We Made That

We Made That recently enjoyed a team summer day out to Milton Keynes!

We took a trip to the MK Gallery where we went on a backstage tour by Deputy Director Kate Chadwick, learning about the cultural and community benefits of the extension and refurbishment. The new exhibition rooms, visitor cafe and retail spaces allow the gallery to host larger and higher profile exhibitions, attracting higher visitor numbers and widening the audience base of the gallery. 

We also took a visit to the current exhibition “Obedience and Defiance” by Paula Rego, enjoyed a picnic in Campbell Park, and a walk around Tree Cathedral (the plan of Norwich Cathedral planted in trees in 1986). 

We Made That are delighted to announce the appointment of artist Emma Smith for an integrated artwork commission as part of Penstock Tunnel public realm project in Wood Green.

Penstock Tunnel is a commission by Haringey Council, including an integrated public artwork as a key part of the project to activate and energise the space. We Made That have been working with UP Projects artwork curators during the artist selection process, which involved number of local residents, Heartlands School, Alexandra Palace Trust, the GLA and Haringey Council.

Emma Smith is a visual artist based in the UK and works internationally. Her work investigates human connectivity: relationship, communication and sense of place through specialist research and collaboration. We look forward to working together on the design of the public realm improvements and engaging with local people and groups to develop ideas.

We Made That have been appointed by the Greater London Authority, along with Graham Harrington Planning Advice and planning solicitors Sharpe Pritchard, to produce the Culture and Workspace Planning Guide that forms part of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Infrastructure Toolbox. It sits alongside and complements other documents in the Toolbox to support the implementation of the Culture Strategy for London (2018) and Cultural Infrastructure Plan (2019). The guide will set out best practice as well as detailed planning law policy and procedures, and will help a number of different partners involved in bringing forward cultural infrastructure and workspace. 

Two new members have joined our team!

Emily is a Senior Architectural Assistant with experience in leading community design projects such as her work on the South Norwood Community Plan and the New Square for Harrow with CarverHaggard Architects. She studied architecture at the University of Sheffield and the Royal College of Art.

William is an Urban Designer who previously worked at Publica Associates leading on public realm research, strategies and designs for public spaces. He gained his diploma and undergraduate degrees in architecture at London Metropolitan University. He also teaches a 3rd year design unit at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff. 

We are delighted to announce that We Made That has been shortlisted as one of six teams for the Fair Field public space competition. We are collaborating with landscape architecture practice HASSELL, planting and horticulture expert Nigel Dunnett, engineers Buro Happold, local arts organisation Turf Projects and lighting designers Studio Dekka in response to Croydon Council’s call for a ‘world-class exemplary’ public space outside the landmark Fairfield Halls.

The proposals aim to revitalise Fair Field as a key destination and civic space, supporting and augmenting cultural programming at Fairfield Halls.

We Made That, HASSELL and Buro Happold will be reconvening in familiar territory, having previously worked together to deliver the Croydon South End public realm project in 2015. 

We Made That is delighted to have supported Lewisham in becoming one of the capital’s first-ever Creative Enterprise Zones as part of a ground-breaking initiative to support artists and creative businesses. Located in New Cross and Deptford, SHAPESLewisham aims to better connect and amplify the local creative community and support creative businesses to develop stronger roots and more sustainable practices.

SHAPESLewisham was launched last week in the presence of the Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries Justine Simons, who announced a £1m Mayor of London Investment in an Enterpise Hub at Goldsmith University located at the heart of the zone. The space is to be created as part of a redevelopment of shops along New Cross Road and will provide a focus for local businesses as well as Goldsmiths University students and graduates eager to start their own creative businesses or social enterprise. The event also saw the opening of Second Floor Studios & Arts new permanent studio project at Deptford Foundry.

We Made That teamed up with Hatch Regeneris and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy to produce the Lewisham Creative Enterprise Zone research and action plan.

Join us on Saturday 18th of May from 12 - 4:30pm to celebrate the public opening of Cheney Row Park! Sign up here for free to enjoy ice cream, live music performances from local schools, chainsaw wood carving, bug hotel making and BMX activities. 

Following a multi-phased consultation process that started in the summer of 2017, a varied set of open space improvements is being delivered by Blakedown Landscapes for the London Borough of Waltham Forest. 

