INTERIM USE
A use for an interval of time between one event, process, or period and another.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) commissioned ‘Learning from Others’ as a piece of research into local and international interim use projects, to inform an approach to delivering interim uses that successfully supports regeneration in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The LLDC are responsible for the long-term planning, development, management and maintenance of the park and its facilities following the London 2012 Games. It is their task to transform and integrate one of the most challenged areas in the UK into world-class, sustainable and thriving neighbourhoods. In their response to this, the LLDC wish to develop projects at the forefront of current thinking on meanwhile uses and temporary urbanism, and to engage with other experts in the field.

Interim uses can have a significant role in a variety of situations and overcome challenging site conditions to enable temporary inhabitation. These uses can vary in duration, in audience and most importantly, can be instrumental in testing ideas and approaches, whilst engaging with communities and land owners, on the long term vision and aspirations for an area.

This body of work provides a platform for learning ‘how to’ and ‘how not to’ deliver interim uses. It includes five reports on a variety of themes, alongside an Atlas of Precedents which summarises the examples included in the five reports with additional precedents that were chosen to provide a rich catalogue of examples. The research is concluded with a Methods Manual that summarises advice from the research, and a website to showcase the findings.

A team of six organisations have gathered examples of precedents to inform the effective and successful delivery of future interim uses in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Urban Research Projects are a research office that develops projects, provides analysis, influences plans, and helps deliver informed urban change. They have taken an overview of all of the interim use investigations, and produced a summary atlas of the precedents with key details on the concept, development, delivery and effect of the interim projects. Alongside this is a methods manual of best practice for interim projects as a whole, and specifically for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and surroundings areas.

The Architecture Foundation (AF) is an independent architecture centre that advances architecture and urbanism. The AF have examined a selection of UK and international case studies for the creative re-use of materials, and assembled a series of lessons learnt to inform the potential creation of a Materials Reuse Centre on an interim use site.

Streetgames is a sports charity that supports a network of projects which give sports and volunteering opportunities to young people in disadvantaged communities. They have investigated and reviewed community sport and leisure interim uses across the UK .

David Kohn Architects in collaboration with The Yard Theatre and Live Art Development Agency are three organisations that are involved in live performance art. They have conducted a study of five arts projects and have produced a series of recommendations for the delivery of future live art and performance projects.

Coda Architects and Common Capital are a collaborative design, architecture and social entrepreneurship team. They have examined how a number of interim projects have been delivered, with a particular focus on finance, collaboration, business models and the commissioning and procurement challenges.

The Decorators are a London-based art and architecture collective. They have investigated interim uses with an emphasis on how to build local ownership and authorship of public and community spaces, and link projects with existing neighbourhood resources and networks.