Community centre and power station run by women from local migrant communities providing energy, public facilities and fresh food produce to Somers Town.
Homes ...for...
-Euston Gardens: creating new social spaces where produce cultivated by the women is shared amongst their households and sold to local shops
...cultivate...
{
...feeds...
...free up...
Food
Children
...produce...
Mothers
Elderly
...look After...
Plants
...provide oppotunity of socialising for...
-Energy Generation: Harvesting energy from the activity of the building as well as solar, wind and vibrational energy
Neighbours
-Rainwater Harvesting: for baths and crop cultivation
...sold to...
Shops
...sold to...
{
...irrigates...
-Book Sharing Library: collections assembled through donations of the neighbours
Electricity
-Public Swimming Baths: reviving the public bath as a social experience
...provides for...
...powers...
Brief:
Harvested Sunlight ...made into...
Collected Rainwater
Power Station
Site: Ampthill Square Estate, Hampstead Road -extending over Euston railway tracks
Community: Women from migrant Bengali, Indian and Pakistani communities to run the centre in: Construction Management Administration Running of energy harvesting and equipment Crop cultivation and farming Maintenance Other home-dwelling members of local community, such as unemployed and elderly community to participate in running of centre, services and activities. Somers Town Community to use services and benefit from energy and food production Funding: Collaboration from sources of different interest: Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre- empowering, educating and integrating women Camden Council- education and employmnet Government-run Energy Saving Trust- generating renewable energy locally Agenda:
The scheme aims to empower the women and combat isolation mental helath problems and depression through education and language skills, social opportunities, development of working skills and involvement in the local community through production of energy and food. The power station will provide private all-female spaces for education, socialising and childcare services to the women and fresh food produce, energy and public leisure facilities to the local community, which will all be managed by the women. It will be just down the road from the Hopscotch Centre and parts will be close or even adjoined to the women’s homes for ease of access and management. Electricity is harvested for the women’s homes and neighbourhood from wind and solar energy as well scavenged vibrational energy from trains to and from Euston station, and from movement and activity within the building. Rainwater is also collected for the women’s homes, the public baths and neighbourhood
Gender and Employment in Local Labour Markets (GELLM) Comittee
Material Realization: Materials should also be sourced from the local community as much as possible, such as recycled plastics, steel and fabrics from household items. Additional building materials can be brought in direct to site by train. The structure is also to be as lightweight and adaptable as possible to be easily assembled and maintained by the women This could take the form of lightweight tensile and fabric structural systems