Unity Hub at Craig Park

If there’s one thing we’ve learned makes better buildings, it’s empathy. Architecture never happens in isolation—and simply by being interested and engaged, we’ve found it’s possible to open up the conversations that connect a scheme to its clients and community.

We believe that the more constraints there are, the better the architecture. If there aren’t any constraints, we create them. Challenging sites, existing buildings and complex briefs almost always present incredible opportunities for great design.

To limit our environmental impact, we start with what is already there. By manipulating the form and fabric of a building—whether new or existing—we can work with the existing conditions of topography, light and orientation, and harness the natural energy sources offered by air, ground and water.

If a site’s constraints guide the bigger design decisions, then it’s empathy that informs the smaller, social details. These details frame the human narratives that aren’t included in the brief, anticipating specific moments in the users’ lives.

Good architecture is as much about what happens on the building site as it is about what’s on the drawing board. By working alongside contractors as well as clients we can ring-fence the ideas and details that matter, championing quality and sustainability throughout construction.

Unity Hub at Craig Park

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Work

Unity Hub at Craig Park
Craig Park, Enfield

Client

London Borough of Enfield
Myplace Youth

Awards

AJ Retrofit Awards 2014, Civic & Community, Winner
RIBA Awards 2014, London Region, Shortlisted
NLA Awards 2013, Public Buildings, Shortlisted

Award-winning Unity Hub at Craig Park is a Myplace funded youth-led project for young people 13 to 19 years old. The Hub's new building is a remodelled and re-clad existing two-storey youth club with a large new two-storey extension.

Designed collectively with the Hub's young people, the building features a series of functional and dynamic spaces ranging from a climbing cave to dance studio and media labs including a space for reflection and an outdoor multi-sport games surface.

The extended existing building has been transformed with the backlit polycarbonate cladding to unify new and existing and gain a role within the community. Colour change LED lighting can be programmed by the Hub's young people and glows, beacon-like, in its park-edge setting.

"The building is truly a manifestation of the ethos and intention of Enfield's Youth and Family Support Service to reach out to young people in a deprived area of North London. I think the way the building metaphorically and physically breaks down barriers with its 'transparent' appearance is extremely successful, providing glimpses into the activities within and advertising these to the wider community.”