Nomadic Garden, London

Godson Street, 

Islington

Whilst our director, James Engel, working with Jake Edgerly, are working up a sensitive design for the redevelopment of 1-7 Godson Street, the land has been turned into a sustainable Nomadic Garden by Andie Scott and the students of New River College.  

The site which has been used for the odd market trollies for the last 15+ years and filled with rubbish was purchased collectively by 7 local people to develop into workshops, apartments and housing to help regenerate the chapel market area. These local people have loaned the land to the garden until next year, free of charge.   Since April, over 20 local community volunteers have helped clear the derelict site and get the project up and running.

The garden is in it’s early days but the students have been engaging in making fantastic mural boards for it of an exceptionally high standard.  They are successionally sowing leaf vegetables and herbs to sell to Moro’s restaurant in Exmouth Market who are helping the garden work towards being sustainable.  The project is also starting to recycle local food waste from restaurants and cafes to turn into compost to sell. 

The garden is on wheels so that each year it moves to a new location which is waiting for redevelopment. The idea is that the nomadic garden really is nomadic. Students that become interested in horticulture when they leave college will be assisted with practical training courses and grant funding.

Mayor Mouna Hamitouche came to open the project for the KS4 students and the local community on 18th July.  The day proved to be a fun filled with information, games and gardening for volunteers.  More local residents are becoming involved in the Nomadic Garden and cafes are able to recycle their vegetable waste in the composting system and wormery that has been set up. The development of the site is very important to the regeneration of Chapel Market and Spaced Out are actively involved in seeing the transition sensitively achieved.

Green Hub in Tottenham

A energetic, enthusiastic member of our studio, Abigail Stevenson, a recent graduate of CAT (Centre of Alternative Technology), has been busy, outside of Spaced Out, working at The Selby Centre in Tottenham.  Here, she writes about the pioneering ‘Energy Lab’ project and her ongoing involvement with the Tottenham community.  

by Abigail Stevenson

After finishing the Professional Diploma course where I focused on alternative development strategies, I began to put my work to use locally in Tottenham, North London. During a meeting to organize a skill share I discovered a wood recycling scheme called Wood Works Wonders had recently been set up at the Selby Centre (www.selbytrust.co.uk). I later visited the site and found myself at a vibrant community centre that really does live up to its slogan 'many cultures one community'.

I began to work with the Selby Centre to realise its goal as becoming a green hub, by reducing its energy consumption, retrofitting the building and creating a forum for environmental education. Taking the lead from the reuse and recycling philosophy seeded by Wood Works Wonders we are beginning to develop a pilot programme that will take waste generated by the centre and format it into materials that can be used to retrofit the building.

The pilot programme 'Energy Lab' will take a thorough and scientific approach, testing the materials for thermal mass and insulating properties as well as assessing their performance. This is an exciting practical research opportunity, and any willing minds thoughts and comments are most welcome, contact selbywoodworks@aol.com.

http://www.tottenham-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=24755

Photography by Tim Jones Photography

Britton Street, London

Britton Street,
Clerkenwell


This design for a family home and basement studio, to be built from lightweight prefabricated CLT panels, will create a ‘Hidden gem’ in a tight and densely populated site. Surrounded by 4-6 storey buildings the design adds to the artisan community thriving within the historic urban fabric of Clerkenwell, central London.

The massing of this contemporary design solution, which sits between two party walls, has been formed by the need to maximise light penetration, to a site effectively in shadow 85% of the year. Indeed, the design has required careful balancing, in order to maintain privacy for its residents whilst minimising the loss of daylight to the surrounding neighbours.

(Design by Spaced Out, rendering and movie courtesy of Clustaspace)

Out Of Sight, London

Westbourne Road ,
London N7 8AB

Located in Islington, overlooking Paradise Park, this double-pitched mansard roof extension provides a much needed extra storey to an otherwise cramped maisonette. The design solution is an innovative form and structure that does not interfere with the existing terrace features.
Titled "Out of Sight", the composition has made no visual impact / modification to the street scene along Westbourne Road. This was achieved by setting the facade behind the existing front parapet, providing a much needed outside space.

The construction sequence was tuned to enable the family to continue living in the rooms below during the construction period.

The result is that a growing family are now able to stay within their local community with the benefit of more suitable spaces. We believe this is a perfect solution to the growing pains of Families that find themselves otherwise trapped by spatial and planning constraints. Forced to move from sensitive inner city areas to the suburbs.

