YOUTH IDEA STORE

by Thomas Greenhill

Youth centres are a vital part of Tower Hamlets, they have the potential to create joyful opportunities for young people, yet council provision typically provides a unidimensional space, which doesn’t allow for a broad range of simultaneous activities. This removes a sense of individualism and ownership to the young people that visit.

My proposal, The Youth Idea Store, provides a variety of juxtaposing spaces. Instead of conflating architecture associated to a specific activity, this offering provides each user the freedom to carve out their own activities and experiences. These experiences are directed towards activities that cannot be catered for at school or home.

The Youth Idea Store is located within Mile End’s skatepark and go-kart track; a place that young people associate with freedom, joy and play. The project preserves and improves existing site features, to appropriately manifest a joyful and generous public space.