The Tempest Loft

Three loft rooms tucked into the original attic of the exchange, where the operators used to take their breaks on a wrought-iron balcony that we have, regrettably, not been allowed to restore. The double-height ceiling is original timber, stripped to its tooling marks. A north-facing skylight delivers the kind of even, cool light that photographers, painters, and certain kinds of programmers know to ask for.

The bed faces the long wall. The long wall is mostly empty — by design. Guests have used it as a whiteboard (we provide tape and a roll of plotter paper in the desk drawer), a slide projector screen, and once, memorably, a recreation of the Conway's Game of Life glider gun. We have no opinion on what you put on it. We will photograph it before you leave if you'd like.

Materials

• Original spruce ceiling beams, lime-washed
• Bauwerk lime plaster walls (Bone Nº 02, with a chalk-priming wall in Ink Nº 11 for the long wall)
• Wide-plank smoked oak flooring
• Brushed-brass casement handles

Technology

• Wired 1 Gbps uplink, twin RJ45 at the desk
• Wi-Fi 6E (Ubiquiti U7 Pro), guest VLAN by default, private SSID on request
• Genelec 4030C nearfields with a small subwoofer
• HDMI input at the desk feeds a Sony VPL-VW290 short-throw projector (1080p) aimed at the long wall — manual focus, please don't drop it
• An ergonomic Herman Miller Aeron at the desk (size B)

On the name

TEMPEST is the codename for a 1970s NSA programme studying electromagnetic emanations from electronic equipment — the idea that a screen, a keyboard, even a printer leaks information into the air. The Tempest Loft has very thick walls. We are reasonably confident your screen is staying with you.