A House for Artists

A House for Artists, designed by Apparata Architects, is a community-oriented housing project in Barking, east London. The five-storey concrete building provides 12 studio apartments for artists and their families, along with artist studio workspaces, a community space, and a shared working yard. The design features a playful arrangement of stacked shapes, volumes, and openings, with a strong civic presence in the streetscape. The apartments are designed for flexibility, with open-plan arrangements and the ability for residents to adapt the floor plan over time. Walls can be removed, and one floor has double doors to facilitate co-living scenarios. The project prioritizes sustainability, using a single skin of 50% GGBS concrete, which reduces the carbon footprint by over 20% compared to the RIBA 2030 climate challenge target. The residents, selected by a panel including artist Grayson Perry, pay 65% of market rent and contribute to a community arts programme on the ground floor. The project has won the Neave Brown Award for Housing 2023, recognizing its innovative approach to affordable and sustainable housing.