Whilst keeping the overall natural character and biodiversity of the park, including existing grassland and shrubbery, the park now consists of a new event space, play space, woodland area and improved entrances, which provide the potential for supporting more uses and activity. 

As part of the Mayor’s Cultural Infrastructure plan, the Greater London Authority has published the first ever research study of publicly bookable dance performance and rehearsal spaces across London, completed by the research team at We Made That and with Dance Umbrella. The study The Case for dance infrastructure sets out the current availability of dance spaces, trends and demand in order to help protect and grow the city’s dance facilities. The findings highlight a strong demand for more spaces to practise all styles of dance, the importance of access to affordable spaces to support all dancers in London, and the need for local authorities and developers to work together to widen access to dance spaces in the city.

Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons, said: “Dance is more popular than ever and is happening in every corner of our city – from rehearsals in school halls and community centres, to state of the art facilities and world-class performance venues. These spaces are where all Londoners have the chance to discover their creativity, keep healthy, and build relationships.

See the Mayor of London’s press release here.

Nisha and Lili led the New Architecture Writers on a tour of publicly delivered civic and community infrastructure projects in the Old Kent Road area, including East Street Library and Southwark Council’s new space at 231 Old Kent Road.

The evening event concluded with a discussion about the act of architectural writing as a form of policy practice. From What Walworth Wants to the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan we examined how architects and local authorities shape and use policy documents as tools to communicate ideas about the built environment to a wide range of intended users, including local residents, local businesses and organisations, potential developers and other stakeholders.

Three new members have joined our team! From left to right we welcome Shamiso, Lorna and Stavros. 

Shamiso is a Spatial Practitioner who completed her Part I at University of Nottingham, and her Part II at University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins. She is joining our team as an Urban Research Assistant.

Lorna is a European Urban Cultures MA graduate with BA in history from Nottingham University who is joining us as an Urban Researcher.

Stavros gained his Diploma in Architectural Engineering at Democritus University of Thrace (Greece) and earned a Master of Arts in City Design from the Royal College of Art School of Architecture. He is joining us as a Senior Assistant.

We Made That led a ‘creative sectors workshop’ with members of Lincoln’s cultural and creative community, to discuss ideas for the Lincoln Creative Production Hub. The workshop served as a brief building exercise, to ensure that the needs and ambitions of existing businesses and institutions are at the heart of the project and that the Hub supports the growth and success of the city’s creative ecology. The key findings and insight gained will inform the next stage of feasibility testing for the Hub - further information on the project here. 

The workshop was held at Mansions of the Future, a meanwhile-use multifunctional arts space which focuses on bringing together artists and communities to share culture in and of Lincoln.

Hannah, Mark and Oliver joined the National Saturday Club at Liverpool John Moores University to deliver a masterclass on urban planning streets and spaces within the city. 

We led the group on a tour along Hope Street in the city centre making observations about what was positive about the street and what they would like to change. Back at the studio the group created a ‘Hopes for Hope Street’ guide, using collages and drawings to capture key moments along the route, and to express their ambitions for this part of the city, including more colourful artwork, trees and activities for young people.

In an interview with the Developer, Holly discusses findings of the research study High Streets for All. The study - commissioned by the GLA undertaken by We Made That and LSE Cities - unpicks the contribution of high streets to the city and explores their social value. The government’s Future High Streets Fund was recently launched, and will see £675 million invested in town centres and high streets, ‘High Streets for All’ offers an important perspective on how such investment can best benefit these places and their local communities.

Following on from its recent designation as one of six Creative Enterprise Zones for London, Brixton has received a further boost with more than £4m secured to improve public spaces, shop fronts and infrastructure, supporting market traders and businesses. We Made That supported LB Lambeth in securing a grant of £2.1m from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund (GGF), which will be match funded by the council and other partners, to invest in the area around Brixton Station Road and the Brixton Recreation Centre.

The area has recently seen the opening of one of London’s largest affordable workspaces at International House, where the council has leased its former office building to the workspace operator, 3Space. The project has provided space for Brixton’s existing creative businesses, given opportunities to local entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and charities, and brought new creative and digital businesses to the area.

Lambeth Council’s application for GGF funding was developed in collaboration with Brixton Business Improvement District (BID), through engagement with stakeholders and informed by the council’s Creative and Digital Industries Strategy for Growth and Brixton Economic Action Plan, a report completed in 2017 by Hatch Regeneris and We Made That.

