Despite the chilly weather, Clerkenwell Design Week this year is better than ever, with lots of fringe events away from the central Farmiloe building. One of my favourite things to see was a series of four huts by charity Architecture for Humanity. The huts, made entirely from recycled materials, are positioned around Clerkenwell, letting visitors seek them out like in a treasure trail.
Last year at Clerkenwell Design Week, Architecture for Humanity’s London-based team created a ‘Love Hut’, which offered people the chance to post their love messages on bright pink post-it notes. This year, the charity has designed four different types of huts, each with a different theme reflecting the spirit and ethos of Architecture for Humanity: The Green Hut, The Water Hut, The Textile Hut and The Remakery Hut.
Drawing by Cameo Musgrave
The Remakery Hut is a homage to Brixton Remakery, a co-working space for local re-use and upcycling enterprises in south London, which Architecture for Humanity helped to design. The Remakery, due to be open in autumn 2013, will offer material streams and distribution networks in a disused garage block. This one was my favourite, I loved the hodge-podge of reclaimed windows and the little letterbox with the number ’43’.
The Green Hut is covered in edible plants, which explores the notion of a community pantry and take-away garden within an urban context. I also liked how Architecture for Humanity used old shopping baskets as plant holders.
The Water Hut, situated above the site of an old well in Clerkenwell Green, is about the way we use and waste water. Visitors are able to pump water themselves in a system of pipes and tubes.
The Textile Hut demonstrates the use of reclaimed fabric (in this case bright red hot air balloon material) in an architectural context, creating a hippy shelter in a small park in Clerkenwell. Visitors are also able to write on the pieces of material.
Images my own
You might also like:
