Hidden Borough

In London, one of the most expensive cities in the world, there are 72.000 empty houses, often due to land speculation. England is one of the few countries, in which it is legal to squat empty buildings. We wanted to take advantage of this legal loophole in order to reinterpret this situation and structure of the city itself.

We squatted a house!

While in Berlin, we used google streetview to locate empty buildings in London, then created a map we could
then use upon arrival to quickly find a place to stay. In the end, we had an archive of empty buildings, which served as the basis for our further projects. Our aim was to activate the un- or underused potential of these buildings.
We tested our own utopia in a Victorian warehouse, that has been empty for more than 25 years without running water or power, by adapting the available space and free resources to our needs. Diving into a unknown world, we explored a theoretical construct, beginning with the reality of living an unfamiliar lifestyle – without conventional shelter, guided by our curiosity and leaving behind many of the habits of modern day society.
Our existence in the house at 55 great Suffolk st. was assured if not a bit uncertain at the beginning. The internal world began to open outward only after our presence as squatters was confirmed by a visit from London’s finest police officers. The border between the house and the city, between the private and the public began to disappear.

We had the right to stay!

In need of defending ourselves at Lambeth County Court (22.06.2012) because of an interim possession order (IPO) from the landlord (Mr Beaumont), our utopia entered the legal world of the British justice system. A name to represent us was quickly found. Guerilla Architects were born. 

Mr Beaumont claimed his supposed intentions to build new apartments on the site. Nevertheless, our lawyer (Mr Zapel) was able to present our analysis of 55GSS that showed that the property had already been empty for about 25 years. Our proposal to reclaim the old warehouse and open up the discussion of its future use in the neighbourhood was eventually more convincing. The fact that the landlord had denied us access to decisive documents that showed that the property was partly owned by the municipality undoubtfully facilitated our cause. These documents also became the basis of our final art show that featured local and our own art work in response to the legal and political restrictions of 55GSS.

Hidden Borough

Hidden Borough is a city district present in every city, brought to life whenever ideas and people come together – a platform for the unexpected, unanticipated reversal of the daily grind. Everyone is in some way or another a citizen of Hidden Borough. While not easily located on a map, we are nevertheless easily accessible and open to any and all.

Every city has its gap, its unused resources, its vacant places but also people who have ideas and who decide to act on these ideas. We endure wherever our citizens decide to act, and are visible through their presence, brought to life through their actions – that is to say through your actions.

Cleaning the windows was the first step in bringing our message into the public realm. 55 Great Suffolk st. is no longer a blighted property, but through a simple act like cleaning the windows, its presence in the life of the city is reasserted. This gesture was also implemented at numerous other properties throughout the city with the aim of temporarily drawing attention to something that is most likely ignored in the everyday hustle and bustle. The color blue was part of the corporate identity we developed and helped camouflage us as an official institution. The presence of such an institution was not questioned by city residents but accepted as part of the system.
Our actions – in this context – become ambivalent and ambiguous. The symbols we use are meant to suggest the possibility of accessing and the right to take part in a collectively shared and available urban space in order to redefine and redirect the development of the city. They encourage taking advantage of this right.
Unused spaces and empty buildings are the “space in-between” in the city, in which time stands still and nothing changes, inaccessible to the public-at-large. Behind the door is a space, which one can change and design according to his or her own vision.

The law making squatting legal in England dates back about 700 years. Against the backdrop of the recent changes to section 6 of the Criminal Law Act of 1977 making squatting in residential properties a criminal offense, we wanted to create a symbol for not accepting further restrictions of movement or access to the collective urban space.

The city belongs to us all. Hidden borough is a call to adapt the space to your own needs and redefine its character. Not only buildings, but the entire urban space, meaning everything, including the river. In the middle of Thames, across from Battersea Park is a boat that has been anchored there for years.

We paddled out to it, and one of us stayed.

Staircase to Heaven

The only access to the old warehouse at 55, Great Suffolk Str. was provided through a door, located 2 meter above ground level. At the beginning the only possibility to access the building was by using a ladder, which was stored inside. But after some time, more and more people were interested in the building and our private space began to open versus the outside – we needed a more simple and comfortable access. The staircase is built out of different wood leavings. The narrow foothold of the steps assures an unfettered use of the pavement. The upper platform pokes out of the building, which was from now on open to the public all-day.

Panoramic Cooling

The water is piped through a 20 meter long garden hose from the existing sink on the ground level to the rooftop. There it is collected in a pool. It is shaped very flat and covered by a polysterne multiwall sheet, so that the water can heat by the sunlight. Another hosepipe brings the heated water down to the shower cubicle. The wastewater is drained off through the existing roof rail into the canalisation. The shower cubicle is designed as an open-air space, which covers only the essential. Thereby less material is needed and at the same time a wonderful view over London’s skyline is offered.

55GSS revisited!

In November 2017, we visited the site again to update ourselves with the latest (re-)developments. The hope was not great that the site had actually changed. Unfortunately, these worries were very right and 55GSS stayed empty until the end of 2017 (at least). However, the backyard has become part of a construction site. It was occupied with huge scaffolds that supported the neighbouring building which was turned down and about to become a luxurious apartment tower…