Overview
The only thing harder than creating a business is making it a successful one.
East London’s Village Underground was born out of the need for affordable studio space for burgeoning businesses. After endless hunting for the perfect location, furniture designer Auro Foxcroft came across an abandoned railway viaduct that had been derelict for 20 years. He then sourced recycled trains and shipping containers that would become the shared studio supporting a range of creative contemporaries. The arduous construction task took place over a year while craning the train carriages to their new skyline home took precisely 1 day and 12 hours.
In April 2007, the £25,000 project inspired by a 2003 train trip up the Swiss Alps was finally completed. Foxcroft, along with an army of helpers, revamped the skyline spot into an ergonomic working space centred around ecology in building, design and architecture. With a focus on regenerating the old, Foxcroft made use of as many salvaged materials as possible. Solar panels generate most of the power that is needed, and any additional electricity is outsourced from eco-friendly company Ecotricity who supply 100% green energy via wind turbines. All of the above renders Village Underground virtually carbon neutral.
