Hackney Road

Construction has started on site on Spacelab's latest project in Shoreditch, East London. Due for completion in January 2013 the new build development consists of 4000sq ft of commercial retail space and 14 luxury apartments over 4 floors. Sensitive planning restrictions due to the proximity and heights of neighbouring buildings has informed the form and massing of the scheme and its relationship to the streetscape. Organised around a central core, the ground floor podium level is treated in blue/grey engineering brick with protruding white render 'cubes' housing the apartments to the upper levels.

Archway Heights

Spacelab has designed a nine-storey scheme with a layered, sculptural façade, on Archway Road, one of the main arteries into central London. The building is designed right up to the boundaries of the site to maximise available space, with three units on each floor (two one-bedroom and one two-bedroom), ranging from 54sqm to 61sqm. All units feature well-sized terraces, generous circulation areas and open-plan kitchen-living rooms. The building is designed to meet Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, with sustainable features, including a ground source heat pump.

Archant Ilford

Newspapers have undergone massive change in the past 20 years. With this in mind, Spacelab designed an office fit for the 21st century for Archant, the UK’s largest independent newspaper group. Large, open-plan offices on both storeys encourage interaction and communication, and the structural support is designed so there are no columns breaking up the interior.

The double-height, glazed reception area, with a staircase connecting both floors, helps natural light penetrate the building, and the south-facing facade features louvres that automatically track the sun, providing shade throughout the day. Externally, the building gives Archant a strong presence in the local community, with aluminium panels wrapping around a block of bold red panels.

Walthamstow Stadium

Spacelab have revealed alternative plans for the redevelopment of Walthamstow Dog Stadium which would see dog racing make a return to the iconic stadium.

The plans include the refurbishment of the stadiums main stand and track, whilst retaining the listed dog kennels and front façade. The stand to the south of the site will be demolished to make way for 140 residential units. The idea of housing around a dog track is not new and has been done before to much success at a number of recently refurbished dog tracks.

 Spacelab have been working on the scheme with Save Our Stow (SOS) for the last two years in a bid to return dog racing to its spiritual home and have recently presented the scheme to The Mayor Boris Johnson who has since called for the return of Dog Racing to the stadium. The scheme also has the support of local MPs Ian Duncan Smith and Stella Creasy. 

Mare Street

On a tight urban plot in Hackney, east London, Spacelab has designed two homes that balance the needs for space, light and privacy. The scheme, which replaces a disused garage and sub-station, visually enhances the existing area, with the brick ground floor continuing the line and rhythm of the neighbouring brick building, and the cedar cladding on the first floor softening its appearance. Behind the windowless ground floor each house has an internal courtyard to bring in light, and upstairs they have large areas of open glazing, with movable louvred screens to provide privacy.

Eastcotts Road

Spacelab has designed a development of 80 dwellings on the outskirts of Bedford, with safety and a sense of community in mind. Homes are arranged around a central, landscaped square, which provides a space for people to interact, but also helps deter crime, creating visual connections between houses to allow for passive surveillance. The scheme has a mixture of one-, two-, three- and four-bedrooms, plus 32 dwellings set aside for affordable housing. All have been designed sustainably, with flexibility in mind, to ensure they can be extended with relative ease in the future to meet changing needs.

Oyster Bay Apartments

Spacelab was commissioned by a British developer to bring contemporary architecture to the rapidly growing city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Set two blocks away from the sea, the luxury apartments have been designed to the highest specification for smaller households, with living areas in all apartments opening on to large terraces, which are set back to protect them from the heat of the sun. The building also has a communal swimming pool. Because of the limited availability of construction materials, Spacelab adapted to local methods, building the structure entirely from concrete and glass. Similarly, the simple construction has been designed to meet local labour skills.

Morecambe Bay

Spacelab proposed a scheme for the development of Morecambe Bay as part of an Urban Splash/RIBA competition, which would extend the heart of Morecambe, and bring life and energy to the town, attracting new people to the community. Unlike many seaside developments, Spacelab gave as much attention to the land-facing side of the scheme as the seafront, with a landscaped urban park to integrate leisure facilities with commercial and residential spaces. As well as homes, bars, and a theatre, the plan incorporates tennis and basketball courts, a war memorial, areas for contemplation, and spaces to stroll or walk the dog.

Celestial Church

After 20 years as a disused factory, this London Church in the heart of the East End community will soon have a new worship hall and facilities. The addition of 19 residential units above the Church maximizes the site, providing revenue and housing for the Church community.

Dark grey with yellow and green inserts rising up over five floors gives the church a distinctive identity and strong local presence. The building tapers down on both sides to adjoining properties in respect of its neighbours which creates a number of staggered roof terraces.

Kawe Dar-es-salaam

Continuing our pioneering work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Spacelab has designed this residential development of 40 apartments (16 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom), aimed at families. Comprising five buildings, the scheme centres on a communal leisure courtyard, which acts like a town square, with a swimming pool, gymnasium and tennis court. All apartments feature generous balconies, with living rooms and bedrooms arranged in a linear way, so that they all have access to this outdoor space. Penthouses feature larger terraces, and the buildings are staggered in height along the sloping site to maximise sea views for all.