Up on the roof

Here at urbanlab_ we believe every building should include communal spaces regardless of its type and purpose. So, when we developed The Stack, Hackney this was at the very forefront of our mind.

Not only does each of the 24 apartments have a private balcony, but there’s also a communal space on the first floor and a communal roof terrace for extra fresh air. Plus the on-site cafe and community space are open to everyone.

Why does communal space matter? Because it provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to mix freely – creating a greater sense of community and belonging – and having open space provides a welcome escape from being indoors, which we’ve all been doing rather a lot of over the last year or so.

The sad truth is every day we see space that’s been, poorly designed, ill-considered – is unwanted, wasted and dead.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We have a social responsibility to design and develop homes that carefully consider space in all its form. Indoors, outdoors and those awkward spaces in-between. Space that can be utilised for better living.

And this is what makes The Stack more than just a home.

More because it’s a space to practice yoga, chat over coffee and cake, or strike up a friendship with a fellow resident on the open-air terrace. And, even better, it’s somewhere you can watch the sun go down, up on the roof.