Modern Masters: Assemble

Modern Masters: Assemble
Modern Masters: Assemble
Modern Masters: Assemble
Modern Masters: Assemble
Modern Masters: Assemble
Modern Masters: Assemble

In our series ‘Modern Masters’, we’re meeting with some of our favourite architects, designers and makers to profile their practice and get their unique insights on architecture, interiors and design inspiration.

Here, Assemble’s Anthony Engi Meacock tells us about the practice, early projects and place-making.

“There’s a bit of a creation myth around Assemble, but it all happened very intuitively – fundamentally it came out of a desire to build something together.

“Most of us met while we were studying together for our Architecture BA. Our first projects evolved out of a desire to build and get back to exploring and making. Things developed out of conversations in the pub and at parties, and then they became something we started doing in the evenings and at weekends.

“Our early projects were a testing ground for us to develop a way of working together. Our first venture was The Cineroleum which temporarily converted a disused petrol station on Clerkenwell Road into a picture palace-style cinema. The response was amazing, and that and Folly for a Flyover were really influential in establishing our working practice.

“It was exciting that projects could evolve that were the sum of so many parts. Each of us felt a sense of ownership but no individual could say it was their idea. It’s something that still underpins our work – we rarely publicly state who worked on which project.

“So far our housing design has generally had a social emphasis. 10 Houses on Cairns Street was part of wider, ongoing work with the Four Streets Community Land Trust about incremental improvement in the area. At the time, the mode of development was to knock everything down and rebuild it, but that destroys the social fabric as much as the physical, historic and psychological fabric of a city.

“We developed the Cairn Street houses at a cost that was less than what the council would have paid for it. The rhetoric was to keep cheap the things that can be cheap and add value in the special moments.

“It was also about leaving enough potential so that people coming into the space could change it. It’s been really interesting to see what the residents have done since they moved in, it might not be to my taste or yours, but it’s theirs.

“Public spaces and place-making are really the focus for us at the moment. Muf were kind of a pioneer of the socially engaged public realm and they’re a really interesting art/architecture practice who were very generous to us when we were first setting up. They supported a lot of younger practices.

“In a sense Cairn Street could be described as a place-making project as much as anything else. A lot of it has to do with ownership, or not necessarily ‘ownership’, but agency and a sense of belonging. Place-making is often thought of as something you add after all the other decisions have been made, but that’s fundamentally wrong – the consideration of place-making should exist throughout the process, alongside every decision.

“In terms of new housing developments, place-making can really vary depending on the intent of the developer. At its best it’s a real attempt to make viable, functional, social spaces. The swing side is when it’s used as a veneer.

“One of the things I’m really excited about at the moment is The Granby Workshop. It’s part of the wider project that incorporated Cairns Street and it’s a social enterprise that sells locally produced homewares, tiles and other ceramics, it also takes commissions.

“We always look at how we can make bespoke items or pieces of furniture that make things feel special. It’s great when people approach us for that kind of thing. Another example would be the Triangle Chairs Project. A lot of us are really interested in furniture-making, those skills exist within the team and exploring them through product design is great.

“I’m also excited about some of the plans we have in the pipeline. I can’t name them at the moment…but it feels like we’re at a stage where we’re beginning to take on bigger, more permanent projects.”

Read more about Assemble in our Directory of Architects and Designers.

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