Ilford Cultural Quarter

Ilford

Revitalising the cultural quarter of Ilford

A mixed use project that includes residential dwellings, 500 seat theatre and community swimming pool with associated public realm.

Sector: Mixed Use, Residential & Leisure
Features:
- 500 Seat Theatre
- Community Swimming Pool
- 444 Residential Dwellings
Client: Friends Mutual

Pod Architects produced a feasibility study for the demolition of the existing Kenneth More Theatre in the centre of Ilford Town, a stones throw from the station and High Street.

The site contains 444 Residential Dwellings, 500 seat theatre and community swimming pool. The project was designed to take cues from the local context sculpting a residential tower that splays out creating double and triple aspect flats with views across London. The scheme provides a new theatre with direct access to the cultural quarter.

The site is surrounded by destination attractions, including the Cinema, Library, Town Hall and existing Theatre. This area would further benefit from the proposed Leisure Centre and upgraded Theatre.

The site can be broken into smaller enclaves that would benefit from separately defined entrances for each typology. The theatre would benefit by positioning its entrance along the Cultural Link. The area directly in-front of this entrance is partially pedestrianised and could be transformed into a pedestrian only zone. The leisure entrance would be best positioned along the northern boundary. Here the entrance would have a frontage that has a clear public connection and sight line from the high street. The residential entrance would benefit from being positioned to the south west, where this creates a vantage point away from the town hall.