London – Community kitchen Nourish Hub has opened in the London borough with the highest dependence on food banks. Marking the first permanent home for social impact charity UKHarvest, the space comprises a commercial kitchen, teaching kitchen and flexible area that can be used as a dining room, workspace, classroom or event venue.
Designed by architecture studio RCKa, Nourish Hub represents a transformation of a row of vacant shop units in Hammersmith, West London, an area with the highest dependence on food banks in the city. It intends to host children as well as adults, demonstrating how the food and drink co-working spaces we explored in Edible Incubators are evolving to aid co-learning in local communities, and bringing in more interactive elements. ‘We were really inspired by old-fashioned kitchens, which are very performative,’ explains Anthony Staples, project architect at RCKa. ‘Everything is on display, so when you go in, you feel like you want to touch and grab things.’
Nourish Hub is pointing to a future in which brands, communities and consumers will unite to build future-fit food systems that tackle food poverty.
Strategic opportunity
Growing austerity means that communities are looking to brands to support local initiatives. Retailers and other public-facing venues can take inspiration from this project and create opportunities for co-learning