Located at the periphery of the Charlton Riverside industrial area in Greenwich, WorkStack provides an exemplary new model for building high density, affordable, urban workspaces.

Constructed primarily from lightweight cross-laminated timber (CLT), the building’s stacked form makes maximal use of a compact site to create fourteen workshop units of varying sizes over five floors.

The building, which houses a mixture of light industrial and creative uses, was designed by pioneering timber architects dRMM for the Greenwich Enterprise Board (GEB). Seeking an alternative to the commonly used, space-hungry ‘tin shed’ approach, dRMM developed an innovative cantilevered design enabling 1,335m² of lettable maker’s space on a building footprint of just 229m².

The architects worked closely with structural engineers Arup to define an approach for the building that would make the most of the performance, production and construction requirements of CLT and, critically, a suitable approach for fire safety with exposed mass timber.

Completed in 2023, the majority of workspaces were quickly filled. Tenants range from an electric bike shop to furniture designer-makers and safety/ workwear makers. Units have been adapted to include partitions and equipment to suit their business.