Thais Salla Ramos

Part of London history hides behind its old walls through all over the city, some of them were already replaced for new buildings, others were renovated, and also there are the obsoletes - the ones that were forgotten and/or abandoned along time.

Taking this theme ahead, it was chosen the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station for this study, which is currently empty and not being used. Those bright days seem to be over for this beautiful building, paralyzed in the past and nowadays the doors are closed. 

The proposal is to offer an opened space to support professional ‘’makers”- anyone who is in the business for living, like artists, craftsmen, architects, designers, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs etc – with diverse work spaces, tools, machinery available for prototyping and creating plus a gallery space for exhibitions and events.

Co-working spaces will bring those people together with all kinds of creative and technical expertise, nurturing an exchange of information working together and inspiring each other.

The soul of this idea is to relate this opportunity of use with a rich and interesting space such as Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. The building presents a lot of potential with two big and distinct spaces: an empty one with four columns and the other one with five old hydraulic turbines.

It is being proposed studios over these hydraulic turbines, respecting the old but at the same time adding something new, following its shapes and communicating with it.

A long platform suspended by the ceiling links the two buildings, representing a sublime atmosphere and clear difference of time.

People will be able to perform and work in a democracy space to develop their ideas, creating a new part of the history, at the same time they will be living, thinking and respecting the paths of the past.