The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and Elevate Youth Voice have appointed architects Studio Gil, as lead consultants for the Waterden Green Space for Teenage Girls, a visionary new project set within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London.
This project forms part of LLDC’s ongoing commitment to gender-inclusive public spaces and serves as a case study in participatory-led engagement, as featured in their handbook ‘Creating Places that Work for Women and Girls’. Elevate Youth Voice, a collective from East London representing youth voices from LLDC’s home boroughs, has been instrumental in the development of the project. The charity Make Space for Girls was involved in the project as part of identifying the need to address how we design for teenage girls as well as being commissioned to produce the report and methodology.
This groundbreaking initiative empowers girls and young women by placing their voices at the forefront of the design process. Through a co-clienting approach, teenage girls and young women from Elevate Youth Voice have helped shape the design brief, with a focus on flexibility, inclusivity, and female-centred design. The project aims to create a safe, welcoming environment for teenage girls and set a new standard for future public space projects across London and beyond. By positioning teenage girls at the heart of decision-making, this initiative demonstrates a pioneering model for inclusive urban design.
The report details the formation of the co-client team and provides insights and reflections from all parties involved, establishing a clear methodology for community-led projects. LLDC’s innovative co-clienting approach expands traditional engagement methods by integrating young women into the core client team, giving them a central role in shaping the brief, appointing the design team, and collaborating with project architects throughout the co-design process.
The design team is majority led by women and/or rooted in the global majority, bringing a wealth of diverse perspectives to the design process. It includes Studio Gil (Architects), Black Females in Architecture (Engagement Lead), Untitled Practice (Landscape Architects), Simple Works (Structural Engineers), and Light Follows Behaviour (Lighting Designers).
Lamisa, aged 19 from Tower Hamlets – one of the young clients from Elevate Youth Voice – said: “At first, I thought it was kind of just they [LLDC] do everything. And I just give like, a little input here and there […] But, when we were actually doing the sessions, it kind of just felt like we were all equal. […] We weren’t just like a consultation body. We were active participants.”
Fulgis, aged 18 from Hackney, added: “I think the biggest thing with us being co-clients is just the amount our voices were heard and how much what we said impacted the design brief itself; because essentially, it was our thoughts and ideas which created this design brief, which would then be fed to the architectural team.”
This collaborative approach will continue emphasising co-design, with teenage girls and local community groups, at the forefront of decision-making to ensure that the space will be both meaningful and relevant, reflecting the ambitions and needs of its future users. Engagement partners include Elevate Youth Voice, XLP, Badu, and Chobham Academy.
The Waterden Green Space for Teenage Girls and the processes used to develop it is set to become a blueprint for future public space developments, offering a precedent for designing with and for marginalised communities. The project aims to foster a sense of belonging, safety, and creativity, providing a unique place where young women can thrive.
LLDC is committed to delivering diverse and inclusive public spaces and the wider Waterden Green project looks at addressing a space for teenagers as a marginalised group of society in parks. The Waterden Green project is being delivered by EWS within the new East Wick residential development at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Once completed, LLDC will resume long-term stewardship of Waterden Green, which includes the space for teenage girls within it, developed in collaboration with Elevate Youth Voice and teenage girls from the surrounding communities.
