Case Study

Blackhorse Workshop

Blackhorse Workshop opened as a space for working and learning for the whole community around its base in Walthamstow and beyond, in 2014.

In a former light-industrial yard the building refurbishment and programming was conceived and executed by architecture collective Assemble and backed by Create London (the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund), and Waltham Forest Council, among others. It now runs as a self-funding Community Interest Company, with memberships, events, workshops, affordable access to tools and short and long-term workspaces, and with expertise from two resident technicians.

Fellow Blackhorse Workshop is the Daniel Heath Studio, producing wallpapers (Highwire, in grape, shown here) textiles and surfaces design

A ground-floor workshop has benches that can be hired by the day; above it is affordable studio space for start-ups and emerging businesses. Current tenants include Dan Heath Studio (printed wallpapers), Charles Lethaby Lighting Design, musical instrument maker Ismail Anouk and sculptor Marlene Huissoud.

In the refurbishment of the original buildings, Assemble used cheap and utilitarian materials coupled with hand-crafted elements, including furniture designed to be easily reproduced on the workshop's own machines. There is a thriving cafe, baking and cookery classes, and a regular makers' market brings in additional custom. Blackhorse Workshop was recently awarded £165k from the Mayor of London's Office to build more studios and a new education space in the yard, and acquire additional equipment. Assemble's hope is that it can become one of a series of open-access workshops that will be a familiar a part of our everyday community resources.

Client/funding Mayor's Outer London Fund, Waltham Forest Council, Create London
Architect Assemble
Area 850 sq m
Cost £230,000 (refurbishment and equipment)
Completed February 2014

Case Study

Manor Park Carnegie Library

Public art consultancy Create London is reinventing The Carnegie Library Manor Park as a community hub for learning and creativity for the modern age. This listed Victorian building was the first to be opened by the pioneering Carnegie Trust, but has been unused for the past three years.

The project was granted £177,534 by the Mayor of London towards its transformation by architects Nicholas Lobo Brennan and Astrid Smitham (formerly of Swiss/London practice Gruppe), who aimed to provide high-quality space for hire by artists and makers and the wider community.

They proposed that interior features be as transparent and moveable as possible, to accommodate evolving requirements. An arcade-style walkway would run through the studios on each floor, allowing windows into the studios' buzz and activity, while original decorative features are exposed and restored.

The architects did extensive research into the nature of work, production and collective life, as well as the history of municipal learning spaces. Create London hopes that, during its seven-year lease of the property from Newham Council, it can show creativity and connectivity as a way of knitting neighbourhoods together, and establish a self-sustaining municipal service. The refurb was as focused on community engagement as on the programme offered on completion, with the architects sourcing materials for the refit wherever possible from the many independent traders nearby, and having local volunteers help build the space. Director of Create, Hadrian Garrard, says: 'We are exploring how we can share learning and culture in a meaningful way...Instead of an arts institution where people come and watch others doing stuff, we are interested in exploring what the benefits are to a community of having them actively participate.'

Client Create London, Bow Arts and Newham Council
Architect Nicholas Lobo Brennan and Astrid Smitham
Funding The London Mayor's High Street Fund, the Arts Council
Completed September 2015