Blue House Yard

Workspaces by Jan Kattein Architects have been self-built in a spirit of experimentation and prototyping

Photos
Jan Kattein Architects, Warren Cooper

Just around the corner from Wood Green High Road in north London, Blue House Yard is a collection of new creative workspaces housing a tailor, a toy maker and a brewer, among other local entrepreneurs. Framed by a bright blue complex of 11 studios, nine tall, slender standalone worksheds and a double-decker bus cafe, the Yard itself is a much-needed social space in Wood Green’s town centre, hosting markets and evening events.

Realised by Jan Kattein Architects and social enterprise Meanwhile Space (together, High Street Works), the project has transformed a defunct Council office building and adjacent car park with the aim of nurturing talent and boosting local businesses over the next five years as the site awaits comprehensive redevelopment.

In order to achieve an innovative design that establishes a distinctive character for Blue House Yard and is adaptable to the individual needs of a broad range of creative tenants, High Street Works embraced a self-build process. Here, construction is not just a means to an end; it provides an opportunity to test and prototype sustainable timber frame construction, helps to train eight local carpentry apprentices and allows for the discovery of new design opportunities at every joint and junction.

Each space has been devised to give its tenant the operational framework they need to grow. Homeworkers will have their first public-facing space, new businesses will be able to do market testing and more established businesses can take on new staff. The central public space opens up opportunities for all to benefit from tenants’ activities, or be inspired to plan and deliver their own. As tenants begin to customise their workspaces and animate the Yard, the project is beginning the next phase of its creative development.