Brixton Village Studio 

The historic Brixton Market is a vibrant Grade II listed street market in Brixton, London. 

Brixton, London 

Empty modern office space viewed through glass partition, with a white desk, a notebook, and a pen, featuring black chairs with circular cutouts, and large windows letting in natural light.
Indoor market hall with hanging paper lanterns and string lights, with dining tables and people dining.

Our work at Brixton Village focused on improving the market infrastructure, including improvements to public facilities and new electrical substations to provide adequate power to the 140 market traders. Our work also included converting the first-floor storage units into creative office space.

Interior view of a commercial space with large glass doors, brown window frames, and a staircase with a black railing.

The market’s character, culture and diversity were first shaped by the Afro-Caribbean community during the 1940s - 1950s and are part of its charm today.  The form of the market is characterised by covered arcades that fill the landlock space to the rear of the buildings facing the adjacent streets, notably  Electric Avenue, the first electrified street market of the 1920s.

Indoor staircase with black railings, yellow safety strips, white steps, next to glass wall and door.

The storage units occupy the space between the double-height arcades and, as a result, have low ceilings and minimal ventilation. The key component of our design was to create a series of simple roof lanterns to provide extra height, light, and ventilation along the length of the space.

Modern office space with glass conference room, white walls, large windows, black railing staircase, and minimal decor.

The lanterns are organised between the structural frame to minimise the impact on the listed building fabric and fragile hollow pot roof structure.  Adding a new roof access structure and terrace allows for a new connection to the unique roofscape between the market arcades.

A minimalist interior with a large window, white walls, black cabinet, and two glasses of water on the cabinet.

A ‘mend and make do' approach was taken by keeping as much of the existing fabric as possible, making this a low-cost, characterful addition to the market. The new office space provides a new active layer to the market, enhancing the already vibrant community.

Interior of a modern, minimalist room with white walls and ceiling, large windows, and a skylight with a metal framework viewing the sky.
Rooftop view with metal skylights, a small black shed with a door, neighboring buildings, and a cloudy sky

Completed 2024 
Photography by Nick Dearden