Life in the Shadow of Grenfell
Client: The Guardian
After Grenfell it was important to understand what life is for people that live in the area and the people that live in the tower opposite Grenfell.
Everybody in that communities has been touched deeply from what happened on the 14th of June 2017, when over 70 people lost their life.
The Silchester Estate was built in the late 60s in Notting Dale, an area renowned for its piggeries in the 19th century, its slums in the 30s and its race riots in the 50s. The estate’s four towers were part of a utopian vision, creating new communities in the sky, surrounded by open land. Ashby is more proud of the open land than anything else: while the nearby Westway is clogged with traffic pumping out pollution, this garden, which is open to the general public, allows the area to breathe.
After the fire, it was reported that Kensington and Chelsea had reserves of £274m, making it one of the richest councils in the country. It was also revealed that the fire-resistant zinc cladding approved by Grenfell residents had been replaced in the refurbishment contract with combustible aluminium panels, to save £293,368 on the tower’s £10m regeneration bill.
The result of an incredible 4 months collaborations with the community living in the shadow of Grenfell. Read the full article of Simon Hattenstone watch the great videos of Alex Healey in the link below