Roundhouse today announces the opening of a new creative centre, Roundhouse Works, which will be unveiled to the public next spring 2023. Roundhouse Works is the latest addition to Roundhouse’s creative campus for young people.
Alongside Roundhouse Studios, it will double the capacity of the current site to support 15,000 young people. The new creative centre will help uncover new, diverse creative voices and empower the next generation of young creative entrepreneurs.
For over 15 years, Roundhouse has been at the helm of providing creative opportunities, space and mentorship for young people in Camden and beyond to pursue a career in the creative industries. They have worked with tens of thousands of young people, supporting the creative development of many including the likes of Daniel Kaluuya, Little Simz and Jack Rooke.
The launch of Roundhouse Works will extend Roundhouse’s reach to a wider age bracket of young people – 11–30-year-olds – who continue to face challenges and barriers to entry to the sector, particularly following the impact of COVID-19.
As the cost-of-living crisis in the UK intensifies, youth unemployment is forecast to rise – under 25s currently account for three in five jobs lost. Despite this, the creative industries have rebounded quicker than the rest of the UK economy. Roundhouse Works will therefore open at a time when creativity is more important than ever, equipping young people with the skills they need for the economy of the future. In addition to providing access to creative opportunities, the Roundhouse also offers financial and pastoral assistance through their dedicated team of trained on-site youth workers and staff.
With principal support from the Inflexion Foundation, Roundhouse Works will include three large rehearsal spaces for young theatre makers, musicians, film makers, circus and performance artists plus a dedicated podcast studio run by Transmission Roundhouse.
The new Roundhouse Works will also include an affordable workspace for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers. Members of Roundhouse Works will be provided with one-to-one mentorship with industry experts and have access to a series of networking events and workshops which have been piloted over the past three years with partners including Taylor Wessing. Roundhouse has also launched its flagship Self Made Accelerator programme, successful applicants of which have access to the new Roundhouse Works workspace in 2023.
The building was designed by architect Patrick Dillon and Reed Watts Architects, to BREEAM Excellent standard (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), this will put its environmental performance in the top 10% of all new non-domestic buildings in the UK. It will also be fully accessible and will include a Space for Change facility.
Marcus Davey, Chief Executive and Artistic Director at Roundhouse said: “The opening of Roundhouse Works is an exciting step forward in the Roundhouse’s mission to raise the UK’s creative potential. For decades we have been working with young people from all backgrounds, supporting them as they explore creativity and develop skills to help them thrive in the future world. Roundhouse Works will significantly increase the impact of this work, allowing us to reach more young people and provide even more opportunities for them.”
