david adjaye's design of hackney fashion hub has been granted permission

david adjaye’s design of hackney fashion hub has been granted permission, the development has just been given the go ahead by hackney council.

wrecked by riots in 2011, hackney central district will soon undergo a complete transformation orchestrated by david adjaye. the ‘hackney fashion hub’ is an architectural representation of the local cultural potential based around fashion retail and commerce, a catalyst for its innovative revival as a cultural hot spot in the outskirts of the olympic perimeter. the £100 million development is a joint venture between the manhattan loft corporation and chatham works and aims to build on the existing outlet stores on the site occupied by pringle, aquascutum and halcyon days, as well as burberry.

hackney is hoping to become london’s most popular shopping location with the development of a 75,000 sq ft fashion outlet named the hackney fashion hub

the project consists in the construction of two structures of five and seven floors respectively – 75,000 square meters – which include a cafe, restaurant, retail space, and design studios to give up-and-coming firms an outlet to display their work. previously citizens in the community have raised some objections, arguing that visitors who come to hackney typically go no further than the three existing outlets – two of which have taken over the reformed buildings of the historical duke of wellington club and the gravel pit chapel where joseph priestly (the discoverer of oxygen) gave sermons. both of these structures will be cleared out for the new master plan, which will include pedestrian zones and more public green space to urge people to explore the rest of the district, along with the redevelopment of the old railway arches over the road. the burberry location will be destined for use as luxury apartments supporting the new developments on the residential front. it is hoped that the several hundreds of millions of pounds invested in the project will prevent the area from the seemingly inevitable urban gentrification that grips post-riot neighborhoods, and in turn create the exact opposite effect by boosting local economy.

all images © adjaye associates

work has already started to convert the railway arches in morning lane between churchwell path and link street into new retail spaces; also designed by adjaye associates these will sit alongside the new development. this part of the project is being funded by a £2 million grant from the GLA’s regeneration fund. digby nicklin, commercial director of commercial estate at network rail, said: ‘across the capital, we are working with our neighbours to open up and renovate arches to attract niche entrepreneurs and build business communities’.

david adjaye
portrait © designboom

architect david adjaye explains:

‘our proposals offer a beacon for hackney central. the buildings will create a light-filled, compelling environment that captures hackney’s creative energy, gives local residents a sense of pride in their built environment and provides an exciting new draw for visitors.’