The Ones That Got Away

Russell Curtis of RCKa on its proposals for community-led housing in Church Grove, Lewisham

RCKa has long had an interest in the potential of community-led housing and over the past few years we have had numerous discussions with self-build organisations about developing proposals for sites within London. But the cost of land has always proved too much of a barrier, so it was an exciting prospect when Lewisham Council - which has a history when it comes to innovative approaches to the solving the housing crisis - announced that it was making land available for a communityled housing scheme. What's more, the site in question - Church Grove - was one we were familiar with, having prepared some initial design ideas for a similar proposal 18 months before.

We partnered with a local housing trust to develop a scheme that provided opportunities for local people from the council's waiting list to invest time and effort in creating a home for themselves. In return, they would also learn new skills and benefit from reduced rent.

The prospect of working with local people on new homes in this way was an exciting one, allowing us to explore construction techniques and technologies that were suitable for the involvement of non-expert builders.

community-led housing

We felt our design successfully reconciled the commercial realities of a community housing scheme with a complex and challenging site. Our design included shared space for community events, allotments and wild landscaping to encourage biodiversity - all while encouraging interaction between not just residents of the development but also the wider community. We proposed building the shell of the shared community building first and using it as a training centre and site office for the duration of the construction before it being fitted out, by those who were newly trained, to provide a space for events.

Unfortunately though, with a new funding regime for social housing providers announced over the summer, our client decided it couldn't accept the financial risks of proceeding with the scheme and pulled out just prior to submission. This was obviously a major disappointment - we had come up with what we thought was a compelling proposal that we would very much have liked to build.

But while it was a shame to lose the project, we're not too upset as the scheme will be progressing with a similar proposition that has an equally ambitious social agenda. The process has nonetheless been useful as a very interesting exercise on how to unlock complex and challenging urban sites - the sort of site that will have to be increasingly addressed to deal with the housing shortage.

community-led housing

The whole process was also very useful in thinking about how a co-housing scheme might differ from regular housing, particularly with regards to how housing design can be used to encourage community interaction.

And as the winning bid is from an organisation [RUSS] with similar ambitions and interests to our own, although we're disappointed we know that good will come of the process eventually, and that the project is in safe hands.

Russell Curtis is a director of London architecture practice RCKa

 

Caroline Robbie on Quadrangle Architects' plans for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal & Harbour Square Park in Toronto

Quadrangle partnered with Will Alsop (aLL Design) and Janet Rosenberg Studio to take part in a limited competition to produce a design for Toronto's Jack Layton Ferry Terminal & Harbour Square Park.

Toronto's waterfront has been in a sorry state for 150 years while the city effectively turned its back on the lake and the shore was given over to industrial uses. More recently there has been a change of consciousness about the waterfront, and Toronto has invested significantly in revitalising the area and drawing new connections between the lake and the city with many exciting initiatives, including water and brownfield rehabilitation, parks and trails, walkways and development projects.

The Toronto Islands are a magical destination, yet only a 15-minute ferry-ride away from the city. But the ferry docks have always been a rather grim experience, and as the waterfront redevelopment moves eastwards, Waterfront Toronto decided to hold a competition to mobilise a change to this area.

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal & Harbour Square Park in Toronto

It's a project very close to my heart as I grew up in Toronto and, like many residents, I have a lot of fond memories of going over to the Islands by ferry.

Our starting point was threefold: to bring functionality to the terminal, to introduce whimsy into the place, and to open up views of the lake as much as possible. We created a hot-pink terminal building elevated on stilts, with increased berths for ferries and more open and efficient ways of funnelling people through. Vessel-shaped structures house ticketing and WC facilities, and the entire concept was infused with a carefree feeling.

In addition to creating views out, an elevated approach seemed to us to be the best way of enlivening the ground plane with a waterside park including a pool and dunes/ beaches adjacent to the terminal. This way people can spend time enjoying the terminal park as a destination in itself rather than just going there to get on and off the ferries.

Jack Layton Ferry Terminal & Harbour Square Park in Toronto

Nowadays, people are used to pre-booking online so for those using the ferries the boarding process is more relaxed, with less queuing and more opportunity to enjoy the park. Our entry also removes a prominent hillock that presently covers parking access for the nearby residential buildings and obstructs views of the waterfront.

Our proposal was not only playful and functional, it was also affordable and easily realised. Since there presently is no budget for the project, we designed it to be easily implemented in a sequence of phases over 10 to 15 years.

Of course everyone hates to lose design competitions, but I was very proud of what our team accomplished. The winning design by KPMB Architects, West 8 and Greenberg Consultants is a handsome wooden structure with a green roof that doubles as a park. We are all now waiting to see if the city can come up with the budget to see it realised.

Caroline Robbie is principal of Quadrangle Architects

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