Silvertown Studios

Project

Shared-ownership art organisation V22 was granted planning permission to work alongside the Silvertown Partnership, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the London Borough of Newham to construct the project.

Brief

The client wanted to use shipping containers and modular buildings to form accessible workshops, commercial units and public facilities, with sustainability and environmental considerations being key factors.

Challenges

By developing a new modular structure to be manufactured in China, we had to ensure that all materials and standards complied with UK regulations. We also had to familiarise ourselves with importing from China into the UK.

Solution

After originally being asked to design only the foundations, the client invited us to be a project partner. This was thanks to our approach of being heavily involved at each stage to help achieve the proposed vision.

We then designed a flexible and fully portable modular building system, for which we own the patent. This innovative system:

• can be arranged to create different room layouts, including a 2m cantilever

• is stackable up to four storeys high

• is easy to disassemble and reassemble

• incorporates sustainable energy and green systems

• provides placemaking and culture-led urban regeneration

• is affordable and requires less labour than other construction methods.

The proposed modular structure was certified and achieved building regulations approval. We also learnt a lot about importing materials into the UK. Ultimately, the project did not reach the construction stage due to a lack of funding.