From the new roof terrace and with glimpses from Paradise Park, the eye-catching roof covering with it’s faceted form is a stunning addition the Terrace. Spaced Out specified this high reflective stainless steel for a specific signature to the building. Playing with this visual effect, its reflective qualities causes a virtual illusion merging the architecture with the sky. Perfect for ‘Out of Sight’.

Shortlisted for AJ Small Projects 2010

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/small-projects/

King's Cross Gasholder Competition, London

King's Cross,
London
Our proposal was for the main frame of gas holder no 8, to be raised on a giant hand, a heroic gesture to celebrate it’s beauty and magnificence.

In raising the frame from its base, our design creates an amorphic, user friendly new landscape. A place for simple and great events, for culture, art, fashion catwalks, speeches, recitals, performances and much much more......”race you to the little finger” will be heard many times a day.

This extraordinarily refined and purposeful historic structure is reinvented by the armature that supports it. A unique vision for London and King’s Cross, at Britain's gateway to Europe, an overture to a surprising city, a city where anything can happen.

(Conceptual Design development with Bob Baldwin of Doris Inc.)

(Design and model by Spaced Out, rendering courtesy of Clustaspace)

Weave House, London

17-19 Shacklewell Lane,
Dalston

Dalston is a rapidly evolving central urban suburb. The Site is flanked by studio workshops , a halel superstore and a mosque, formally a synagogue. The area has a dynamic mixture that makes up this special community. Currently the dominant immigrants being from the Caribbean, Africa and Turkey. The area has dramatically transformed since the Jewish Community started to move-on in the early 1970’s. Dalston is soon to be connected to the City by a new Monorail. Travel times to the Stock Exchange will be reduced from 35mins to 12 mins . This area is likely to change once again. The design responds to the shifting qualities of the area with a South Street elevation that has a range of coloured sliding screens that merge and diverge on a regular basis.

Penderyn Whisky Distillery Visitor Centre, Wales

Penderyn,
Brecon National Park

Officially opened in June 2008 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the £850,000 visitor centre for Penderyn Whisky has experienced a steady stream of visitors wishing to visit one of the very few independently owned distillerries in the UK.

The centre is housed in one of the site’s existing buildings, which has been reclad in black stained, whaney edged, sawn oak panels, giving it a unique presence in the landscape. In line with the whisky itself, the visitor centre is deliberately understated and expresses a beautiful handcrafted quality.

The centre offers views into the still, bottling area and cooperage store, whilst using barrels to act as space dividers, which guide visitors from the double height entrance lobby to a tasting bar made of black slate with a glass inlay.

Winner of 2009 RIBA Award

(David Archer Architects with Spaced Out Architecture Studio)

Aaya Restaurant, London

66-70 Brewer Street
Soho


Lighting was the key to the design for this japanese restaurant, which occupies the ground and basement levels of a building in brewer street. The design explores the vast spectrum of design visible in modern japan, from kyoto’s traditional temples to the upmarket retail stores of Tokyo.

The scheme uses patterned and diffuse light fused with traditional Japanese material and space manipulation to create a SOMETHING SPACE.
A 10 metre long sushi counter provides a focal point of the basement level, where raw fish are prepared and displayed under glass and lit from concealed lighting points.

(David Archer Architects with James Engel of Spaced Out and Jonathan Coles Lighting)

New Eco-Tourism Estate, Collaton St. Mary, Devon

Collaton St. Mary, Devon

Close to the beautiful and holistic inland transition town of Totnes in South Devon and with views to the ocean over Collaton St. Mary in the Torbay. This new Eco-Tourism Estate will consist of a Farmstead Complex, Lodges, family Linhay, a Health Spa, a Market Garden providing produce for the Estate, Outdoor Tennis Courts with support facilities, Indoor Sports Hall, Staff Accommodation, 2 Management Residences, Livery only Stables, Extended Cycle Route, Wetland Wildlife Area, Major Landscape and Habitat enhancement, Managed Woodland, Sculpture Trail in new Woodland, Ancillary Buildings & Infrastructure.

All the Architecture, including over 60 Lodges will be carbon neutral. Materials, whenever possible will be locally sourced.  

Planning Approval has been granted by Torbay Council for Phase 1 and Phase 2 has been approved by the Planning Committee ( awaiting sign-off by the Executive)

(Design and model by spaced out architecture studio, rendering courtesy of Clustaspace)

Carlton road, London

Ealing,
London

The Carlton Road project presented Spaced Out with a special challenge. Designing a home for a couple who each have their own design business. It was also a classic case of neatly slotting the new into the old.

