Samovar Space is the first output of a long-term youth engagement project which started with ‘Seen and Heard’, a project commissioned by Brent Council as London Borough of Culture, and then a legacy project by LSE Cities at the London School of Economics, the ‘Apprenticeship in City Design’. The vision for Samovar Space by the young adults was a direct response to the location of the square at the heart of Wembley Park, next to Sainsburys, the Library and Civic Centre and on the way to the LDO making it an important place to meet, hang out, and act as social hub.

Samovar Space is envisaged as a vibrant space where young people can come together and socialise. Three distinct zones accommodate for slight variations of how young adults ‘hang out’: Consume, Collaborate, and Calm. The Consume Zone is a place to get some food in one of the many shops and food outlets around the Square and informally gather to eat. Collaborate is a playscape distinctly not for young children, and not designated play (like a MUGA) but for young adults to gather and engender a sense of socialization. Finally, the Calm Zone aims to bring the security of the home into the public sphere and offer a public, semi-outdoor living room.

For the Calm Houses. timber frames were proposed for the main structural elements with colourful roof infill panels to contrast with the timber frame. Vertical timber slats provide a permeable screen within the houses, while timber decking is proposed for the floor of the calm houses. Calm houses are rotated 45 degree to maximize the faces facing the south for daylight. Timber as a sustainable choice of materials gives a harmonious sense of nature with the trees surrounding the site.