What might urban development look like in a de-growth economy? Is it possible to develop housing without encouraging speculation? How could communities and local businesses reclaim their cities?
These were just some of the propositions behind the Oslo Architecture Triennale (OAT) 2019 that Karakusevic Carson Architects were selected to be part of through the display of a specially comisisoned model showcasing the thinking behind our Camley Street Community Housing project in Camden, North London.
The Oslo Architecture Triennale is the Nordic region’s biggest architecture festival, and one of the world’s prominent arenas for dissemination and discussion of architectural and urban challenges. Camley Street represented our response to the festival theme of Enough: The Architecture of Degrowth and puts forward a multi-functioning vertical hybrid as a possible model for a more equitable and sustainable form of urban development future.
Based on a sustained design research and feasibility project with local residents and businesses in Camden, our Triennale contribution depicted a mixed-use neighbourhood that brings together affordable housing, food production, logistics and light industry onto one site.
With a consciously bold graphic style and informal layout, it is intended as a provocation for people to think differently about the future form of community housing, but also urban co-location with a hybridised concept that promotes collaboration, community leadership and sustainable land that is in contrast to many conventional models of large-scale profit driven urban speculative.
The Camley Street model was part of ‘The Library’ at The Oslo Architecture Triennale 2019 and on show between 26 September 26 and 24 November 24 at the Nasjonalmuseet – Arkitektur, Bankplassen 3, Oslo Norway.