Winner: Central Somers Town

Entered by DSDHA

Wedged between railway lines approaching London’s Euston and King’s Cross stations and hemmed in by the Euston Road to the south, Somers Town has about 5,000 residents, of whom 70% live in Camden

council-owned homes. Looking to revamp the area, the local authority worked with residents to understand their priorities for investment which the masterplan, drawn up by DSDHA, was designed to deliver. DSDHA worked in collaboration with other architectural practices that were designing various elements of the scheme, responding to the detail of each individual building brief. The firm engaged with local people face to face, in an effort to understand concerns such as air quality, gentrification and anti-social behaviour. Throughout the Central Somers Town project, DSDHA demonstrated a commitment to social value, diversity and democratising architecture. The effective use of public land, funded through the sale of the minimal possible amount of land, was the central economic objective that unlocked the social value of the scheme.

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