The Viewbox- Shophouse

This is a design project that was originally titled Living Over The Store. I was tasked with designing a building in Dalston a district of East London, England. The specific site location was on the south east edge of Gillett Square, a vibrant community space that unites the area of Dalston. The requirements were to have two stores on the ground level, and three apartment units on the upper floors. One of the apartment units was required to connect to one of the stores as a private store-owner staircase. In addition there also needed to be a main staircase for access to all of the units. This area of Dalston is mostly inhabited by people in the age range from 20-35, which led to me creating my design for a variety of different family types hoping to better help enhance their changing lives. My project featured a rooftop community garden that catered to a densely urban environment which lacked many other green spaces of the sort. The rooftop garden not only aimed towards creating an oasis for the residents of my building all throughout the year but also served as a vital source of fresh produce for the resident owners of the Roots market on the ground floor. I decided to incorporate a family owned market as my store of choice, to allow for a source of fresh quality food for the residents of Dalston. Due to Gillett square being such a prominent area for the neighborhood, my design was focused around the idea of connecting my building to its plethora of everyday activities.