● Non-profit organisation ReSpace Projects has been appointed to lead the regeneration of the former social club
● The building will be transformed into a multi-faceted social facility for the local community to use
As part of Newham Council’s investment into neighbourhoods to bring back underutilised assets into use, social enterprise ReSpace Projects has been appointed to lead the regeneration of the building into a local holistic facility to support the North Woolwich and wider Newham communities.
Following a procurement process, the Council has appointed ReSpace as the delivery partner with locally based Office S&M Architects to lead the building work to refurbish the Tate Institute building in North Woolwich using their trademark reuse and repurposing methods. The building will be transformed into a unique social centre with various spaces to support different community needs.
Darren Mackin, Director of Community Wealth Building, said: “The Tate Institute served as a very important social hub for the workers and residents of Silvertown for many years. Our investment to bring this space will give the building new life and purpose. ReSpace is an exemplary social enterprise that will deliver on our social and community wealth-building ambitions for the building and the wider North Woolwich area. I am pleased with their appointment and look forward to working with them on this innovative project.”
Gee Sinha, Founder and Director of ReSpace, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to fulfil the vision of a thriving social and enterprise hub. We’re excited to work with the residents of Silvertown and Newham, and look forward to bringing the old Tate social institute back into community life. We specialise in reusing otherwise wasted resources for social good, and hope the REinsTate project will go on to be a valued local asset for years to come. “
Hugh McEwen, Co-founder at Office S&M Architects, said: “As a Newham resident I’m proud to be working on restoring this important community building to its former glory for the local community, and delivering on the Just Transition strategy with Community Wealth Building and Circular Economy principles to make the building warm, welcoming, and sustainable. “
The improvement works at Tate Institute will be delivered through three key stages, REinsTate, REgenerate and REspace to create four self-sustaining areas, consisting of an enterprise hub, workshops and event spaces, creative studios and community gardens curated to co-exist in one collaborative environment. The first design and construction phase has now started and will aim to make the building safe, watertight and operational by July 2024 to start opening the space for more community events.