As found, the property was a dark Victorian Villa, filled with the remnants of its previous occupants, the inventors of the heated flying suit, later to become the Milliwatt Heated bed blanket.

For over 50 years the house had been used by the same family as home, research labs, sample rooms and storage. It was also partially converted into two separate units with separate entrances and interconnecting staircases. Its original plan was barely recognisable.

Now totally transformed by Spaced Out, the Victorian outer shell has been carefully restored, with subtle modifications, whilst the interior is a contemporary machine for living. Transformed by a fresh new scheme which has encouraged the penetration of daylight and air throughout the entire interior. Unlike the Victorian plan, the new layout allows for spaces to flow together, including a dramatic new double tiered terrace linking the main rooms on the ground floor seamlessly into the garden.

Sonia Rykiel, London

London

The Brook Street Project is a flagship boutique and also Sonia Rykiel's first in London.

The brief for the project was to evolve the core design features previously employed in Sonia Rykiel's other boutiques, whilst at the same time maintaining the key signature materials such as European Oak, black carpet and white walls.

Spaced Out advanced the design by introducing modern technology combined with the Rykiel signature materials. The new design employed LED lighting, UV bonded glass, plasma screens, backlit acid etched glass and brushed stainless steel. Spaced Out also modernised the Sonia Rykiel shop-fit furniture by giving it a sense of weightlessness. The shop came with a Grade II listed frontage, which had to remain predominantly unchanged. With the careful handling of colour, lighting and new signage, the shop front has been enhanced, providing the desired European Chic aesthetic more commonly associated with Paris or Milan. Spaced Out designed a contemporary elevation, providing a secondary, off street entrance at the back of the Boutique, which is private, intimate and luxurious.

Thatched house, London

Leyton,
East London

Thatched House is a new build residential development in Leyton, located on a former car park site next to a public house that has been on the site since the 17th Century. Two barns collide and capture three interlocking townhouses and three apartments. The Thatched House Pub is a local Landmark. An institution, known for its specific culture rather than its Architecture.

The key focus of the Planners was to minimise the impact of the new building on the Pub. Spaced Out has designed two volumes, two offset pitched roof barns which subtly respond to the dominant double pitched rear elevation of the Public House. The new volumes continue rather than break with the existing landmark, aligning the roof pitch, ridge and eaves levels. Within the two main volumes you find six private units, woven together with a variety of access points and plans arranged over stepped sections. All the units have been designed to provide spatial diversity which we believe enhances individuality. The space occupied by the staircase is the resultant space from the merging of the two volumes. This space has a dramatic resultant geometry, reinforced by only having a skylight slot.

St Barnabas, Cambridge

St. Barnabas Rd,
Cambridge

St. Barnabas is the second project in a series of architectural commissions offered to Spaced Out by the same family. During the briefing phase it became clear that we were to focus our energy on resolving how the house and garden could be best joined. A key statement made by our client was that the design must cater for 'Visitors of all shapes, sizes, ages and stages of development'. Adding, 'We want to make them feel welcome into a warm, generous, creative space'.

The existing house is an Edwardian semi-detached villa which had an isolated back living room that totally underplayed the potential of its relationship to the long west facing walled garden. Spaced Out reacted to this brief by creating a lightweight garden room, opening up the back of the house. With a relatively small scale extension we fulfilled the idea that we should design a space that is manageable, with everything within easy reach; a space that never feels empty. The design was driven by our desire to extend the property in a sensitive manner with seamless detailing. The result is an object that gently slides in under the building, retaining the upper level part of the original full length bay window.

Settles Street, London

Whitechapel,
London


The creation of a new mews on an old industrial site in the heart of london. Close to the central business districts of the City and Canary wharf, this project provides high quality housing within a culturally rich and historically colourful part of London.

the Architecture has been driven by the desire to create light and airy spaces combined with privacy, essential to healthy urban living. This has formed a very exciting series of volumes and external spaces.

The bold geometric facade, shifting and opening to encourage light penetration and provide privacy is balanced and softened with the use of an inspired colour palette. Colours chosen are commonly found in reclaimed London Stock bricks. Here the painted surfaces are on the Bay faces, cranked open from the primary elevation. The rendered screens are fully enclosed at ground floor level with sheltered balconies at first floor level. The Architecture forms a new terrace, with 5 Houses and two apartment blocks, seamlessly united under one roofline. All units enjoy private terraces, balconies and a shared cobbled entrance court. The Mews is gated for added security and privacy.

Beginnings

A blog from the design studio spaced out. Hopefully this will be something that we update regularly, a place for some of the work of the studio to be seen as well as our general musings, enjoy...