It would be fair to suggest that, at first look, a recent University student project which saw some foldable market stalls being designed and built would seems to have low to no relevance to us or the work we do in respect of residential architecture in London. What might surprise you is the fact that this project was one of many initiatives which were seen at the 2016 London Festival of Architecture during June. Although we would agree that there would seem to be no relation at face value, the nature of certain aspects of this project do indeed serve to inform our own work.

Market stalls are not a form of structure that our architectural skills have, thus far, been called on to create. Whilst we absolutely do not take away from the importance of them or the service they provide, it is simply the case that our strengths have been in other areas. Despite this, as we said we looked at the project by students from the University of Brighton with great interest, and noted that they gave focus and consideration to aspects which we do.

There were two factors which impressed us the most about the folding market stalls – space and sustainability. In respect of the first, the design featured the absolute maximum beneficial level of use that the space allocated provided, admirably supported by just how small a space the not in use stall folded down to. Secondly, wood and other forms of sustainable materials were used in the construction of the stalls. This is an admirable and very welcome acknowledgement of the environmental concerns which impact all aspects of life today.

We are delighted to see that innovative, creative and considerate thinking is as much at the heart of what these students from the University of Brighton produced as it is for us. Although each generation of architecture creates a style which defines them, some concerns and qualities must remain as a constant. The most beneficial use of resources, be it space or materials, is such a quality and is of vital importance to managing the environmental impact of architectural work.