Trampery

Trampery
Name	Trampery
Formation	2009
Type	Workspace provider
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom

Trampery is a London-based organisation that develops and operates workspace hubs, studios, and co-working spaces for creative, technology, and entrepreneurial communities. Founded in 2009, it has been associated with urban regeneration projects, adaptive reuse of industrial buildings, and partnerships with public and private institutions. The organisation engages with cultural, academic, and investment partners to support start-ups, designers, technologists, and social enterprises.

History

The founding of the organisation in 2009 coincided with recovery efforts after the 2008 financial crisis and drew attention from stakeholders including the Mayor of London, London Development Agency, and property investors such as British Land. Early projects linked to networks of incubators like TechHub, Impact Hub, and Seedcamp informed its model, while civic collaborations involved institutions like Greater London Authority, Islington Council, Hackney Council, Tower Hamlets Council, and Waltham Forest Council. The organisation expanded amid contemporaneous initiatives by cultural developers including Tate Modern, Royal Opera House, Barbican Centre, and arts trusts like Arts Council England. Funding and investment conversations referenced entities such as European Investment Bank, Hermes Investment Management, Land Securities, and philanthropic bodies like Nesta. Strategic advisers and collaborators over time included figures from Design Council, Royal Society of Arts, British Council, Founders Factory, and accelerator programmes like Entrepreneur First and Wayra. Its projects paralleled regeneration schemes exemplified by King's Cross Central, Olympic Park redevelopment, and mixed-use projects by developers such as Berkeley Group and Canary Wharf Group.

Locations and Buildings

Sites associated with the organisation have involved conversions of former industrial premises and railway arches similar to initiatives at Camley Street Natural Park, Old Truman Brewery, Battersea Power Station, and locations near Shoreditch High Street. Collaborations and tenancy arrangements saw overlap with institutions like University College London, Goldsmiths, University of London, Central Saint Martins, Imperial College London, and London Metropolitan University. Projects referenced conservation and heritage partnerships akin to work by English Heritage, Historic England, National Trust, and local trusts such as Spitalfields Trust. Locations have been sited in boroughs behind schemes like Dalston Lane, Old Street Roundabout, Whitechapel Road, Brick Lane, Euston Road, and proximate to hubs like Liverpool Street Station, King's Cross Station, and Stratford International Station. Design and architecture collaborators included practices comparable to Foster + Partners, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Studio Egret West, WilkinsonEyre, and Arup for engineering advice. Project delivery intersected with contractors and consultants such as Mace Group, Balfour Beatty, AECOM, Atkins, and Savills for property management.

Business Model and Services

The organisation's model combined property development, asset management, and membership services similar to providers like WeWork, Regus, and Mindspace, while emphasizing cultural missions akin to Roundhouse, Somerset House, and Southbank Centre. Revenue streams included rental income, event hosting comparable to programmes at Royal Festival Hall and Great Eastern Hotel, and partnerships with funders such as Big Society Capital and angel networks like Seedrs and Crowdcube. Services extended to mentoring and acceleration resembling offerings from Techstars, Y Combinator, and MassChallenge, and business support from professional services firms like PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, and EY. The organisation worked with corporate partners such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon Web Services, and financial institutions including Barclays, HSBC, and Santander on residency and innovation programmes.

Community and Events

Community programming drew on networks of cultural partners including Design Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, British Library, Royal Academy of Arts, and Victoria and Albert Museum Dundee and hosted events similar in profile to festivals like London Design Festival, Frieze London, SXSW, New Designers, and London Tech Week. Events, workshops, and exhibitions involved collaborations with arts organisations such as Serpentine Galleries, Whitechapel Gallery, ICA, and collectives comparable to FutureEverything and London Creative Network. Educational partnerships were formed with institutions like Royal College of Art, London Business School, King's College London, SOAS University of London, and Birkbeck, University of London for talks, masterclasses, and residencies. Community initiatives paralleled civic programmes like Mayor's Entrepreneur Programme and skills plans by Department for Business and Trade.

Impact and Recognition

The organisation received attention in press and industry awards similar to recognition from BDI Awards, RIBA Awards, London Design Awards, and coverage by media outlets such as Financial Times, The Guardian, The Economist, Evening Standard, and Metro. Its role in adaptive reuse and creative cluster development was compared to case studies at Shoreditch, Hackney Wick, Cowcross Street, and Brixton Village. Policy discussions referenced its work alongside urbanists and commentators from Centre for Cities, Royal Town Planning Institute, IPPR, London Assembly, and think tanks like Demos and Nesta. Investors and cultural bodies including Arts Council England, Mayor's Fund for London, and private equity firms monitored outcomes on entrepreneurship metrics and creative-sector growth.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques of the organisation mirrored debates about gentrification and workspace commodification observed in areas such as Dalston, Shoreditch, Hackney Wick, and Brixton and were part of wider discussions involving groups such as London Renters Union, Squatters Action for Secure Homes, and campaigners affiliated with Open Spaces Society. Controversies engaged stakeholders including local councils like Hackney Council and Tower Hamlets Council and regulatory bodies such as Planning Inspectorate and Homes England. Debates referenced policy critiques from commentators at New Economics Foundation and disputes over heritage and planning similar to controversies seen with Battersea Power Station and Granary Square. Concerns about the scalability and financial sustainability of creative workspace models were raised in analyses by Centre for London, UK Science Park Association, and urban scholars from Bartlett School of Architecture and London School of Economics.

Category:Organisations based in London