At Smugglers Way in Wandsworth, Design & Build Contractor McAleer & Rushe delivered a flagship Build to Rent development for Legal & General in July 2024, comprising 554 apartments across 13 buildings to form a vibrant new neighbourhood known as New Acres.
During the contractor’s time on site, a community-oriented Creative Studios launched within the new neighbourhood, transforming the ground floor of the development into a dedicated space for creative making, sustainable design and community engagement.
Using surplus materials donated by McAleer & Rushe, RCA alumni challenged the traditional expectation of ‘waste’ by transforming the site’s construction waste into innovative structures, life-sized installations and works of art, showcasing an innovative approach to repurposing waste.
Led by Kevin Haley, Founder and Managing Director of Kevin Haley Studio and Lecturer at the Royal College of Art (RCA), the NEX (New Acres Experience) reinvented the marketing suite to bring in commercial tenants and independent retailers, serving as a vibrant community engagement hub rooted in a deep understanding of placemaking.
Situated in Wandsworth, soon to be the London Borough of Culture from April 2025, the creative studio plays host to Super Satellite, serving as both a residency for RCA Interior Design alumni and a dynamic workshop space for current RCA interior design students.
The NEX is a vibrant hub that brings together the 404 coffee shop, dynamic co-working spaces by FOUNDRY, an archive celebrating Wandsworth Town’s rich history and its evolving identity, as well as a vision for the future of New Acres. At its heart is super SATELLITE, the RCA’s creative space for innovation and collaboration.
Commenting on the initiative, Darragh Greenan, Contracts Director at McAleer & Rushe said:
“We are always looking for ways to leave a lasting impact on the community local to our site, and we’re delighted to have contributed to such an innovative project.
With sustainability at the core of what we do, donating surplus materials to support Kevin and the Royal College of Art alumni offered a fantastic opportunity for the team to significantly reduce construction waste while fostering creativity and engagement within the new neighbourhood.”
Kevin Haley, Founder & Managing Director of Kevin Haley Studio commented:
“Super SATELLITE is a unique space where creativity, sustainability, and community come together. By transforming waste materials from the development into innovative installations and artworks, it demonstrates the incredible potential of design to challenge conventions and inspire change. It’s been an honour to work with RCA alumni and students in this living lab for ideas, and to see how their work connects with and enriches the New Acres community.”
