PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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The Peabody Trust are developing a 10-acre ex-industrial site alongside the Grand Union Canal at the top of Ladbroke Grove into a mixed use, mixed tenure community. The development will provide 308 homes for affordable rent, shared ownership and private sale as well as 16,000m2 of workshops, studios and offices for local business.
Facilities for residents, neighbours and the wider community will include a 0.9-acre ecology park, public art, a crèche and children's play areas, as well as cafés and restaurants. A restored canal basin with moorings for boats will lie at the heart of the development.
High on the development team's list of aims for Ladbroke Green is the construction of innovative buildings of outstanding architectural design for the enjoyment of the local community as well as those who live and work in them. Ladbroke Green also aims to champion the sustainability agenda by seeking ecological solutions wherever possible throughout the development programme. EC funding has been secured for 1,500m2 of photovoltaic panels to convert light into energy - the largest expanse of solar panels in the UK.
BENEFIT
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VIEW was developed in order to signal the redevelopment of this large brownfield site and to engage local residents, businesses, schools and passers by with Peabody's aims for the development from the early stages onwards. VIEW provides a vantage point onto an otherwise invisible site so that visitors can check on-site progress and find out about design proposals as they develop. The aim is to link the presentation of design ideas with a real site and explanations of visible construction activity.
VIEW also provides a highly visible location for the exchange of ideas and views - a place where dialogue with the local community and schools can take place. The contents of VIEW will evolve as the development progresses. Initial contents - an explanation of core values and content and a masterplan model - are designed to engage visitors with the values underpinning the development process at Ladbroke Green. A 6-metre slot opening in the container frames views of the site and remediation in progress, while words describing key elements of the development are picked out on the surface of the glass in etched vinyl.
METHOD
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VIEW is adapted from a standard 40-foot shipping container exported from China.
The 6-metre slot opening and window and door openings were fabricated at the
delivery site in Deptford, where the container was also sprayed bright yellow. The container was then transported to the Ladbroke Green site where it was raised 3.5 metres onto a system of proprietary structural props on concrete footings. A standard portacabin stair provides access. Fit out including glazing, signwriting and the application of interior vinyl graphics was completed in situ. The whole process from design and procurement to fabrication, installation and fit out took 6 weeks from client go ahead.
VIEW has been designed to adapt and change as the Ladbroke Green development
takes shape. It can be moved around the 10-acre site as construction takes place and can be adapted to reflect the specific materials of the development, as they become known.
