THE FUTURE OF COUNCIL HOUSING

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Council housing is usually viewed as homes built for the poorest of people where design quality is said to be undermined by poor construction. The usual perception of council estates is deemed to be poverty stricken, isolated by poorly lit walkways, surrounded by brutalist concrete walls and haven for crime and drug dealing. This stereotypical perception has encouraged private developers and local councils to target council housing estates for demolition and redevelopment. 

Research has shown that currently 237 estates in London are facing or undergoing some form of regeneration; either for demolition or privatisation. The Institute of public policy research report, put together by Savills, produced for the government cabinet, titled ‘Completing London’s Streets’, recommends the demolition of homes of over 400,000 Londoners (Savills, 2016). Removing housing stock during a period of  a ‘housing crisis’ and driving out low-income tenants from their homes instigates further problems in itself. We are not only demolishing building fabric, but more importantly we are fizzling out tightly-knit communities.

As I go through my final ‘home run’ of architectural training to become an Architect, this stigma on council homes is something I have always found immensely troubling. In architecture school we were told about the huge investments that were put into social housing during the post war years; local councils and housing associations teaming up with Architects to come up with pioneering initiatives to ramp up housing supply. ‘Housing for all’ was the aim, which brought about the beginnings of a welfare state.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE // KHALID AIDEED

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE // KHALID AIDEED

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE // KHALID AIDEED

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE // KHALID AIDEED

Alexandra Road is a prime example of social housing schemes built in the 1970’s that provided a beacon of hope for middle to low income families in London, which was later Grade II* listed in 1993. However, the majority of these estates are not seen in the same light and their architectural asset and face seems to take more precedence over its purpose or most importantly the existing residents and users that occupy these spaces. 

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

There lies a different fate with the Central Hill council estate, located in Crystal Palace South London, which is deemed not fit for purpose and since 2015 has been set for demolition and redevelopment by the council. There has been resistance against the redevelopment of the estate by the Central Hill residents who formed a campaign, named ‘Save Central Hill Community’. They  made an alliance with the ‘Architects For Social Housing’ non-profit group to propose architectural alternatives to demolition and to find ways to increase capacity and to generate collective funds to renovate existing homes. Despite their efforts, their ideas were never acknowledge or considered due to the local authorities power of land ownership of the council homes. The futures of the local residents relies on the commercial incentives of the council (i.e the landowner) and the private investor. After all, their decisions are merely based on the socio-economic climate and the ability to sustain long term financial stability.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

PHOTOGRAPHY: CENTRAL HILL ESTATE // ARCHITECTS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING

So where does this leave us and where could we do better?

Clarifying the term ‘affordable housing’, ‘social housing’ or ‘regeneration’ and what this all means for the residents, the council and the professions within the built environment would help in reinstating the purpose of council housing.

As Architects it is important to take into account the ultimate impact of our work. It is also difficult to deliver morally sound projects for the user where there are no policies, regulations, contracts or government body to protect the human right of tenants within council homes. I therefore implore all designers, professional bodies, government and non-government bodies to engage with and listen to the voices of the residents to more widely help co-design and fabricate design policy. In a time where the new generation struggle to get onto the housing ladder, it is now time to think outside the box and propose innovative and alternative ways of living.

By Khalid Aideed

CP CERAMICS

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As architects, we often find ourselves dipping our toes into other creative outlets, perhaps often craving avenues where there is a shorter turnaround time for the finished product. Working on architectural projects, we often don't see a finished outcome until at least 12-18 months later, and after extensive periods of stress, hard work and delays. Whilst it is incredibly satisfying to see the end result, it is not without considerable time and input.

Almost 4 years ago, after just qualifying as an Architect, I was having a really difficult time personally, had started talking to a therapist and was looking for a creative outlet where I could have a few hours to switch off my mind from it all. I had always wanted to try ceramics, and get my hands stuck into clay, and so with the offering of a space on a 12 week ceramics course, I signed myself up at Skandihus to give it it a go. 

half moon dinner plates

half moon dinner plates

DOTTY SERVING PLATES

DOTTY SERVING PLATES

Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I learned very quickly that - despite your best efforts - you cannot completely control a natural material; and that when the kiln gods are not on your side, the pieces you have taken such care and thought with, can often come out of the kilns very different to what you expected!

Whilst there can often be disappointments, there is utter joy from being able to take a lump of clay, mould it, shape it, paint it and make it a permanent object in just a few weeks.

There are endless ideas and designs to explore and the beauty of being able to take a quick hand sketch, or idea in your head, and use your hands to create it - without any restrictions or policies to say otherwise, is a stark and wonderful contrast to my day to day job as an architect. 

After spending 12 weeks elbow deep in clay, I knew I didn't want to give it up and so I moved onto becoming a member at Turning Earth Studios in Hoxton. Whilst here I was able to develop my own style of ceramics, which became all about simple, functional forms but with bright, colourful graphics, all of which are individually hand-painted. I particularly enjoy being able to be playful and bold with my use of colour and pattern - as I am not always able to convince our clients to be so daring!

hand-painting each piece

hand-painting each piece

rainbow stripe platter

rainbow stripe platter

I continue to find that ceramics develops a lot of the skills that assist with my architectural career and that it has taught me to be more patient, confident - and adventurous - with my work in both the MW Architects studio and at my new studio space at The Kiln Rooms in Peckham. My ceramics pieces have now been sold online, at markets and soon to be on Not on The High Street and you can find images of all my work to date @cp-ceramics. 

by Clare Paton



Collaborative Craft

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As the world begins to return to some level of normality it feels more important then ever to make sure we have a focus and purpose to what we do. The last year or so has been a useful time of reflection and a reminder that life is precious and what we do, or don't do, really matters.

Collaborative Craft is a name we have given our emerging practice philosophy. It is a new name for the things we have been doing over the last 10 years in practice and a sustainable vision for the direction in which we want to take the studio over the next decade. It celebrates craft and the warmth of the handmade. It is collaborative because we believe the best results are achieved by harnessing the creativity of the makers. It is also about creating circular economies and sustainable communities which value the individual skills and contributions everyone can make to the environment in which we live.

The construction industry is big and it is important, it already employs huge numbers of highly skilled people, and these skills are maintained because of the continuous flow of construction projects. This is great and whilst there needs to be much more done to make construction more sustainable both in terms of the communities it affects but also the affect it has on the environment, this is largely recognised and is being addressed. We work with small developers and owner occupiers; consumers if you like. Consumers can drive change by making small better choices. We feel as designers that it is our duty to help consumers make informed decisions.

Our vision is to build high quality hand crafted environments that are rich in texture and narrative. We want to do that in a sustainable way that enriches the lives of the local communities by celebrating specialist skills and promoting the contribution that local communities make. Social purpose is at the core of our principles and should extend to all our collaborators; be it craftspeople, contractors, clients and suppliers. We want to collaborate with people who care about their communities and their environment and not just the bottom line. It is my intention that we feature some of our collaborators - past & present; and companies we believe have corporate social purpose at their core in this blog over the coming months and years. It is all about having the conversations after all!

by Matthew Wood