We were really pleased to take part in Designers & Makers Week for Thamesmead’s new Youth Hub - a five-day design residency exploring how an existing meanwhile use unit in Cygnet Square could be reimagined as a creative hub for young people in Thamesmead.
Led by Beyond the Box and hosted at various partner studios and community spaces, the week brought together 14 young people aged 16-25 with professionals from architecture, engineering and landscape design. Together, they developed early ideas and tangible design proposals for what the future of Unit 6 - now named “The Lounge” - might look and feel like.
The sessions combined site walks, design development, landscape thinking, material exploration and model-making. Along the way, the group explored how space can support creativity, community, and a sense of ownership - as well as the practicalities involved in making that happen. It felt like a really thoughtful and well-structured week, with each day building on the last.
A big thank you goes to the youth board and the young people that energised and made this week so productive. KCA did a brilliant job of coordinating and bringing everyone together in the first place, in a way that allowed for something more joined-up and useful than a typical consultant offer. Beyond the Box played a really important in holding the process in hand and supporting the young people throughout, and we’re grateful to the Peabody as well for being open to reshaping the brief slightly so that the work could happen in what felt like a much more meaningful way.
The final proposals reflected a clear vision: flexible furniture, space for events and exhibitions, calm areas for rest and creativity, a compact kitchen, and ideas for outdoor seating and shelter that link the inside with the wider square.
We’ve been working for a good while on the second phase of works to the Thamesmead masterplan with Peabody, Karakusevic Carson Architects (KCA), Turkington Martin Landscape Architects, and the wider design team, which is currently on site. The third phase of works, with the same team, is currently in design.
This week has been a good reminder that when projects make room for young people to lead, the outcomes can be grounded and more generous. We’re glad to have supported the process and are looking forward to seeing how the next phase of work develops.
