Design Brief

I have chosen an area in Rainham that is currently a children's play park and greenspace. The park itself is run down and old and not a particularly safe space like it was intended to be. The park has become associated with drugs and gangs making it unpleasant to its wildlife but also unsafe from young children and adults. this park has houses surrounding it, so people may feel unsafe to leave their homes late at night due to this site due to the current state of the park. Therefore, I believe a community centre in replacement of the park will benefit those living in Rainham.

After doing some research of Rainham and its facility’s, there is a lack of community space and a community itself. Citizens can feel quite isolated within their homes as there is no spaces to meet new people, make friends, and find new hobby's if you are not a child in school. Rainham has many primary schools and a large secondary school so children can easy socialise and make friends, but for adults moving into the area, this could be pretty difficult. A community centre would allow for adults and children to meet their neighbours and make new friends. It could also be a safe space for those who need help from others at difficult times. This centre would also benefit the children of the area as it will give children and teenagers a place to go outside of school that is safe and will stop loitering around streets adding a sense of security for the community. This will hopefully reduce crime as the park which is currently full of crime will be demolished and it will also give people a place to go instead of committing crime.

This community centre will have a café, a hall, and a sports centre. The café will have a casual mood making it a comfortable environment for people to talk and meet without any expectations. I will build a theatre/hall that people can hire for events such as birthdays and weddings as well as for schools to work alongside with for their music and drama departments. I would also like to build a sports hall/ centre so people can play indoor football or badminton so people can remain fit and healthy whilst discovering new hobbies and interests. The sports and swimming centre has shut down in Rainham, which was close to the park that this centre will be built on, so a small scale version of the old centre will hopefully create a community again. The old centres closure impacted the community and caused protests to keep open, so a new, even though it is smaller, sports centre will definitely be welcomed back.

The centre will be indoors so it is suitable for all weather conditions. People will be less inclined to use if the building has outdoor elements due to the weather in the winter, so only temporary seasonal outdoor structures should be made. It will be accessible for all members of society so there will be easy access to second floors for the elderly and disabled. The area the centre will be built on is near bus stops and is about a 15/20 minute walk from Rainham train station so people can easily commute there on their way home from school and work or just from their homes.