Housing a growing community at The Stack

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The Stack 1

Located a short walk from Homerton station in the heart of Hackney, Homerton Baptist Church has become a staple of the community over the past 200 years. But they’d reached the point where their 1960s building could no longer accommodate the growth of the church and the community. So they needed a new space.

Working closely with the pastor, we’ve completely redesigned the building to unlock the full potential of the site and deliver a mixed-use scheme that truly serves and enhances the community. A building designed by us, developed by urbanlab_.

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the stack 2

The spatial layout of the ground floor has been carefully designed to maximise community usage of the building, with the cafe positioned on the corner where it’s most visible to passers-by. The cafe then leads people through to the church, encouraging churchgoers to use the cafe. Activities such as weekly yoga take place in a multi-purpose community space positioned on the lower ground floor, helping to bring the community together.

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the stack 3

24 beautifully crafted new apartments, consisting of 1, 2 and 3 beds, sit above the church to respond to the growing need for housing in the area, one of which was gifted to the church for use by the pastor. The remaining 23 were sold to successfully fund the church and make the entire development self-sustainable. Each apartment also has a private balcony, as well as access to a communal roof terrace, providing residents with easy access to outdoor space and the opportunity to socialise - so important for everyone’s health and wellbeing. 

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the stack 4
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the stack 3

Supporting local businesses, we selected items to dress the show apartment from shops and boutiques on nearby Chatsworth Road – ceramics and house plants coming from Botany, sliding curtains made and installed by The Hackney Draper, a beautiful Danish chair from a wonderful vintage furniture store called Everything But The Dog, and hip clothes and bags from Triangle Store.

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the stack 4
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the stack 5