Woodberry Down Design Studio, 2026

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Woodberry Down Design Studio, 2026

The Woodberry Down Design Studio is a continuation of the 2025 Woodberry Down pavilion and is the result of an on-going collaboration between RC/YYC and the pavilion project partners: the London Borough of Hackney; Notting Hill Genesis; and Berkeley Group.

Intended as a platform for youth voices for the duration of the regeneration project, the Design Studio will work alongside the delivery partners and contribute to the public realm in Woodberry Down through small-scale, permanent installations such as public furniture and signage.

The Design Studio is a vehicle for long-term youth engagement on Woodberry Down, designed specifically to out-last any one project partner and offer a continuous point of contact for young people living in the area for the duration of the regeneration project.

Currently expected to complete in 2041, construction on Woodberry Down will have spanned three decades by the time it is finished. In that time, many original residents will have experienced significant change, with young residents spending their childhood living amongst building sites.

Without any opportunity to meaningfully shape the changes taking place, young people are unlikely to feel a sense of ownership over the place they call home. This impact has been recorded in a 2024 Social Life study, finding that people under 25 years old are least likely to agree that the changes in the area are benefitting them or their families.

The Woodberry Down Design Studio will begin recruiting at the beginning of the 2026–27 academic year, building upon relationships built with surrounding schools during the Woodberry Down pavilion recruitment.

The studio’s inaugural design brief is to carry out a feasibility study for public furniture along the New River Path in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust.

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21 July 2026

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Ya Ya Chen awarded 2025 Young Talent award at Inspire Future Generations event

03 June 2026

We are pleased to announce that Ya Ya Chen, co-founder of RC/YYC, has won the Young Talent Award at the Inspire Future Generations Awards 2025.

The judging panel recognised Ya Ya’s commitment to long-term, strategic youth engagement through RC/YYC’s projects, as well as her work improving access to architecture as Part 0 Lead at the London School of Architecture. They described her as “an exceptional individual whose impact on young people is helping them gain confidence and access opportunities.”

Ya Ya said: “It’s a real privilege to be acknowledged by such a fantastic panel of judges for work that supports a more equitable built environment through RC/YYC and improves access to built environment professions through LSA’s Part 0 programmes.”

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06 May 2026

This form of engagement can help maximise the learning opportunities that large projects generate and embed meaningful co-design opportunites that help such projects reflect the unique characteristics of the places in which they are situated.

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05 May 2026

This form of engagement can help maximise the learning opportunities that large projects generate and embed meaningful co-design opportunites that help such projects reflect the unique characteristics of the places in which they are situated.

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RC | YYC was established in 2023 by Roy Coupland and Ya Ya Chen, following experience gained at a number of internationally renowned practices delivering large cultural projects and sensitive restoration schemes. RC/YYC draws on Roy and Ya Ya’s extensive experience of working with local authorities, charities and community groups and delivering projects working with existing buildings.

Fundamental to the practice’s working method is close collaboration with craftspeople and makers, championing local people, skills and material. In each project we work closely with the client to help develop the brief, business case and funding applications and coordinate procurement and construction on site where necessary.

Previously, Roy has worked at Herzog & de Meuron, David Chipperfield Architects and Niall McLaughlin Architects. He has gained experience on a variety of projects, ranging from M+ Museum in Hong Kong, through to private residential schemes in the UK. Ya Ya has worked at a range of practices, including Bjarke Ingels Group, Niall McLaughlin Architects and Witherford Watson Mann where she developed an expertise of working with historic buildings through projects such as Courtauld Institute of Art and Seaborough Court.

Together, Roy and Ya Ya teach at the London School of Architecture, leading on the award-winning access and outreach initiative, Part 0. They develop and deliver three courses working with 11-19 year olds from backgrounds that are under-served and under-represented, with the ambition of creating a more accessible and diverse built environment sector.

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