YDP is a nonprofit artist space in London’s Bedford Square. Founded and directed by Yan Du, it’s a space for Asian and Asian diasporic contemporary art. Yan looked to Hong Kong–based practice BEAU Architects to turn the site, a Grade I–Listed,18th-century townhouse, into a space that shifts and evolves with various artist needs. Revealing elements of the existing Georgian design with new contemporary materials, BEAU reworks the building into an architectural visualization of the diaspora’s experience of nomadic home-making.

The building comprises three main volumes: the main house, the conservatory, and a coach house. The main house now houses office space on the top two floors, exhibition and reception areas on the first two floors, and more exhibition space and a workshop below-grade.

BEAU, founded by Charlotte Lafont-Hugo and Gilles Vanderstocken, conducted detailed on-site surveys and historical research to preserve and uncover the building’s original character. This preservation balances respect and reimagination, adding playful interpretations of Georgian architecture. The new design delights in bare, reclaimed, and off-the-shelf materials, tracing an evolution of the building from its history to its new era.

The result is a mixed media space. Different types of brick are exposed along the same wall, which further falls underneath new, clean materials like wood and fluted polycarbonate sliders. Exposed pipes are situated within traditional latticed railings and checkered flooring.

The scene is further layered by a canopy of a modular system devised by the architects. BEAU refers to it as “the suitcase project.” This system of parts enables the different configurations over time to adapt to the space’s needs as exhibitions change. Lighting and artwork can be mounted and displayed in various ways along a frame of steel.

It’s not just functional but conceptual: The so-called suitcase reflects YPD’s ethos to learn and grow alongside artists to continually rethink models for art and nurturing creativity.