Farfetch HQ ' Fuse Valley

Plot A & B — The site is divided into Plot A and Plot B. The first will house the three phases of Farfetch's new home, while plot B will be occupied by mixed use office buildings, serviced apartments and a hotel.

River vs. Road — The site has two very distinct characters defined by infrastructure in the east and the river Leça in the west.

Urban Grid — With a rational, orthogonal grid as the starting point for the layout BIG's design prioritizes efficiency with an optimized depth and floor area as well as an urban experience.

Buildings — Inserting buildings within the grid results in a dense, but low rise building mass. To comply with the gross floor area requirements in the brief the massings have a general height of three floors.

Connected Groundscape — By cutting back the building corners at the ground level a series of shortcuts connecting the different courtyards are created, giving a continuous and accessible public realm from which all functions can be accessed.

Public Space — To improve the light and views from the buildings, the number of floors needs to be increased and landscape area is released. With six-story tall buildings, green "corridors" or plazas can be integrated.

Network — By alternating buildings and public space, a series of plazas and courtyards are created. The shifting perimeter of the buildings offers pockets of greenery and adapts better to the surrounding landscape.

Roof & Terraces — Terraces are integrated in the taller buildings as cuts in the inclined roof surface. The terraces are protected pockets to hang out, work and relax. They provide access to the rest of the roofscape.

Building Connectivity — The buildings extend to create overlaps and interconnectivities within three different clusters, decreasing in scale towards north as a village of independent buildings.

Human Scale to Icon Scale — Towards the entrance and the north, the blocks gradually rise up to 11 floors, creating visibility along the road and a variable and continuous roof profile. Along the river, building height decreases to meet the nature.

Upper Floor Program — Office spaces are inter-connected on upper levels for a seamless spatial connection and allows for collaboration between different departments.

Program at Ground Level — The public functions are generally placed at ground level along the central promenade as well as the river front, with access directly from the network of plazas and courtyards.

Fuse Valley — The new neighborhood will grow and expand organically, like a natural village. Fuse Valley will be a lively urban ensemble bringing every curator, creator, customer and collaborator together.

View, Light & Noise — The roof height profile allows views from all buildings towards the river and the wider landscape, while the tall buildings along the road create a barrier from the traffic noise.

Central Passage — Between plot A and B, the buildings set back at ground level creating a covered central passage. The main public functions incl. lobbies, the auditorium and commercial spaces are along the central promenade.