Carl Turner Architects has an industrial style with a low-tech and playful twist. Its designs can range from an almost minimal aesthetic, to a highly decorative establishment. Formed in 2006, the practice has been recognised for its innovation, winning a RIBA National award for its project, Slip House in 2013.

The firm’s first project with the use of recycled shipping containers was for NPO Magnificent Revolution at Hackney City Farm, where the project required the use of one recycled container. This is where inspiration for Pop Brixton arose, which required the use of 60 recycled containers.

The markets of Brixton and its arcaded internal streets provided inspiration for Pop Brixton alongside the striped market canopies and chaotic street life of the surrounding streets. The concept was to make the area feel like an undesigned space; like it had materialised organically and the hand of the designer is not evident.

Pop Brixton is a collaboration between CTA, The Collective, Lambeth Council and Landscape Designers, Uncommon. Carl Turner Architects was approached by Brixton Council to create an ‘incubator’ project to support and nurture local start up businesses, and to explore different rental models and levels. The brief was to create a ‘meanwhile’ space with a three year life-span.

Although the use of shipping containers is not a fresh concept in the world of architecture, the firm’s focus was to create a place rather than a building. The 10-year-old containers were brought in from a container yard in Essex, in batches of four loads containing 15 containers. A mobile crane circa 80 tonnes was used to crane them into position. At their highest point the crates sit at a height of four – however can theoretically go up to 10.

London-based fashion and design company, Eley Kishimoto designed the wallpaper strip decoration and hand printed and applied all of the coloured decoration for the establishment. All logos were applied to the shipping containers by the tenants as graphics in the style of the original container logos.

Pop Brixton has received amazing feedback, with crowds visiting over the summer months of approximately 15,000 per week – including visitors from across the world. As the social and local nature of the project is increasingly more appreciated, individuals who were initially sceptical of the project are coming to terms with the concept.

Similarly to Pop Brixton, Carl Turner Architects’ second shipping container project – A new House for London – was a project developed by CTA working with The Building Centre and Arup for engineering, lighting and services and building science. Again Eley Kishimoto produced the fabric, paper and screen printed designs for the scheme.

This project was a follow on from Arup’s work in 2014 with Architecture 00 on Wiki House, built in the same location. The brief was to work with shipping containers to create a low-tech, low-cost house, capable of being realised by self-builders. It was agreed to make a low rise, suburban house rather than part of a taller building, in order for the public to engage with it.

A New House for London was designed to inhabit one or two adults with the prospect to extend the build with a third shipping container to create a ‘U’ shape. The build is produced from two 125ft2 shipping containers. The hypothesis was to create a project that can be adapted and extended by the occupants. The firm also looked at how an ‘estate’ of houses could be laid out and by keeping it low rise they can sit on next-to-no foundations. Previously used containers – which were in much better condition than the ones at Pop Brixton – were used to achieve a slightly sharper finish.

The house was inspired by Canal boats – particularly narrow boats – as a way of living closer to nature, where the roof becomes an important outside space, and living becomes simpler and more of an eco-system as there is not as much room for personal possessions, which encourages a more frugal way of life.

Carl Turner Architects is currently working on a project based in Peckham – Peckham Levels is a multi- storey car park which will be transformed into a mixed-venue for performance, artist studios and workshops. There are also plans for a timber floating Passivhaus project that the firm is excited to start work on.