London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. The combination of cultures and ethnicities makes it an incredible place. This influences the architecture, the food, amenities, and more. As an architect, London is a place that offers lots of inspiration. It also has a great history to celebrate.

The London Irish Centre in Camden is an iconic building that has been at the heart of the community since 1955. However, expansion over the years has caused some issues. Most importantly, the centre now has sprawling facilities across several levels and buildings. The organisation chose to redevelop the centre to give it a new lease of life and maximise the benefits it offers to the community.

There was a design competition to see who would get to do the development. We were incredibly happy to be announced the winner. Our goal is to create a building that people will love. We spent 18 months working with local stakeholders, including the Irish community, so we could get our proposal right.

What are we going to create?

The idea is to create a new cohesive space that is flexible and able to suit the needs of the community. There will be lots of fantastic amenities, including a community kitchen and cafe, a wellbeing centre, a shop, and a state of the art venue. The interiors will have world-class designs to create a cultural institution that is looking to the future.

Our proposal also celebrates the history of the current centre. The villa building is iconic and will be saved in the new design. New additions will not overshadow it; instead they will maintain sight lines to make it stand out.

We expect to begin work on the site in 2022. Then we hope to complete the project by 2023 so we can present a new building to the community.

Talk to an architect in London

At Coffey Architects we enjoy projects like this where we can make a big difference to communities. We love designing with them in mind and consulting to find out what they want from the redevelopments. This can result in a property that will provide real social value.

If you want to learn more about us, you can visit our website or get in touch.