Hackney House

Hackney House was a series of educational workshops on the circular economy held by Building Ways with students from the Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney. The project was a precursor to the Extended Project Qualification in Architecture set up by Building Ways with the London School of Architecture, which launched in Autumn 2023.

The aim of Hackney House was to connect young people with local buildings, materials, manufacturers and heritage, exploring Hackney’s built environment through the lens of the circular economy. Support was generously provided by the Museum of the Home, who hosted many of the workshops.

According to a 2015 study by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ‘more advantaged’ groups occupy 97.5% of architecture jobs; people from ‘less advantaged’ groups make up only 2.3%. Hackney House emerged from the recognition that state school candidates for architecture courses at university are disadvantaged by a lack of access to supplementary courses related to architecture, given that architecture is not taught as a part of mainstream curricula.

The programme was developed to introduce participants to the range of stakeholders in Hackney, including local community groups, planners, historians, fabricators and cultural institutions. Participants developed the skills to interpret their built surroundings technically, creatively and critically. Each interaction and discussion is framed by sustainable approaches to living and the development of local building culture.