HAKO CARRÉS 1
Hako Carrés: The Cabmen’s Shelter on Russel Square.
An overlooked building chosen by Anthony Engi Meacock of Assemble.
Our first edition in a series of visual articles with friends, colleagues and collaborators sees Studio Hako asking Anthony Engi Meacock to select and tell us about a favourite overlooked building or structure.
His choice of the Cabmen’s Shelter on Russel Square is a wonderful example of a piece of human-centered architecture that serves its purpose in an un-showy but dignified way, providing a restorative and convivial space for Hackney cab drivers on the edge of a large, park-like square in London.
“This Cabmen’s Shelter is one of 13 left of an original network of 61 across London commissioned by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund to provide simple food and drink to London’s cab drivers. There is something wonderfully enigmatic about them – but for me they also represent a generous approach to public space and a care towards workers that we would do well to learn from. It’s hard to imagine a similar network for Uber or Deliveroo drivers.” — Anthony Engi Meacock
When Studio Hako went to visit the Shelter, we found it surrounded by flowers. This, along with the Shelter’s bright-green paint and whimsical roof turret, suggests vernacular-influenced Arts & Crafts architecture, with its tendency to point towards nature even in the heart of the city. This return to the natural is close to the heart of Studio Hako’s approach: today we want to bring nature into the urban context through the use of quality, natural materials in our projects.