The Ministry is a social workspace and private members club for creative industries, housed in a former Victorian print works in Southwark. The design sought to create the antithesis to a nightclub environment. Desirable, practical working floors alongside generous social space are as suited to morning coffee and lunch meetings as evening networking and social events.

The aesthetic fuses Ministry of Sound’s innovative origins and the raw factory space with refined furniture, lighting and artwork. Exposed timber floors, untreated textured walls and black painted steelwork are a canvas for this curated layer, creating relaxed hospitality spaces. Rugs feature patterns based on original motifs within the building and are inspired by the heritage of Ministry of Sound. Above the entrance desk a light sculpture’s mechanical movement nods to the space’s industrial heritage.

Ground floor social spaces include circular curtained booths and apartment-style meeting/dining rooms. A 22m copper pipe bar leads from the lounge to a courtyard. On the lower ground level is a VR studio, screening and production rooms and a feature tequila bar. Light-filled workspaces on first to fourth floors accommodate different sized organisations and include meeting/informal dining rooms and breakout space. Pared down tea points provide a backdrop to the furnished spaces, and phone booths give privacy. Circulation between floors reveal original terrazzo stairs and exposed concrete and steel structure.