Mæ Architects have constructed a new Arts and Community Centre in Fulham, West-London, on the current site of Clancarty Lodge in the North-Western corner of South Park.
The centre has been designed to be suited to a wide range of users; providing a café, spaces for social and educational functions, clubs, events, and dedicated nursery facilities.
With this level of accessibility and provision, it is an environment that will promote social integration within the community, thereby combating social isolation.
Hammersmith and Fulham council had an ambitious brief from the outset, seeking to design an Arts and Community Centre that was sustainable, both in terms of construction and its potential to generate revenue in the future. To satisfy the brief Mæ designed the building so that, in total over 35% of the building material is composed of recycled matter, with a CLT timber structure which has been responsibly sourced and an inherently low embodied energy.
Looking forward beyond the building’s useful life, Mæ have also considered the reclaiming of materials, choosing bolts over glue as a structural fixing to ensure some materials can be reclaimed.
By turning to FRONT®, Mæ has effectively designed a project that upcycles over 28 tonnes of potential construction landfill material.
The Nougat WasteBasedBricks® have been created specifically for Sands End and based on the individual needs of the design.
Located on the edge of the park, the new centre sits adjacent to the 1903 Lodge which is a key marker signalling arrival into the park. The exterior timber faïence detailing and the roof are distinctive of London park buildings from this date. Therefore, Mæ retained the lodge building, repurposing it as an art space, around which the new additions are threaded, forming a series of new internal and external experiences.
The additions were designed to be secondary to the lodge, with a scale and massing which creates an ensemble of forms that frame the view of the existing lodge from both the street and within the park.
The triangular roof forms reference glasshouse structures formerly sited in South Park and at Fulham Palace that Mæ unearthed from the archives. Clerestory glazing also adds to this effect drawing light in from above the existing Victorian perimeter wall without detracting from it.
A series of new public spaces were created alongside the Arts and Community Centre, laid out in sequence from street to park. Each space has its own distinct and intimate character.
The landscaping design took inspiration from exotic nurseries and the former horticultural use of the site, where structure and landscape were closely intertwined.
When first users arrive at the entrance yard, this is a moment of orientation defining the transition from the street into the welcoming environment of the new centre and the park beyond. From there, the progression is into a lobby at the heart of the centre, which connects the cafe, common room, hall and other facilities.
The Lodge courtyard and terracing is the third part of the journey, providing outdoor seating adjacent to the new cafe. New trees, wildlife garden areas, vertical planting, hedges and habitat walls will create dappled shade and enhance local biodiversity.
Along this route, a mixture of brick pavers and gravel unifies surfaces within the site and the park beyond, while aiding a sustainable drainage strategy.
The interior materiality is driven by the image of the kinds of lightweight structures which enclose glasshouses, reinforcing the idea that the additions are designed to be secondary to the lodge.
The use of an expressed timber roof construction gives a natural lightness to the space. These interior spaces are lit by large North facing clerestory glazing to give a consistent light environment for internal activities.
Internally, the use of timber exposed timber structure and envelope reinforces the sustainable agenda behind the project while giving a highly tactile quality to the space.
OCT 2022 – Shortlist RIBA Stirling Prize 2022.
JUN 2022 – Winner 2022 RIBA National Awards for architecture – recognising the UK’s best new buildings.
JUN 2022 – Winner RIBA Regional Awards 2022
JUN 2022 – Winner RIBA London Building of the Year 2022
2022 – Shortlist RICS Awards
2021 – Winner AJ Awards 2021
2021 – Winner Structural Timber Awards Architect of the Year
2021 – Civic Trust Awards – Regional Finalist
2021 – Shortlist Wood Awards
2021 – Shortlist AJ Retrofit Awards
2021 – Longlist Dezeen Awards
JUL 2018 – Winner New London Awards 2018. The win is recognised in the unbuilt section of the Culture & Community category at the awards which seek to champion the best examples of civic projects for local residents and international visitors.
Mæ Architects have effectively designed a project that upcycled over 28 tonnes of potential construction landfill material.
This was a one-off product made specifically for this project. With our Custom Made Service, it's possible to develop your own bespoke brick or brick slip.
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