Read full article here. 

We are pleased to share that East Street Exchange has been shortlisted for the AJ Small Projects Awards 2019. 

The East Street Library is one of two ‘catalyst projects’ that have been delivered as part of a wider strategy What Walworth Wants commissioned by Southwark Council and the Greater London Authority to make significant improvements to the area.

The new extension allows the library to enhance its offer, providing an affordable space for local businesses and community groups, a flexible meeting space, and space for a homework club. Its proportions and materials are designed to be distinct from the existing building. Bright anodised cladding and a perforate ‘turret’ make it a characterful contribution to the neighbourhood. The interiors prioritise flexibility of use with bespoke furniture that can be ‘flat packed’ and stowed away on pegboard walls, clearing the space for alternative setups.

We will present the project to a panel of judges and the winner will be announced on the 10th of April. 

We are pleased to have been selected as finalists in the Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy category of the RTPI Awards 2019. 

This study for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) comprised of three parts; an Economy Study, a Cultural and Creative Opportunities Assessment providing an overview of the opportunities in the cultural and creative sector, leisure and other night-time economy uses across the Legacy Corporation area, and a Retail Requirements Assessment providing an appropriate and robust evidence base for town centre policies. We Made That collaborated with Hatch Regeneris, Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy and Carter Jonas to deliver this multi-faceted study. We Made That were particularly responsible for detailed on-the-ground business mapping and surveying in order to build up an accurate picture of the LLDC’s local economy in 2018 that goes beyond the data. In combination, the Local Economy Study provides a comprehensive evidence base for key elements of the LLDC’s Local Plan review.

We are happy to share that Holly has been featured in The Planner as a ‘Woman of Influence’. 

Every year for International Women’s Day, The Planner publishes a list of planning’s Women of Influence. This year, 50 Women of Influence have been selected by a number of planners to celebrate the impact of women on planning and planners. As per the article, ‘some women are on the list because they’ve had a significant influence on national planning policy; others because they’ve inspired the planners who work with them.’

‘She [Holly] has led two landmark pieces of influential policy work that is shaping the built environment in London: High Streets for All (PDF), a study for the Mayor of London on the social value of London’s High Streets; and Industrial Intensification and Co-location design guidance for the Mayor of London, which sets out ambitious plans for retention of industrial employment space alongside new housing across the city. She is appointed as a Mayor’s Design Advocate for the Greater London Authority and CABE Built Environment Expert.’

We Made That are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Building Design Young Architect of the Year Awards 2019, with the winner being announced on 1st May! 

Click here to read the article, and keep your fingers crossed.

In a profession that is woefully lacking in diversity, New Architecture Writers is an exciting and dynamic programme that We Made That is delighted to support. 

Phineas Harper, Deputy Director of the Architecture Foundation, said: “We Made That have consistently shown themselves to be a forward-looking and deeply ethical practice. I am thrilled that they have chosen to support New Architecture Writers both financially and in-kind.

New Architecture Writers is a crucial project for bringing new voices into architectural discourse. In its first year, N.A.W. has mixed architecture lectures, building tours, public debates, written exercises, and one-to-one tutorials into a rich, programme with its alumni poised to launch the first BAME-only architecture magazine, Afterparti. None of this would be possible without the support of critical firms who believe diversity and equality are essential to the practice and discussion of architecture in the 21st century. Thank you, We Made That!”

We Made That have recently completed refurbishment works and a new extension to East Street Library in Walworth. The project has been delivered as part of a wider ‘What Walworth Wants’ strategy commissioned by Southwark Council and the Greater London Authority to make significant improvements to the area. Along with East Street Market enhancements, the project is one of two ‘catalyst projects’ that have been realised as part of the strategy, with funding secured from the Mayor of London.

The newly opened bright red extension – East Street Exchange – now allows the library to boost activity and host a flexible range of new uses. It offers an affordable space for local businesses, entrepreneurs and community groups; provides a much-needed flexible meeting space for groups in the area to meet (bookable even outside of normal library opening hours); and makes space for homework club and peer-to-peer language assistance. 

We Made That led a multi-disciplinary team on the project, including engineering input from Engineers HRW and OR Consulting, Stockdale as cost consultant and artwork design by Maddison Graphic.