LCC students help bring new Elephant Arcade to life

A collaboration between students at LCC and the local council to help with the design of a new home for neighbourhood businesses in the heart of Elephant and Castle.

Elephant Arcade is a collection of small new retail spaces that will enable existing traders to relocate from the old Elephant and Castle shopping centre, which is earmarked for demolition.

It occupies a space previously taken up by unused garages on the ground floor of Perronet House, and has been transformed by Turner Works Architects, whose previous redevelopment projects in south London include Pop Brixton and Peckham Levels.

Since it was announced that the shopping centre is to be replaced by buildings which include a new home for London College of Communication, Southwark Council has been working on plans to accommodate long-standing independent traders within the heart of a redeveloped Elephant and Castle.

Elephant Arcade provides 11 new retail units for those small traders to occupy, helping to retain some of the vibrancy and community spirit for which Elephant and Castle is renowned.

It has been developed in partnership with Meanwhile Space, which works specifically with independent businesses to breathe new life into neglected urban spaces. The aim of the project was to create an inclusive and dynamic new environment by using the empty garages.

Tom Wright from Turner.Works architects says the practice has its roots in small projects and the development of new community-focused spaces in existing urban locations.

This means that certain decisions are governed by the constraints imposed by an existing building, but Turner sees this as presenting opportunities to work creatively within those limitations, rather than kicking against them.

Tom said the most important aspect of this project was “creating a welcoming public asset whilst also respecting and responding to Perronet House’s strong architectural language”.

“This collaboration with LCC has given us access to a pool of talented graphic designers” – Dan Taylor, Southwark Council

Looking through archives, they discovered that the early 1960s plans for Perronet House, an 11-storey block of local authority housing, included a parade of shops on the ground floor, so in some ways the new retail space represents a return to this original intention.

When asked if the Elephant Arcade has been utilised to its full potential, Tom added: “Definitely, the retail units are in an arcade arrangement with traders facing each other so the central zone acts as a shared communal space.”

Southwark Council approached LCC’s MA Graphic Branding and Identity course to help create a new vibrant personality for the new arcade. Its students were split into groups and a competition was held in which their ideas were presented.

One of the winners, Vania Jasmine, explained that working on the Elephant Arcade project provided great exposure for her group and enhanced their employability. “When we won the competition, I knew it would be an exciting opportunity for us,” she said.

Vania and her group took it upon themselves to talk with the traders in the shopping centre in order to understand more of how they are feeling about this change.

“From talking to the business owners, they see the shopping centre as their home, especially as some of them have been situated there for over a decade.”

She said many expressed worries about losing their bond with their loyal customers but, at the same time, are positive that the new space will enable them to maintain those links and also build fresh friendships as Elephant and Castle’s regeneration continues.

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Dan Taylor, Southwark Council’s project manager, described how the designs by LCC’s students will be used to help create an inclusive community. “It will be weaved into the new arcade so that it reads as one community of spaces, using as many channels of communication as possible.

“As LCC neighbours the project and has expertise in graphic design, we were keen to get in touch and explore a possible partnership.”

Dan added that Southwark Council was keen to tap into the creativity and imagination of LCC’s students, who were encouraged to deliver a a huge range of ideas and inspiration, rather than simply putting the project out to tender among established graphic design companies.

He added: “This collaboration with LCC has given us access to a pool of talented graphic designers.”

For more information on the project, visit LCC’s website.