Little Strand Street is even quieter than its Great sibling, running from Capel Street along the rear of the block that faces onto Upper Ormond Quay.
Extending a larger building, this mews office building was designed by Grafton Architects and completed in 1999. It’s tough and beautiful, locking up on the stone-clad ground level with heavy doors and barred windows, echoing the neighbouring warehouses.
On the upper levels, there’s an abundance of light coming in through glazing and glass blocks. It’s particularly nice to see the latter used to such good effect – they’re so deeply unfashionable and sometimes justly so, but the repeated module and the flattening effect of using them as cladding looks great. The transparent materials let in light, while the ventilation comes from opening solid cedar panels, separating the two functions of a conventional window.
