Fawood Childrens Centre (Container City)
Harlesden
Alsop Architects
DESIGNER: Alsop Architects BUILDER: Container City™ BUILD DATE: 2004
LOCATION: Harlesden, London, UK PHOTO CREDITS: Container City™ RATING: 4 Stars
Fawood Children's Centre sits on Fawood Avenue in Harlesden, north-west London, and replaced a nursery school that was knocked down during the regeneration of the Stonebridge Estate. Commissioned by the Stonebridge Housing Association Trust, it was designed by Will Alsop's practice, Alsop Architects, and built by Container City™, the team behind the stacked container buildings at Trinity Buoy Wharf.
Around 20 shipping containers are arranged into three blocks over three floors, giving roughly 500 square metres for a nursery, offices and an adult education centre. The blocks are linked by external walkways and wrapped in a bright, playful mesh skin dotted with coloured discs, all sheltered under a big overhanging roof with an open-air play area inside the footprint. It was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2005.
Build Method
The container modules were fabricated and fitted out off site, then trucked in and stacked into place in just five days. Buro Happold did the engineering, and the developer was Urban Space Management, Container City's parent company.
Rather than hide the containers, Alsop wrapped the whole stack in a lightweight mesh shell and tucked it under one generous roof. That outer layer ties the three blocks together, shades the walkways and turns a set of steel boxes into a single, joyful building.
Interbode Thoughts
We love this one. It proves that containers can do serious civic work and still be fun, and getting a three-storey children's centre up in five days is a great advert for building off site. The mesh skin and big roof are a clever trick any container project can borrow, from a single cabin to a multi-unit build. If you're after something you can stack and add to over time, have a look at our STACK2. Great job Alsop Architects and Container City™!
Build or Buy
Guides
NEST Design & Build Plans
2 BED | 1 KIT | 1 BATH - Dimensions: W x D x H
NEST is a double unit 2X 20M (40ft) High Cube Shipping container design suitable for a small house/ holiday apartment use complete with regular kitchen and bathroom in both Grid and Off Grid configurations and with 1 Solar roof option.
Download detailed plans for NEST which include the following drawings in A3:
DRAWINGS SCHEDULES
PROJECT NOTES
FLOOR PLAN
REFLECTED CEILING
ROOF PLAN
ELEVATIONS
SECTIONS
INTERNAL ELEVATIONS
TYPICAL DETAILS
KITCHEN DRAWINGS
JOINERY DRAWINGS
BATHROOM DRAWINGS
ASSEMBLY DRAWINGS
WINDOW SCHEDULES
LIGHTING PLAN
POWER & SWITCHES PLAN
ELECTRICAL SCHEMATICS
FIXTURES & FINISHES SCHEDULE
Bespoke plans or amendments are also available from Interbode’s Design Studio. Contact Us: https://www.interbode.com
Notes:
Whilst detailed, this document is not for construction and is not intended to be compliant with all council or building regulations in your country or state. Prior to commencing build you should engage a suitable architect/drafts person and a qualified engineer.
All plans are copyright of Interbode Pty Ltd and Boxwood Construction Pty Ltd.