Grove neighbourhood centre

HAMMERSMITH
 

Brief

To extend an existing 1970’s neighbourhood centre situated in an  area of Victorian two storey terraced cottages. A local authority grant allowed the Centre to double the space and redesign the building.

Project

The brick and render facade continues the style and scale of the neighbouring terrace, while the sweeping roof and glazed end elevation clearly mark it as a public building.

On the upper floor two additional meeting rooms were added which could be combined into one space. A light well brings daylight into the back of building on both floors. The roof is made up of two curved sections and the ceilings following the profile to give height in the larger spaces and intimacy to the small rooms along the side.  Clearstory windows which run along the step in the roof light into the internal corridor.

The first floor balcony links the upper floor to the garden at one end.

This community centre is now extremely popular, fully booked because people love the lightness and generally feel of the building. It won Hammersmith and Fulham’s annual Environment Award for “local buildings displaying imaginative design"