11th Hand-In by Claire Taggart

Social Housing creating social and extended community living spaces for a more sociable housing strategy in Ampthill Square Estate, Somers Town

Social Housing Agenda The project aims to create more â&#x20AC;&#x153;socialâ&#x20AC;? spaces in Ampthill Square Housing Estate, Camden, improving and extending existing private and public spaces and providing new community facilities on site, attempting to combat social isolation through encouragement of community interaction. The project will focus primarily on community groups for which environmental and social isolation is a major problem, providing specialized spaces and services for their needs. In particular the scheme aims to empower migrant women from Bangladeshi, Somali, Ethiopian and other minority communities and combat isolation, mental health problems and depression through social opportunities and networks, development of language and working skills and involvement in the local community. The project aims to give them time off from family care responsibilities through care exchange services, giving more time for social and other activities. These women make up one of the largest groups resident in the estate during the daytime and will play a key role in construction, management, running and maintenance of the facilities. Key Project Aims: -Empower the women and through increased social opportunities, community involvement and development of working skills -Improve and extend social living spaces on a gradient from private to public -Give opportunity for increased social interaction between neighbours -Set up a network of time, labour and services exchange -Provide easy access to otherwise inaccessible or inconvenient community facilities and services, providing specialised spaces for specific community needs -Make the facilities as self-sufficient as possible through energy and water harvesting and sharing of spaces and services.

client, funding and users

funding: The client for the project is Camden Council and it to be funded by a mixture of different sources. Primary funding would come from Camden Council and the UK Department of Transport HS2 Compensation scheme for reconstruction of demolishedcommunity and play area. Construction, management and running costs will be reduced due to community participation and involvement.

Compensation Scheme compensation for loss of land and rebuilding of demolished community centre

funding adult eductaion and employment

funding renewable enrgy installations

users:

Ampthill Square Tenants Association

ampthill square estate management and residents

encouraging development and integration amongst local asian women in camden

all-female run organisation, aiding integration, sport and eductation amongst somali women and children

long-term financing and management:

Gender and Employment in Local Labour Markets (GELLM) Comittee

supporting self-sufficiency and city farming projects

eductaional courses and resources paid for by camden council

local community centre to be run by women with staff, up-keep and running of the cena handfull of paid full-time tre paid for by income from charges for use of the centre facilities by local staff and many part-time community female volunteers all services free to staff and volunteers

Brief: -Extend and optimise existing living room spaces -Connect neighbours with shared balcony garden spaces -Replace demolished community hall with a large flexible use space -Flexible teaching rooms and function spaces for community courses, groups and societies -Spaces for homecare and childcare exchange services for resident migrant women, their families and the wider community -On site easily accessible play, leisure and sports facilities, catering for varying community requirements and needs, with single sex and private exercise spaces -Library with community curating of cultural and language collections with public and private reading rooms -Protected private and public gardens with small scale community crop cultivation projects -Minimise energy consumption and harvest solar, wind and vibrational energy from the site to cater for increased energy consumption of new facilities

Services, spaces and Requirements: Back Gardens Balcony garden spaces on all floors of the three towers Micro wind-farm facade Openable extensions to existing living rooms Solar privacy curtains Childcare Access from within towers Baby nursery Indoor soft play space for 1-6 year-olds with adjoining enclosed outdoor deck Climbing and adventure play for 7-11 year-olds Small kitchen with dining area Adult and children’s toilet Washing and baby changing room Outdoor skate park space for teenagers

HomeCare Access from within towers Lounge and dining room Games room Enclosed outdoor garden/terrace Small kitchen with dining area Bathroom with bath/shower facilities Adjoining to teaching space for courses Fitness Centre Access from within towers Single sex changing rooms Enclosed women-only gym space Mixed gym space Curtained games deck Children’s play area Lounge and Drop-In Mixed soft-furnished lounge Women-only soft-furnished lounge Hidden garden spaces Kitchen facilities Access from within towers for residents and from Harrington Square for neighbourhood Library Main collection space Reception and Issue Desk Large public reading room Small private reading rooms Teaching spaces for between 5-30 student class sizes Computer room Teaching resources storage Offices Site office for community-build Facilites anagement and maintenance offices Adjoining to women’s lounge Connected to all facilities Gardens Open public garden Private raised garden spaces Vertical spice and vegetable gardens

