Mentorship with UAE Southbank
We are moving forward with our work with Southwark Council on their Design Framework.
We understand that the diversity of professionals in architecture and engineering is out of line with the communities that we serve. It's a big and urgent issue to solve. We've decided to start locally and start at the beginning. Sophia has organised a programme with UAE Southbank , a local arts and engineering school in Walworth.
A group of 14 and 15 year olds are working with us. By giving insights into how they see housing in Southwark and what it might become in the future. We are giving them the opportunity to see how architects work, our studio and help in choosing a career.
Session 1:
In our first session, Ray led a tour of potential infill housing sites in Southwark and Alex took an architectural history tour. We covered Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian, post-war and millennial housing in the Southwark. Together we've seen how it's changed over time and why there are many gaps leftover. Everyone is looking forward to the next session. We will discuss new design ideas that can create new housing in the gaps left over by history. We will work together on creating better housing and opportunity in the local area that we all share.
Session 2:
In our second session, We discussed Southwark’s ethnically and culturally diverse population and how different survey methods may work better for a variety of age groups and gather different types of information. We introduced surveys and consultation methods and which ones we use to go about consulting residents and their communities. As a group, we looked into the types of households that we all live in, learning that there is an array of flats and houses. The students drew spatial layouts as elevations and plans from memory, looking at the locations of the windows and doors. the room uses and circulation. We set the task to go and survey a household of their choice, focusing on occupancy and what they would want to improve about the household.
Above you can see some of the students brilliant drawings, we definitely have future architects amongst our group!
Session 3:
In our third session, we ran through the findings that the students had gathered, discussing the need for storage improvements and extra space in their chosen households. We explained housing design guides for London and individual boroughs such as Southwark and Newham, whilst distinguishing the differences between tenant, leasehold and freehold ownerships of properties. As a group we looked at how our chosen households sat alongside the London Housing Design Guide’s Space Standards and found that half our of group of 9, live in households that match up. Our afternoon session included drawing aspirational households if space wasn’t a restriction - it was very interesting to hear what the students prioritised as primary spaces. Some students wanted larger or more bedrooms, others wanted their parents to have more bathroom space and one student wanted more storage so that the hallway was clearer to move about through.
Session 4:
We started the session with a talk from Orlando, discussing LCC (London County Council) estates and how council housing has evolved across London, from the Victorian era and slum clearances to the present day. Referencing back to the history of architecture tour which Alex led in the first session, the students identified where they had seen the estates and how there were many LCC estates surrounding the school in Walworth. We introduced the students to one of our current projects, an infill housing block for in the Pembury Estate in Hackney and how we imagine this as a new version of the LCC ‘type’ which could fit in gaps in similar estates across London. We set a task for the day to find the next gap, using the Rockingham Estate as a potential for many sites.
Moving from the school to the Rockingham Estate, we stopped and identified other LCC estates in the area, discussing their characteristics including pointed tiled roofs with shared stairs and balconies to access the flats. Walking around, the students found 4 suitable sites, including blank walls, gaps between buildings and garages. We discussed the key things to consider, referencing back to Session 1, where we spoke about neighbouring buildings, landscaping and private and public space. It was important to note which sites were unsuitable, including areas which had a listed building or existing community centre or garden.
Back at the school, the students explained their survey findings from their chosen households, to better understand what other people prioritise and what they might change. Damilola explained in great detail about her extensive survey investigation, noting that she was shocked by how some people felt unsafe in their area, whilst others were content with their surroundings but would like more space for their family. Sanni also gathered plenty of information, noting that many of his peers are content with their living situations but would prefer to have a bigger bedroom. Following discussions in the sessions that highlighted the need for more space to live and alternative living methods, we showed the students some precedents of collaborative living and they voiced opinions on those they preferred and felt suited families.
