The Gateway Makers Market in Gravesend
Located on a plot right next to Gravesend Station in Kent, this makers market will provide an opportunity for the locals to make and sell products that are locally produced whilst offering indoor public spaces for the community to have chance interactions. It will also promote the current regeneration plan of the local council in redeveloping this part of the town into a connected transportation hub that will link rail, road and pedestrian traffic with the aim of making a town centre that is accessible to all supporting the government's initiative of levelling-up.
The design was inspired by Kentish vernacular architecture to reflect the industrial and agricultural past of Gravesend and the surrounding area especially since more of these types of buildings are either becoming unaccessible to the public as they are turned into private residences or converted into private spaces. Two of the most common structures in Kent that influenced this building are the oast houses and tithe barns.
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The interior of the building is divided into four zones. The Makers Space, which is in the north facing the town centre; the Market Space in the south featuring a variety of shop configurations adapting to the needs of every business; the Atrium that houses the ribbon ramps that connect every floor and acts as a central space for indoor activities; and the Community Space in the western end of the building that hosts a performance space in the lower ground floor, a community lounge in the upper first floor, an exhibition space above it and a dining hall on the top floor. All of which are accessible through a spiral ramp that opens to the sky in the middle.
