ASH at ICA

Architects for Social Housing has a week-long residency at London’s Institute for Contemporary Arts

As part of its ‘In formation’ season, London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) has invited Architects for Social Housing (ASH) to take up a week long residency in its Upper Galleries, from Monday 14 to Sunday 20 August.

Using it as a work space to collaborate with other groups and individuals, ASH will host informal discussions on aspects of the housing crisis (15 and 16 August, 7pm-8pm). ASH has recently published a report on the Grenfell Tower fire, which will be the subject of a meeting on 17 August (7pm-9pm).

At the end of the residency, ASH will exhibit the alternatives to demolition it has designed for a number of London estates, as well as a new map of London’s existing estate regenerations (19 and 20 August, 11am-6pm).

ASH plans for two London estates, seeking higher density as an alternative to proposed demolition and replacement

Architects for Social Housing was established in 2015 and operates “under set principles, first among which is the conviction that increasing the housing capacity on existing council estates through infill and design, rather than demolishing and redeveloping them as luxury apartments, is a more sustainable solution to London’s housing needs”. It has designed alternatives to demolition for the Knight’s Walk, West Kensington and Gibbs Green, Central Hill and Northwold estates, and is currently working with the Patmore estate Co-operative.