South Kilburn Studios - Architecture with the community
- Series: Kreativ.Quartier.Ruhr
A new creative workspace in London is changing the perception of what a studio should do, and what its role is in a community.
South Kilburn Studios is a new creative workspace with studio spaces for young creative businesses. But it stands out because the tenants pledge - instead of paying rent - to train a young local to help them gain skills and build a portfolio.
The project has been developed by the Architecture Foundation with the South Kilburn Neighbourhood Trust and Practice Architecture. They’ve taken a disused temporary building on a council estate in South Kilburn, and turned it into 13 individual units and a huge break-out space.
The tenants were chosen through an open competition, and include composers, film makers, milliners, and architects. They are now recruiting for local residents, aged between 18 and 25, to take part in the traineeships.
This is a different dynamic to the usual creative workspace or incubators, which focus on developing the businesses within them, rather than engaging properly with locals.
And it’s already shows in the community it developed to build it - 70 volunteers helped to deliver the scheme over six weeks.
The architects, Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley, said: ‘We were asked by the Architecture Foundation to create a space that addressed the issues of unemployment in the local area. The decision to convert the building into studio spaces seemed very natural given its existing layout and we were excited about integrating traineeships into the traditional studio structure.”
They have created a 24-metre light-box extension to ‘signpost’ the centre (see picture), changed the building’s internal layout, and replaced dull carpets with ply floors. It’s an interesting, creative space that you could imaging making your own.
The studio will only last until September when the money will run out, but the community support, design, and idea is so good it’s hard to see the project finishing then.
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South Kilburn Studios is a new creative workspace with studio spaces for young creative businesses. But it stands out because the tenants pledge - instead of paying rent - to train a young local to help them gain skills and build a portfolio.
The project has been developed by the Architecture Foundation with the South Kilburn Neighbourhood Trust and Practice Architecture. They’ve taken a disused temporary building on a council estate in South Kilburn, and turned it into 13 individual units and a huge break-out space.
Tenants work with trainees
The tenants were chosen through an open competition, and include composers, film makers, milliners, and architects. They are now recruiting for local residents, aged between 18 and 25, to take part in the traineeships.
This is a different dynamic to the usual creative workspace or incubators, which focus on developing the businesses within them, rather than engaging properly with locals.
And it’s already shows in the community it developed to build it - 70 volunteers helped to deliver the scheme over six weeks.
Working with the local community
The architects, Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley, said: ‘We were asked by the Architecture Foundation to create a space that addressed the issues of unemployment in the local area. The decision to convert the building into studio spaces seemed very natural given its existing layout and we were excited about integrating traineeships into the traditional studio structure.”
They have created a 24-metre light-box extension to ‘signpost’ the centre (see picture), changed the building’s internal layout, and replaced dull carpets with ply floors. It’s an interesting, creative space that you could imaging making your own.
The studio will only last until September when the money will run out, but the community support, design, and idea is so good it’s hard to see the project finishing then.
Photos: Callum Lee
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- David Chipperfield - great art doesn't need government subsidies
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Go to channel:
Sat, 30.04.2011
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