The Triangle, SPACE's headquarters on Mare Street, at the junction of Westgate Street, was opened over 10 years ago. It kick-started a wave of creative regeneration that now sees some of London's leading creative and digital tech organisations located in and next to The Triangle, including Sugru, The Trampery and many more. Opening Up Creative Hackney provides an opportunity to refresh this area, making it far more distinctive and better connecting the public to the normally behind the scenes, world-class activity inside The Triangle. The project will create and sustain dozens of new jobs and start ups, harnessing a local maker network including Open Desk and Machines Room. This will be achieved by remodeling the front spaces to improve access and interior visibility, improving the visitor experience, providing new revenue streams to artists, increasing economic sustainability, digital connectivity, and high quality jobs and providing large areas of affordable, accessible workspace.

What we'll deliver:

• Install 'mega fast' Wifi of 250mbs throughougt The Triangle, improving digital engagement wiht artists and makers
• Redesign the building façade to improve connections between inside activity and the public
• Refurbish the Front Space to make it more accessible and inviting.
• Remove internal partitions to create an open plan, welcoming reception area with better access to information
• Transform a private, street facing space into The Outlet, a fully publicly accessible, artist run pop-up 'retail' area.
• Underpin sustainability of artists & creatives through improved digital and physical engagement & new revenue streams
• Create a new public entrance to the Courtyard to open up this unique space for events
• Create digital and physical façade displays to show creative work externally
• Launch the Open Plan Studio creative start up incubator with affordable space, and facilities for at least 37 aritsts
• Provide digital and creative training and support for 50+ NEETs
• Reconfigure entrances with accessible doors, glazing and security systems to improve access for all
• Revitalise the Front Space with year round DIY Tech workshops, artist residencies, talks, screenings and events for all
• Work with local makers and fabricators to design and build all workspaces, tables, chairs and storage units

Why it's a great idea:

The Triangle is at the centre of a creative economy that has transformed Hackney, now home to Europe’s largest concentration of artists. Opening Up Creative Hackney will enable world leading artists, makers and creatives often located in inward-facing buildings, to better engage with each other and the public. It will transform The Triangle into accessible and inviting public space, providing residents with better access to the benefits of an increased amount of creative activity. The project will:
• create & retain 12 jobs for creative start-ups
• support 12 plus construction & fabrication jobs (connecting a network of Hackney based makers and creative)
• train 12 NEETs annually
• employ 2 apprentices
• provide better, affordable work, hire & presentation space
• ensure SPACE & artists sustainability through new revenue streams
• bring creative opportunities to more people
The project offers fantastic value for money with High Street Funds leveraging far larger match funding.

Steps to get it done:

• Appoint design team for facade and interior remodelling.
• Hire contractors to make changes to internal and external structure e.g. remove partitions, create doorways, redecorate
• Hold launch events
• Send out open calls for CoLab tenants

The broader opportunity of Opening Up Creative Hackney is to better connect and reveal a number of local creative organisations and makers. Over several years these groups have colonised the area in an ad hoc way, making it an exciting creative hub. The High Street Fund offers an opportunity to unite some of these groups ensuring that the South Mare Street area is recognised for its unique qualities and contribution to London's creative economy. The project will help SPACE and partners respond to economic and social changes by working more effectively together, providing new and increased public programmes and establishing new creative micro-business incubation and support models alongside its very successful studio based model.

The project's full potential will be developed via a SPACE/Random Dance/Legacy List/London Legacy Development Corporation research programme for Kings Cultural Institute to explore how and where people in Hackney engage with cultural products or projects.