London Centre for Book Arts

U-Build provided an internal fit-out for an open-access bookbinding and printmaking studio in London's Fish Island. The U-Build fit-out offered a cost-effective and reusable interior solution to the leaseholders of the old factory building.

LCBA by U-Build. Photo credit, Jim Stephenson 2022.

LBCA Studio 6 Retrofit, U-Build 2025.

LCBA by U-Build. Photo credit, Marco Kesseler 2025.

‘The studio has an unusual layout […] U-Build helped us divide the space to encourage a natural flow for visitors to explore and engage.’

In 2022, U-Build designed and installed an internal fit-out for the London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA), an open-access workshop, studio and shop located in Fish Island, East London.

Founding members Ira Yonemura and Simon Goode approached us to reimagine their studio layout to accommodate their growing public-facing shop. Our modular system offered a cost-effective, adaptable and reusable interior solution for the leaseholders of the historic industrial building.

The brief was to seamlessly divide the space to add flow and clear zoning. As Ira explains: ‘We decided on splitting up what was a large open-plan studio into distinct areas: the print studio, bindery, shop and gallery space.’ With this particular vision in mind, we collaborated with Ira and Simon to find both a playful, low impact and practical solution.

As the studio is situated in an old factory, it has an unusual layout and limited natural light. Once we established a natural flow through the space, we used our box system with polycarbonate faces to partition the new areas while still allowing light to pass through.

The fit-out was built using our modular flat-pack timber construction system, which we designed alongside engineering design consultancy Structure Workshop a while back. The U-Build system install created private spaces for practical work alongside an open shop and gallery space with clear views into the bindery and print studio.

Because our system is fully demountable, portable, and reusable, it offers long-term reassurance to LCBA as tenants. If they ever need to relocate, the entire fit-out can adapt to a new space. This flexibility reduces future costs and material waste, and the structures can be removed without damaging the existing building. As the LCBA team notes, ‘we were instantly impressed with the look and ethos of the project.’

Phase Two of the LCBA Fit-Out - Studio 6

We has the pleasure of returning to Fish Island in 2025 to retrofit Studio 6 of the LCBA, enhancing the space both spatially as well as through thermal regulation. Read more about phase two of our interior fit-out on the Studio 6 LCBA project page.

Read about the LCBA studio’s evolution in the TOAST Magazine feature, which highlights how the reimagined space enables the local community to thrive and creativity to flourish.

Explore our diverse range of Commercial Fit-Outs projects in our online archive or browse our dedicated Commercial Designs page for inspiration.