Hothouse for excellence

A £2 million arts complex in Hackney won the mayor of London's first planning excellence awards last week. Built on formerly contaminated land next to a railway track, the Hothouse (above) is home to a group of artists specialising in urban regeneration, including the Free Form Arts Trust. It contains an area dedicated to neighbourhood renewal and community facilities, and a "green bottle unit" for creating art from recycled glass. Among the other four winners, the Stockwell Partnership scooped the award for best community initiative for its work to improve the public realm in Stockwell.