Fashioning Polar project transformed 80 disused lock-up garages to provide fashion business space, garment manufacturing unit, design and tech spaces and a public café and events space < less This low budget beacon project made radical and sustainable use of existing resources to create an exciting new fashion centre bringing work, commerce and creativity to this stretch of East London beside the A12 Blackwall Tunnel approach road. Existing structural elements of 90 underused and deteriorated garages were retained to provide studio and business spaces and support a new first floor constructed from cross-laminated timber. Simple low-cost materials are used to wrap the building with rubber, translucent polycarbonate and painted timber to create a street of lively businesses, along what was previously an underused backstreet. A double-height café and hub space open to the public provide not only a community hub but also a showcase for the creative activity and businesses in the new building.