The practice has been appointed by Margate Creative Land Trust (MCLT) to convert a former car showroom into new creative workspaces for the local community.<\/p>\n
The other teams which participated in the invited tender were Charles Holland Architects, Assemble and Office S&M.<\/p>\n
The phased \u00a31.3 million project on Harold Road in Cliftonville will transform a series of buildings \u2013 including a former car showroom, garage and industrial units \u2013 located to the east of Margate\u2019s historic old town.<\/p>\n
Key aims include creating a new \u2018inclusive and inspiring space for community participation and creative production, enabling the testing of new cultural initiatives alongside the expansion of existing activity\u2019 in the seaside town.<\/p>\n
The completed complex will feature a mix of creative workspace typologies and complementary uses along with public-facing amenities such as a meeting area, flexible event or exhibition space and a caf\u00e9 or canteen.<\/p>\n
IF_DO\u2019s winning design proposed a phased organic development strategy \u2013 balancing the adaptive reuse of existing buildings with cost-effective, sustainable solutions, including retrofit, low-carbon design and material reuse.<\/p>\n
IF_DO\u00a0 director Al Scott said: \u2018We’re so pleased to have been selected by the wonderful MCLT to carry out the transformation of Harold Road into a creative workspace for the people of Margate.<\/p>\n
\u2018Our practice specialises in exactly this type of work \u2013 the adaptive re-use of buildings for the common good. We cannot wait to start, to get to know the community and work together to breathe life into these forgotten buildings, bringing a new patch of creative space to this brilliant town.\u2019<\/p>\n
Cliftonville is a popular waterfront district located a short distance from the centre of Margate and the David Chipperfield-designed Turner Contemporary art museum.<\/p>\n
The latest commission comes five years after Haptic Architects won a competition to design a railway museum<\/a> on the outskirts of Margate.<\/p>\n