As Smithfield Market gears itself for radical transformation, social entrepreneur and chief executive of Projekt, Nick Hartwright, talks to AT about Studio Smithfield, a new creative hub found above the Meat Market in Smithfield’s Northwest Quadrant.
What are you planning in Smithfield Market?
Studio Smithfield is set across two floors and totals 27,000 sqft. It’s an iconic Grade II * listed building with unique architecture that gives us the room to create a mixed-use space and to provide work spaces for the creative industries which includes meeting rooms, event spaces for launches, presentations and talks/work shops.
How did this project begin? What drew you to the Smithfield site with Paul Smith?
It began with discussions with the City of London on ideas of how to make use of the building, with the ultimate aim of providing a new home and support for businesses from the creative industries. We have a number of sites across London that provide similar spaces, and we have built a large network of tenants and partners across these industries, so it felt like a good fit. Part of the building will be used for an exciting new project with the Mayor of London and Paul Smiths Foundation which is supported by British GQ.
Over the next three years we will be providing 5,000 sqft of free studio space for six early career fashion designers for 12 months each. Paul Smith’s Foundation has designed a great mentoring programme, that matches designers with industry-leading professionals to help them establish their businesses and create a sustainable footing once they leave. It will provide bespoke business mentoring through group seminars and one-to-one mentoring from a team of industry experts, conceived specifically to build their skills in topics ranging from legal and finance, to production, merchandising and publicity. British GQ is supporting the programme by providing residents with networking opportunities and mentoring on brand building and digital growth.
Inside Studio Smithfield will be “a campus for innovation supporting creative SMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and freelancers using the north-western quadrant of the [Smithfield Market] site.”
What impact do you hope occupying this space will have – both for the Paul Smith Foundation and the local area?
Traditionally Smithfield has been an area for creatives with numerous architectural and design practices based here. A lot of these have since been priced out and moved to other areas of London. We hope that by providing new affordable spaces in a unique building, we will be able to bring some of these practices back whilst creating a platform for new businesses to grow. Community engagement is a big part of what we do, and we have been meeting local groups and stakeholders from the area to make plans on how to provide space and support for new and existing initiatives.
I note Projekt aims to change the way in which developers and landowners approach commercial and residential spaces in the built environment throughout the UK and Europe. How does this scheme fit into that approach?
As we have done with other ‘meanwhile’ projects in London, Studio Smithfield will act as a test bed for future creative uses and partners that could form part of the redeveloped East and West Market buildings. I see these sites now as a part of the change and development of areas. It really allows us to test and prove the value of culture and creativity, both as ‘placemaking’ and in terms of financial returns for landowners and developers. Smithfield is a perfect example of how this type of change and intervention can give us scope for the future of the site and area and ensure that culture and creative industry is supported and fostered at grassroots level as well as at the more traditional large scale institutional level.
