“A company with a track record of turning unpromising situations around through a highly networked model of collaborative social enterprise.”
Design for London, ‘The London High Street Possibilities Primer’

“What Space Makers did with Brixton Village and the community to rejuvenate the neighbourhood is nothing short of miraculous.”
Matt Webb, BERG

“There’s a post-​bubble revival under way, mixing homegrown culture, reclaimed buildings and vintage-​clad traditionalists.”
New York Times, 25 March 2011

Space Makers is about bringing people together to reimagine the spaces in which we live, work and play.

We work with local residents and businesses, artists, community groups, local authorities and property owners to create inspiring regeneration projects that are driven by grassroots energy.

Space Makers founder Dougald Hine speaking to representatives of the creative industries in Lewisham, July 2011:

“Space Makers used an extensive personal network, a clear sense of direction and a savvy social media approach to create a buzz of activity and a pathway to a reborn, sociable market place.”
NESTA, CABE & 00:/, ‘Compendium for the Civic Economy’

Our approach is to start with what is already there: the stories of a place and the people who live there; its unused or underused buildings; the skills and experience that exist within every neighbourhood and workplace; the desires of everyone connected to a place or project.

Our role is as a catalyst, bringing out the possibilities which were already present in a situation and making connections which might not have been obvious.

We work to build bridges:

  • between local communities, property owners, local authorities, policy-​makers and others.
  • between the energy, enthusiasm and deep pragmatism of grassroots projects and the reputation, specialist knowledge and resources of established institutions.
  • between the creative explosion of projects making temporary use of empty space and the long-​term future of our local economies and communities.

Our Associates are artists, activists and entrepreneurs with a passion for creating exciting, sociable, economically– and environmentally-​sustainable spaces — and a history of making things happen.

We also run the Space Makers Network — an open, online and offline forum which connects hundreds of people around the UK who are involved in space-​making projects.