We’ve been shortlisted for the NLA Awards.
Would you help us win it?

Arbeit Studios has recently been shortlisted in the Meanwhile Activation category at NLA’s New London Awards 2025 for our project in Trowbridge Gardens.

NLA's New London Awards recognise projects which demonstrate the positive impact that high-quality design, planning and construction have on people.

We couldn’t be more proud to be on this shortlist and now we need your support! We are inviting partners, friends, visitors and studio holders to vote for us and help us win the People’s Choice Award.

Voting is quick and easy. Click the button below (opens on a new window), fill out the short form on their platform and hit ‘submit your vote’.
The voting deadline is 3 October. Thank you for your support!

VOTE NOW

The Trowbridge Gardens Meanwhile Lease Project

In 2019, Hackney Council launched ‘Wick Workspaces’ to repurpose underused council assets and provide affordable spaces for creatives who had been priced out due to redevelopment. Arbeit Studios was selected to activate Trowbridge Gardens with a seven-year meanwhile lease.

A meanwhile lease is a short-term, temporary lease used to allow a vacant property to be occupied before the landlord plans to return it to long-term commercial use.

Arbeit Studios created a vibrant ecosystem of facilities including a wellbeing gym, podcast studio, café, gallery, and affordable workspaces. Hackney Herbal maintains the sanctuary gardens, working with NHS referrals and local residents.

We also run creative and business workshops, offering everything from upcycling and drawing classes to free one-on-one accountancy and marketing support for local SMEs.

Trowbridge Gardens also hosts diverse activities, from parent coffee mornings and senior podcast shows to exhibitions by community groups and youth clubs.

Since opening, we’ve held over 500 events, benefiting around 5,000 participants and made Trowbridge Gardens a beloved space in Hackney Wick’s community. An independent Social Value Report produced in 2022 by Augarde & Partners and PRD found that for every £1 invested in the site, we generated £6 in social value to the local economy.

In 2023, Arbeit Studios was awarded The Wick inaugural Creative Placemaking Award and in 2025 the Love Hackney Business of the Year Award.

Help us win another award with our Trowbridge Gardens project. The voting deadline is 3 October. Can we count on your vote?

Vote for Arbeit