London-based architecture studio Apparata has completed a community-oriented housing development for artists with a playful design and a facade punctured by geometrically-shaped openings.
First announced in 2017, A House for Artists is located in Barking, east London, and was designed to provide low-cost housing and workspace for 12 artists and their families.
A House for Artists is a community-oriented affordable housing model
The five-storey concrete structure contains 12 apartments, as well as artist studio workspaces, a community space and a shared working yard that can be opened to the public.
Its design, which Apparata described as "playful," is comprised of a collection of stacked shapes, volumes and openings that are connected by terraces. A two-storey triangular volume across the upper levels of the building adds variation to the facade, while circular windows and openings similarly contribute to the design.
Twelve artists were selected from an open call to live in the building
"The building is surrounded by several different typologies and scales. We wanted the building to connect to its surroundings but still hold its own and have a presence, as the near future context will be many tall towers." Apparata co-founder Astrid Smitham told Dezeen.
"The overall volume connects to the surrounding blocks and towers, but the triangular roof shapes connects the building to the smaller pitched roof terraces. The stacks of shapes signal a different k...