We admire excellent work of all periods
and respect what is of value
in the most ordinary structure
MJA were selected to consult and engage with shopkeepers and owners at Brixton's Electric Avenue.
Lambeth's Brixton Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) will see a £2.6 million investment in historic buildings and the part they play in local culture. The focus is on Electric Avenue – built in the 1880s it was the first shopping street in the country to be lit by electricity and found fame in 1983 through the Eddy Grant single of the same name.
History of the Architecture of Lancaster West Estate, North Kensington.
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, there was rapid recognition both of the need to make real improvements around the estate and the need to ensure that the residents lead the process.
With that in mind, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the Ministry of Housing & Local Government committed funding to support an ambitious, resident-led refurbishment of the estate. To ensure these improvements reflect the needs of the community, the Council is working in partnership with local residents through the Lancaster West Residents’ Association (LWRA) and other community groups to ‘co-design’ the renewal of the estate.
A team of designers and facilitators was appointed to work with residents to generate ideas for the future refurbishment of the Estate. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government made the initial selection and consulted with the residents who added some practices to the list.
The practices were selected because of their experience and design skills and because of their ability to work collaboratively with residents as part of a co-design process. The joint experience and expertise of the architectural team covers housing, community and public buildings, landscape design, sustainability and most importantly for this project, community engagement.
The process involves helping residents create a design vision for the refurbishment and improvement of their homes, their immediate neighbourhood, and the wider estate whilst remaining in their homes wherever possible.
The philosophy of wall repair is a battleground in the conservation world.
Old walls offer us historic evidence if we learn to read them. Some walls are listed as being of historic significance and should never be rebuilt, destroyed or even tampered with without very good reason, and even then only after detailed recording and analysis.
