Yardhouse

Yardhouse is an affordable workspace building in Sugarhouse Yard in Stratford and a pilot for the provision of creative workspace.
The building provides a sociable and collaborative work environment. It is simply arranged, as a two-storey, three-bay structure. The two outer bays are used as individual studio spaces, and open onto a generous double-height communal area. Studios are provided without partitions, but tenants are free to adapt their space to suit their practice, combining adjacent units or enclosing their space for greater privacy. The main structure is formed from a barn-like timber frame and enclosed by prefabricated insulated panels. The front facade facing onto the Sugarhouse Yard is made from colourful concrete tiles handmade on site. The unlikely scale and intricacy of this façade forms a backdrop for the active public yard onto which it faces.
Through utilising off-the-shelf materials and taking an extremely economical approach to construction, the project provides the generous scale, light quality and ceiling heights desirable for creative uses at a fraction of the cost of a conventional new build. Constructed for only £291/m², the project presents extraordinary value for money and guarantees that the spaces provided can be affordably let to its end users. The building was fully let prior to completion, oversubscribed by 10 applicants for every space.

Yardhouse was designed and built by Assemble, including fixtures and fittings. Internal partitions are tenants’ own.
Yardhouse was commissioned by London Legacy Development Corporation as part of Emerging East, and was supported by London Legacy Development Corporation, Kingspan and Assemble.