The dorm, built as part of Camden's 15-year plan to build new schools, housing and social facilities, is a redeveloped complex for the same purpose from the early 20th century. It did not have the status of a monument, so the architects had the right to demolish it, however, Peter Barber considered this approach wasteful and went along the path of reconstruction.
This is an irregular historic area, and Mount Pleasant is a narrow and crooked street. Bureau Barber is renowned for its delicate work with context, so the redevelopment was carried out in a still chamber scale and using traditional materials, in the "local London style" (London Vernacular). The red and yellow bricks of the old part were supplemented with the yellow bricks of the new buildings; the part facing the street received a white stucco façade, typical of the neighboring buildings.
The Victorian building had an H-shaped plan, and many corridors in the interior made a painful impression, resembling "vestibules". Architects whose portfolio is dominated by social projects - similar hostels for vulnerable groups of the population, affordable housing, educational centers for the unemployed, etc. - tried to avoid corridors altogether, and with them - the atmosphere of "institution" in general. Instead, the main connecting space was the courtyard (for the sake of which the “crossbar” H was demolished), where visitors enter through the main entrance from the street. It is one floor below street level, there are benches, trees planted, it is protected from the wind and exposed to the sun's rays. Among other things, it serves for unscheduled meetings of employees and residents of the hostel: after all, the latter may not come to the appointed meeting, given their sometimes difficult psychological state. The residents have already appreciated the courtyard, as well as the building as a whole, and tell the architects that they like to sit there in the sun or participate in art classes.
Laundry, kitchen, common rooms open onto the courtyard. Some of the 52 single rooms face both the courtyard and the street, but the windows “into the city” prevail. All bedrooms are en suite and are clustered with one common room. However, there are living quarters that are more "private", there are those designed for greater contact with neighbors. Rooms are also provided for those who may find it difficult to move around on their own.
14 rooms are designed for a 2-month "certification" stay, 34 are designed for a period of 1-1.5 years, the rest - for emergencies. A significant part of the inhabitants of the complex on Mount Pleasant suffered or are suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction, many have mental illness, most are unemployed. During their life there, social workers help residents cope with health problems, find housing, get a new education and simply re-learn the skills necessary for a normal life. A safe and comfortable dorm space is designed to help with this challenging process.
