Walworth Living Room. London - Community Courtyard (008108)

In partnership with local charity Pembroke House, the project aims to turn a dilapidated courtyard that today houses storage containers and a parking bay for a static minibus into a lively and much needed community amenity. The new community courtyard will form an essential part of the rejuvenation of a heritage hall (All Saints Hall) into a vibrant social space: the Walworth Living Room. The courtyard will unify the community offer on the site, providing access to fresh air and green space for building users with essential buggy and bike storage creating a flexible space for outdoor events. The installation of a shipping container will allow them to serve food and drinks for these events. Solar PVs and replacement lighting will reduce carbon emissions and new raised beds and compositing areas will establish circular food growing practices for the on-site community café. This project will open up the courtyard by removing an unused storage unit, repurpose another for on-site storage, and replace non-porous hard-standing with planters, healthy soil and plant life, and habitats for insects, birds and bats.