metal-framed windows, glass block, and a green marble plinth. The building is orientated north-west to south-east and is rectangular in plan.

The principal south-west elevation is symmetrical, featuring five wide central bays with narrower bays at each end. The ground floor is recessed on all sides, most prominently on the principal elevation, where a central fully-glazed frameless entrance lobby projects forward beneath the overhanging first floor. The ground floor has piloti along the principal facade, consisting of narrow vertical béton-brut (board-marked concrete) finish supporting the concrete frame with a 2'9" grid above. Between the two central piloti, the glass-walled entrance lobby sits on a green marble plinth. The underside of the first floor displays an alternating pattern of béton-brut squares. The south-east elevation features an external spiral staircase in pre-cast concrete with metal handrails.

The first and second floors have bays separated by projecting pre-cast concrete grid frame elements. Horizontal strip windows are recessed behind the concrete frame, with four panes to each central bay and two to each end bay, beneath which are concrete béton-brut panels. Above the strip windows is a further recessed strip creating a shallow brise-soleil (sun screen). The roof has a parapet behind which rises a central tower extending a further two storeys. This tower has full-height glazing at its base and solid concrete block above with occasional small square windows, creating the appearance of a floating block when viewed from ground level. It was designed to house a recreation area, plant room, document storage space, and plant and lift machinery.

Internally, services, stairway and lift are positioned centrally, with office wings on either side. The lobby floor is paved with the same green marble slabs as the external plinth. The dog-leg staircase at the rear of the building features tubular handrails and metal grille panels in place of balusters. It is lit by a wall of reeded glass block, alternately angled, echoing the béton-brut pattern elsewhere. Six rectangular concrete pillars running through the centre of the building are exposed on both first and second floors. Office space is primarily open-plan, with small cellular rooms located centrally at the front. These have timber-framed divisions with plaster or glass infill and strip windows at the tops allowing light to pass through into the open-plan areas. The managing director's office on the second floor has commanding views to the south. It features a veneer-panelled end wall with a cantilevered wall-mounted wardrobe, glass cupboard and drinks cabinet with sliding retractable door, with brushed steel rims framing the front panels.