The Acton Artists’ Assembly is a place for visual artists to gather, relax and play, comprising of artists’ workspaces and areas for snooker and table tennis, constructed primarily out of adhesive-free dowel laminated timber. The site is an existing warehouse, adjacent to Wesley Playing Fields, which has an existing basketball court and playground. The proposal can be explained in five stages. The first stage is ‘retention’, retaining the existing structure. The second stage is ‘subtraction’, referring to the removal of portions of brick between the existing brick piers. ‘Opening’ is the third stage, where dormer windows are created, forming openings in the roof for natural light. The dormer windows are positioned to light the spaces below, such as the artists’ workspaces or exhibition/café spaces. The fourth stage is the ‘box-in-box village’, where several smaller buildings are constructed inside the existing structure. To further articulate the boxes as separate entities, the walls between boxes are indented and covered in pebble dash. The fifth stage is ‘extension’, where structurally independent balconies and pavilions create outdoor spaces looking onto Wesley Playing Fields.