Project Team
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Ketley Brick, Mapei, Johnson Tiles, TACO! (Thamesmead Arts and Culture Office), Rise Contracts Limited, N, A, Engineers HRW
Text provided by Manalo & White
This new home for Thamesmead Arts and Culture Office (TACO!) comprises a gallery and event space, a cafe bar with outdoor seating, and a bookshop which supports creatives and independent publishing, providing opportunities for artists, musicians and local community groups. The venue also incorporates a new broadcast studio for RTM.FM, supporting the growth of the community radio station and expanding TACO!’s offer to include a night-time programme of live performance and music events.
Architects Manalo & White aimed to provide a robust, dynamic, flexible and contemporary space which would be visible, approachable and require very little maintenance. The design makes specific reference to some of the architectural interventions made by residents in Thamesmead’s brutalist and modernist vernacular, embedding the project in the community using Ketley brown brindle bricks and pavers as the principal material. As TACO! is an independent registered charity, embedded in its community; accessibility is at its core. The purposeful and pragmatic design emphasises user needs, through close communication and engagement with TACO! to ensure an inclusive and functional space. The gallery, bookshop, production space and broadcast studio all provide opportunities for artists and people to make, present and distribute their work.
