Co Mooring by WY Design, tomos.design, COMPENDIUM and Studio Yu
Harrow Road © Luke O’Donovan
The Co-Mooring harnessed community activity taking place on London’s canal network and enlivened the space beneath the Westway flyover in the Harrow Road area of Westminster. The project created opportunities to connect boaters with local people, breaking down boundaries between the area’s transient and permanent residents. The intervention saw the canal towpath become an expanded, multi-use space, alongside further improvements to the canalside including new planting.
Harrow Road © Luke O’Donovan
WY Design, tomos.design, COMPENDIUM and Studio Yu are a design and research collective based in Copenhagen and London, with a mission to pursue socially useful design as a means of public engagement. The team overcame competition from 49 entries following an open call to architects, landscape architects, designers and artists.
Activation
Throughout July 2019, The Co-Mooring was the focus for events encouraging local residents who would not typically use the area to visit and take part in activities. Activities during July’s lively public programme included family-focussed events, well-being activities, gardening and recycling workshops, and entertainment for older people. For Westminster City Council, this was an important first step for discussions about the surrounding public realm, and what future improvements around the canal should look like.
