#meanwhile space

[eireni-archi]

Nomadic Gardens puts meanwhile space to good use | The Urban Activist

Nomadic Gardens is a meanwhile space transformed from neglect to be a vital point of social interaction and community building in London.

[lorettabosence]

'Meanwhile Space' is an organisation dedicated to making use of empty buildings and land, in towns and cities, for community benefit and social enterprise.

http://www.meanwhilespace.com/

[somewheretoblog]

Empty High Street? Never fear... somewhereto_ is here!

We all know the high street is dying. No longer can you get a pick n mix from Woolies, nice looking shoes from Faith, or a lick of paint from Focus DIY. We're all tentatively wondering if we would still be able to get our Toffee Chocs from Thorntons or last minute birthday card from Clintons. 

We've teamed up with Meanwhile Space - follow them on twitter: @here_sutton to open spaces for young people to use in new and interesting ways.

Fancy it? 

Check this one in North Cheam

Or this one in Worcester Park

They're only free til the end of March! If you need a space and reckon this is ideal for you then click on this button

and get in touch with our lovely Esther!

somewhereto_ finds space for young people to do the things they love to do. If you need space to be creative or entrepreneurial then get in touch here!

[piplewis]

Meanwhile Space works with landlords, landowners, developers and local authorities to advise and deliver projects that relieve them temporarily of liabilities (insurance, rates, security etc.) associated with holding redundant shops, offices, cleared land etc.

[architour]

Food for Thought

I just finished up a pretty fun job for The Architecture Foundation. The project was part of a much wider project called Willesden Windows which is funded by the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund and Brent Council. I was one of several designers asked to work with a local shopkeeper in Willesden Green the plan was to help revive and improve local businesses and bring about positive change to the area.

The Architecture Foundation paired me with a cafe called Food for Thought to see what could be done with a small budget.  I worked to create a more engaging window display and more flexible seating plan for the cafe.  Taking inspiration from their name I designed Food for Thought  bespoke 'Thinker Stools' (inspired by Rodin's famous sculpture The Thinker') and a window display that acts as a community engagement board featuring revolving questions each month that customers can come in, ponder over and share there own thoughts as part of the display.

Also; the nice folk at Creative Review wrote a post about it here: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/food-for-thought-willesden

[somewheretoblog]

win £1,500 with 3Space's high street highjack competition_

3Space, a charity who negotiate with the owners of empty property to allow other charities and community projects access, have an exciting competition.

Read on to find out how you could win up to £1,500 and free access to an empty store for your dream charity project!

Empty shops blight our high streets, it's estimated 30% won't be used for retail ever again, yet charities funding is being cut and community centres are closing.

Which is why 3Space are delighted to announce 'High Street Hijack', a competition to reward charitable organisations who can come up with innovative and creative ideas about how they can temporarily use these vacant spaces. Yes, that's right we're looking for charity pop-ups, community projects or anything else that you can come up with centred around the occupation of one of our empty units.

All you have to do is come up with something truly original and impactful. To balance this we want to see applications that are feasible and that you'll be able to get off the drawing board. Past projects have included social enterprise incubation, drop in centres and community education workshops. More examples of past projects in our spaces can be found at our website.

Not only will the winning project get FREE use of an empty retail unit, but you'll also receive up to £1,500 to help you pull off something that is not only memorable but that will also be of a real benefit to the surrounding community and your organisation.

So what are you waiting for, get planning how you could take over an empty shop to benefit the community!

Register your interest by emailing us at [email protected] and keep an eye on www.3space.org and @3spaceorg for updates on how to apply.

Preliminary details:

You must be a registered charitable organisation or social enterprise based in the UK

All entries must be submitted by 10 November 2011 

The judges will select the top 5 entries, and then there will be a public vote for the overall winner from 23-30 November 2011.

Projects will be judged on:

Originality & creativity

Reach & benefit

Community involvement

The winner will be announced on 1 December 2011

[somewheretoblog]

the underground food revolution_

Where did you go for your last meal out; a stylist new restaurant, a favourite old haunt, or perhaps a cosy local gastro-pub? How about an unused office space, the top of a multi-story car park, or a complete stranger’s living room?

These are just a few examples of the type of sites housing pop-up restaurants and supper clubs, part of an underground movement that has captured the zeitgeist of the food scene in recent years, and that’s gaining momentum fast. Powered by social media, through blogs, Twitter and Facebook, the world of underground eateries has expanded rapidly. Nationwide, unusual or unused spaces are being reclaiming and repurposed to create a unique dining experience and give home cooks and non-chefs the chance to show off their kitchen prowess.

A few weeks ago I volunteered at one such pop-up. Run by food waste charity FoodCycle and held on the floor of an empty office building provided by 3Space, the pop-up was part of A Good Week, a week long celebration of all things “good”. Using surplus food collected from local supermarkets and decked out in reclaimed or recycled furniture, FoodCycle converted the vast space into a temporary restaurant with an ethical message, highlighting the twin issues they tackle; food waste and food poverty.

Elsewhere in London, this week sees the re-opening of Frank’s Café and Campari bar, a summer pop-up on the roof of a disused a multi-storey car park. Now in it’s third year the temporary structure, designed by Practice Architecture, is part of the annual Bold Tendencies Sculpture Project, an installation dedicated to showcasing new work by international artists that occupies the top four floors of the car park.

On a more intimate scale, the past year has seen a dramatic rise in the number of living room restaurants, or supper clubs as they are known. One of the first supper clubs to open in the UK, and one of the most talked about, is The Underground Restaurant founded by Kerstin Rogers (aka Ms Marmitelover) in early 2009. Inspired by her experiences in the paladares of Cuba, Kerstin sought to create a cosier, more communal environment than the traditional restaurant setting, by putting food and cooking back into the hands of ordinary people. She hosts The Underground Restaurant in the living room of her Kilburn flat, where she also now holds The Underground Market a series of farmers’ and craft markets for small, local producers. Others are finding alternative home or nearby spaces to repurpose as a supper club venue; the back garden, a roof space, a local theatre, I’ve even attended a restaurant in a shed!

Kerstin has recently collected her experiences of this underground restaurant scene into a recipe book-cum-how to guide: Supper Club: Recipes and notes from the underground restaurant, in the hopes of encouraging more people to follow her lead and is spearheading a campaign in partnership with Maille to start a supper club revolution. Of course there’s also a financial aspect involved. For the many who’ve found they no longer have the disposable income to eat out in traditional restaurants a supper club can offer an affordable alternative, whilst for those hosting it can sometimes provide an additional source of income (although this is in no way guaranteed). Supper clubs are also a great way to meet new people and make new friends, and from my experience the food served is far from that of amateur.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Would you attend a supper club held in a stranger’s home or host one yourself, or would you be more interested in a pop-up restaurant in an unusual but public space?

If you’re 16-25 and looking for somewhereto_ host a pop-up restaurant or supper club go to somewhereto.com to find the space you need.