The Hothouse

Front view of the Hothouse, inside the gate.

'HOT' view of train track from the roof

On our first visit we were unable to go inside the building however this gave us a chance to focus on the location and gain an understanding of the site and public opinion. We were able to explore how the building can be experienced externally.

We arranged a meeting the following week with a worker from Free form,  the charity that did own Hothouse but has now gone into administration.  The building was originally developed in two stages with the arches and ground floor being built first then having the upper floors added later.

The building is situated between a railway line and London fields park in a boomerang shape 10 minutes walk from Hackney central station. Ashsakula architects won the competition to design it because they took the train to view the site unlike every other candidate. The architects wanted the building to hug the park area and fit in with the natural surroundings. They aimed to try to keep the design organic to blend into the

environment. The plan below highlights how the building (dark grey) fits into the site.

The image below shows the themes and relationships of the building in its environment.

Collage of our first impreeions of the site.

The studies below highlight the organic aspect of the building, which was integral to the design. From the amoeba shaped windows to the vines purposely planted to camouflage the building to suit the parkland environment. The boomerang curve follows the line of the trees which there long before. The autumn colours of the leaves blend into the brickwork, and the vines are trailing all over window frames so there are no 'hard' materials in sight. After speaking to the architects, we discovered their aim was to make the building as 'friendly' as possible, all curves and organic colours, so as not to startle the children who use the playground.

Interior view of the vines crawling up the windows.

Public opinion

We asked various passers by what they thought of the building and what they knew about what happened there etc. Generally most people liked the design in particular the different shaped windows which they found interesting. Most people asked were local so generally saw the building everyday but people didn't know much about the function and purpose of the building. They were not aware about the offices. Some knew about the community art projects that went on. The building is very much hidden from public view behind trees on the park side. The rest of the building is hidden from the public eye apart from commuters on the train which at the . The entrances are simple gates that are not particularly inviting . The park manager didn't like it very much saying it was a bit odd and didn't understand why it was so hidden. Why create something nice that cannot be appreciated by many people. Another person felt the gates made it appear like a prison. There was also a couple who thought it was alright but seemed to be concerned about the fact that people could look out the Windows onto the park and children playing.

Our thoughts

The Hothouse was not what we expected from our initial research because we could not see much of the building. There was only one side of the building that could be viewed and it was very hidden by trees. We liked what part of the design we could see but it was not until our second visit that we really got a feel for the place and explored it internally. Inside it is very light and spacious and a really nice working environment.

  We did feel that the building was very hidden and cut of from the public which was a shame because it was a very interesting design which most people cannot appreciate unless they work there. However the architects did tell us that it was there intention for the buildings to blend into its environment and not to draw attention which it does very well.