‘Because the spaces work for children, they work for everyone’ – how the Whittington estate fosters a community for all ages

IMG_0318_Rachel Stevenson

Source: Rachel Stevenson

Mary Richardson talks to two architects who have made a film about the child-friendly estate where they live, to find out what’s so special about its design

Two London architects have produced a touching short film to celebrate their own lived experience of bringing up families on a social-housing estate that is an icon of modernist design. The White Flats is an affectionate portrait of life on the Whittington estate in Camden, as seen through the eyes of residents – particularly some of the estate’s children.

The film was conceived as a tribute to the architect who designed the estate, Peter Tábori, who died last year. But producers Jo McCafferty, director at Levitt Bernstein, and Rachel Stevenson, from David Miller Architects, are also using it to share lessons about the estate’s community- and child-friendly features with other building designers and planners.

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