Senior Lecturer Maria Kramer selected as one of ten teams for next stage of Brent Town Pavilion architecture competition

The competition asked architects to create a net zero design concept for a welcoming and inclusive sports and active play pavilion on Clitterhouse Playing Fields, an area of open green space the size of 22 football pitches in the north London borough of Barnet.

The project is central to the vision for the £7 billion Brent Cross Town, a ‘park town’ being developed by Argent Related and Barnet Council. The competition particularly sought entrants from up-and-coming UK practices or teams and those who could demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Maria and her team at Room 102 - the north London practice that she founded in 2011 which has a track record in community projects – have put forward their Park Hub proposal (as shown in the above image) which arranges accommodation around an open community courtyard in reference to the nearby Clitterhouse Farm.

The reception is at the centre of the design with a café towards the south west and sports and supporting spaces towards the east. The pavilion’s timber structure would be covered in a variety of cladding materials to reflect the area’s diverse demographic, including individual clay tiles developed with the local community in reference to the site’s association with clay. 

Speaking about her proposal being selected, Maria said: “It is fantastic being longlisted as one of the ten teams from 188 entries for our Park Hub Proposal. This is in collaboration with our Live Design Practice within the university encouraging knowledge exchange, applied research and student agency. We are currently also developing an exciting QHT (Quintin Hogg Trust) funded community hub in collaboration with Waltham Forest Council within this platform. Special thanks to Wilfred Achille and Harry Charrington for all their support.”

Learn more about the AJ Brent Cross Town competition on the Architect’s Journal website.