Floating restaurant to tackle hidden homelessness.
Project Overview
Pavilion architecture is often wasteful, formalist and purposeless - directing designers' energy away from real problems in society.
Our proposal to reimagine a disused motor barge on the Regent’s Canal in Hackney turned this notion on its head by creating a commercial opportunity for a young social enterprise and raising awareness of a hidden issue in the borough.
Sector
Hospitality
Charity Sector
The Challenge
To design and build a public pavilion at the Hoxton Docks on the Regent’s canal.
The Outcome
Shortlisted to the final five from over a hundred entries.
Our Project Partner
Fat Macy's is a social enterprise providing opportunities for young Londoners living in homeless hostel accommodation. They run supper club events and training to create a framework through which participants can overcome the financial barriers preventing them from moving into rented accommodation, whilst gaining valuable work experience and giving them the confidence to challenge the perception of homelessness.
Our Approach
Our proposal was to convert the disused barge into a travelling supper-club venue for Fat Macy’s through the addition of a lightweight roof that could dramatically open each evening capturing the attention of passers-by.
Translucent polycarbonate panels would allow light to diffuse into the interior, enabling training and food prep to happen during the day when the roof is lowered.
The roof’s low profile means it can pass under bridges when lowered, allowing the supper club to move along the canal and reach a larger number of visitors.
The lightweight roof structure can be opened with the assistance of a winch mechanism to form a dramatic canopy above the dining space.
The barge would open every evening to host dinners. A large central shared table seats twenty-four diners on a raised platform with views over the canal.
Outcomes
The proposal represented several ways in which we think Pavillion architecture could be more sustainable.
Purposeful. Creating real impact on people's lives who are in need of help, creating opportunities for employment and training.
Long-lasting. Inviting an operator to maintain the structure by reinvesting revenue into its upkeep so it wouldn’t fall into disrepair.
Functional. Creating a useful space for training, work, and entertainment - for dinners, events and talks.
Political. Helping raise awareness of the ‘hidden homeless’ crisis through an innovative project to draw attention to the issue.
