"Work should be play, because play is culture, culture is networking,
networking is freedom and freedom is the best condition for working in,"
this is the ethos behind new creative studio space Westbourne Studios.
The concept, design and development of Westbourne Studios was created
by Simon and Nicholas Kirkham, Directors of Westbourne Studios Limited.
The brothers vision, commitment and drive stemmed from their experiences
of setting up and developing Great Western Studios and Clink Street Studios.
All three spaces provide much needed well-managed, flexible and affordable
studio space for the creative community. Westbourne Studios is situated
between Portobello Road and Paddington in London, on a derelict, land
tipped site under the raised A40 dual carriageway. The site, a problematic
pocket of space to which most developers would attach little or no value,
has been transformed with a distinctive building that fills the space
and hugs the sides of the roadway, creating a striking intervention with
the traffic.
The
Kirkhams saw a lack of studio space in west London and decided to do something
about it by creating something that would benefit not only artists but
also new/small creative businesses and the local community, while being
environmentally conscious too. The concept of bringing retail studios,
workshops, offices, a restaurant and bar, gallery and cinema space together
is what makes Westbourne Studios a truly mixed-use commercial development.
Working in close collaboration with The Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea (RBKC), the brothers transformed the site into a studio complex
that blurs the boundaries between work and play, to create an atmosphere
of interaction and creativity. The RBKC will, as freeholder, collect a
percentage of the revenue stream; which due to the size and success of
Westbourne Studios has increased its freehold interest considerably. This
income will then be used for other regeneration projects in Kensington
and Chelsea.
The
public/private partnership offers the best value for all parties, passing
all the risk to the private sector while the public partner and local
community benefit socially, culturally and economically from the project.
Westbourne Studios provides 97 studios - space for over 450 creatives,
ranging from designers to multi-media to film/tv and back-up services,
in the 6100sqm building. The Kirkhams also believe in providing additional
in-house facilities and support services which would normally be too expensive
or difficult to access for micro creative businesses. Examples include
IT support with an in-house helpdesk and the outsourcing of individual
businesses within the building, including a professional reprographic
centre, film and music editing suites, massage and yoga facilities and
large format photographic facilities. The main flexible areas within the
building include an 82-seat, screening room/photographic studio and performance
space, plush meeting rooms and two galleries, all centred around a dramatic
560sqm, three-floor high enclosed courtyard under the westway¹. This
showcase space is the conceptual heart of the building, with the Under
the Westway¹ restaurant and bar open to the studios and public for up
to 15 hours a day. It is envisaged by the Kirkhams as an area to take
time out or to socialise in.
Filled
with sofas, a pool table and table football games, the bar enforces the
commitment that work benefits from play, networking and creative freedom.
On occasion the courtyard doubles as an arena for performance art, fashion
shows, exhibitions and product launches. "Instead of filling the site
with as much box-like studio space as we could, for the highest possible
financial return, we have addressed the needs of the building users and
produced a quality built environment designed to stimulate and be enjoyed,"
says Simon Kirkham. "This is no token gesture. All elements of the building
are designed to reduce maintenance and so reduce costs to the end user.
Natural light and ventilation have been maximised and floor-to-ceiling
heights are raised to enhance the feeling of space. These are just some
examples of how we are creating a quality workspace and a template for
future schemes to work to." Westbourne Studios is also implementing an
electric Th!nk City carpool for studio holders. And, in collaboration
with Paddington Development Trust, it has set up a community cleaning
company which is contracted for the building and individual studio holders
and looking to secure contracts with many of the new developments in the
vicinity.