The blasted remains of the Clapton Portico are a popular and dramatic local landmark in Hackney, North London. Originally constructed in 1825 as an orphanage, the imposing stone Doric portico served as the entrance to a larger complex of buildings, for much its life the headquarters of the Salvation Army. When the Salvation Army moved out in 1975 the rest of the buildings were demolished leaving the Portico and connecting colonnades as a roofless and steadily deteriorating townscape monument.

This new project resurrects the ruin as the entrance to a new Learning Resource Centre, a centralised computer training facility for schoolchildren and adult education, funded as part of the Government's "Excellence in Cities" programme. The new building extends the body of the Portico to the rear in the location of the original chapel providing 4 floors of accommodation.

The new building is simple and economic and we were concerned that the facades of the new extension, by necessity of smaller scale windows and openings, would water down the dramatic monumentality of the historic portico.

The Art works in the reception have been kindly donated by motiroti

Publications/Awards/Exhibitions

2007 Open House -public tours of project and Open House publication 'Learning by Design' Exemplary design for education.

2007 CABE education "How Places Work"

2007 Ken Powell's book 'new london architecture'

2006 Architecture Today - 5 page feature

2006 Architecture Ireland - 5 page feature

2006/7 English Heritage: exemplar projects

Hackney Design Awards : Highly Commended

RIAI Contemporary Architecture Exhibition

Architecture Week 06 Art and Architecture event