Key Project Stages

social housing

improve social living spaces on a gradient from private to public

give opportunity for increased social interaction between neighbours

set up a network of time and labour share and exchange through established connections

give access tospecialised social and community spaces for specific community needs

extend existing kitchen and living room spaces opened up to neighbours

create new garden spaces for social encounters and connect towers

provide spaces within existing towers for childcare and home care exchange

construct library, play and exercise centre, teaching rooms, gardens and communtiy hall

comments on problems with access to public space and services and social isolation from local bangladeshi women “i was very lonely when i got here, at home with just my baby. now i have some friends but i only see them at the [hopscotch asian women’s] centre” “My mum. She’s joined the gym recently. Every day she comes back and she’s just like so excited. Oh I did this at the gym today. She gets to socialise ”

“a lot of these ladies go to sewing classes to learn how to sew. With my mum – She suffers from depression so it’s a way to escape and socialise and just get away from everything like just moping around at home and just thinking”

“she would always be laughing with the other village ladies when they went to the pond [back in bangladesh] but there’s nowhere to do that here”

“back in bangladesh she could just pop round to all her friends’ house and they did washing and swimming and stuff together but here she stays at home. i think thats why she got depressed”

“there are children running around making so much noise. I am scared to let them play outside. Instead they play indoors and fight with each other; sometimes that can really stress you out – I can’t stand too much noise, my head just heats up”

“i think that it’s true that men have taken that space so it really doesn’t leave very much room for women to be able to use the space”

“more and more these ladies are beginning to be allowed to take advantage of these things like the classes, the gyms, opportunities to socialise and get out there and that”

Ampthill Square Estate, Hampstead Road, London Site Location Plan 1:2500 The site is positioned on the junction between Hampstead Road (A600) and Harrington Square (a400) in Somers Town, Camden. The existing 21-storey 1960s residential tower blocks overlook the trainlines leading into Eusaton Station. The project will be focused in and around the these blocks.

euston station ham

pst

mornington crescent station

ampthill square estate

ampthill square community facility

ead

roa

design site issues to be addressed

small windows

towers overlooking railways

crampt, under-used balcony spaces

under-used communal space site railings and locks

Site: ampthill square estate, hampstead road, London The project is sited in and around existing local authority and ex-local authority housing in three high-rise tower blocks (Gillfoot, Oxenholm and Dalehead) in Ampthill Square Estate, Hampstead Road, Somers Town.

gillfoot

oxenholm

somers town ampthill square estate

dalehead

HS2 high speed rail demolition The proposed HS2 route from London Euston to Birming ham Moor Street is set demolish Ampthill Square Estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current community centre and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground. The UK Department of Transport will be responsible for funding replacement of both facilities, as well as compensation to Camden Council for public land that is to be lost from the perimeter of the site. Construction is not set to commence until 2016. Consultation processes are currently underway however to determine when compensation can be given. Though the trains will be travelling at low speeds past the site, ground-bourne vibrations as well as mechanical noise from motors, fans and ancillary equipment on the trains as well as will contibute to the current noise pollution on the site. This should also be a consideration for the structural scheme.

current

ampthill square estate ampthill square playground community centre

site estate land for demolition buildings for demolition

proposed hs2 route

ampthill square playground community centre

use and effects of communal spaces in housing and use and effects environmental social well-being

completely public shared space

smaller enclosed shared space

of communal spaces in housing

openly observed interaction

unease and discomfort

open to everyone and anyone

brings strangers close to home

forced interaction

withdrawal and avoidance

isolation

non-specific programme or use

no feeling of purpose or ownership of space

spaces left unused

crime in disused spaces

fear of using spaces

protected social spaces

more private interaction

open to smaller groups at a time

allows interaction only when desired

comfortable setting to meet neighbours

spaces used and inhabited regularly

good community relationships

more human-scale and specific use spaces

less intimidating, more attractive spaces

natural surveillance

feeling of security

Private-Public Gradient of Space creating specific use inhabitable social spaces

current fenced-off area

intimidating overlooked

extending private socialspaces out into shared deck gardens

public space open space split into smaller shared spaces to under-used in-between spaces

create more private social environments specific use spaces to make social spaces into a destination and cater for communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs limited neighbour access creates feeling of safety in social interactions

green spaces open to neighbourhood remain overlooked for security

proposed existing

private...............................public

in-between and under-used spaces making disused and transitory spaces into destinations

unsused rooftop space

connecting cores

ground floor entrance halls open green space

Project Stages Order of project interventions, ambitions and Construction