TIMBER THE STAR FEATURE IN NEW CREATIVE CENTRE
The internal structure also has a focus on timber.
Timber sleepers have been used for the facade of the building.
Timber is in the spotlight thanks to architects Paddy Dillon with Reed Watts who have completed Roundhouse Works, a new creative centre for young people at the heart of the Roundhouse’s creative campus in Camden, London.
Roundhouse Works provides space and state-of-the-art facilities to support young people to turn their creativity into a career, doubling the number of 11–30-year-olds the Roundhouse currently works with each year to 15,000. The new building houses a bespoke large music studio, a triple height studio for circus and performance, a large multi-use studio for workshops, and a dedicated podcast studio run by Transmission Roundhouse.
The new building will also include the Inflexion Workspace, an affordable workspace for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers. Members of Roundhouse Works will be provided with one-to-one mentorship with industry experts and have access to a series of networking events and workshops that have been piloted over the past three years with partners including international law firm Taylor Wessing.
Roundhouse Works is designed by Paddy Dillon architect, with Reed Watts Architects and Allies and Morrison with particular emphasis on reducing the building’s impact on the environment.
In particular, the sustainably sourced trees used for the cross-laminated timber structure sequester over 250 tonnes of CO² from the atmosphere while the recycled railway sleepers used on the facade save 8 tonnes of CO² compared to other forms of cladding.
As a result, and following the integration of solar panels on the roofs, electric vehicle charging points, LED lighting, automatic lighting controls, and other energy efficiency elements, Roundhouse Works has achieved the highly sought-after BREEAM ‘Excellent’ sustainability accreditation. This will put its environmental performance in the top 10 percent of all new non-domestic buildings in the UK. It is also fully accessible and includes a Space for Change facility.
Roundhouse Works has been funded by private trusts, individuals and corporate donations with principal support from the Inflexion Foundation and Simon Turner with the generous donation of the land from the Norman Trust.
“Roundhouse Works comes out of hours of conversations to identify exactly what young people need,” Paddy Dillon, Roundhouse Works architect, said.
“It’s a response to the Roundhouse site – but more importantly, it tries to stay as close as possible to the spirit of the Roundhouse, and the young people who work there. It’s been a complete pleasure to work on this project, knowing this space will benefit tens of thousands of young people in the years to come.
“This new building represents the culmination of an intense and rewarding collaboration with an incredible group of individuals,” Matt Watts, director, Reed Watts Architects, said.
