A short walk from Hampstead tube station, the community centre has been a hub of activity since 1976. Fruit and veg stalls and a beloved florist’s shop welcome people in from the high street to the outdoor market behind. The centre is busy all day and hosts a wide range of social welfare, recreation and leisure activities, including:
Yoga
After-school clubs
Toddler groups
Life drawing
Martial arts
Language classes
Therapy/AA sessions
Residents’ associations
Christmas Day event for older people on their own
Playschemes in school holidays
That’s a lot to ask of the centre’s hall and meeting rooms, and after five decades of daily use its spaces need a refresh. In 2021 we were asked to undertake a feasibility study to allow the community centre to offer more.
We considered a 3-storey infill that maximises the single-storey building currently used by the market stalls. This provides space for a new multi-purpose room for community use and an outdoor space for children’s groups and play, while retaining the market stalls on the ground floor.
The project will decarbonise the site and improve the fabric of the building, but also takes into consideration how the spaces are used. The flower shop, for example, is left open in the winter, so the design should stop draughts running through the building. Accessibility is improved too, with a lift and fully accessible WCs on all floors.
The construction strategy aims to minimise any periods of closure to maintain continuity of services and activities and the outdoor market as much as possible.
