Not just a pretty facade

Property developers Investland are banking on the kerb appeal of their stunning new SoDa studios to attract live/workers looking to relocate home and business to Hackney’s Kingsland Road.

The attraction of the new building for live/workers continues inside, with practical features including generous floor spaces and split level living and working areas, accessed through separate lockable entrances. The 46 live/work units are currently being marketed and should be ready for occupation in December 2008. 

Listened and learnt

‘We’ve gone to great lengths to make certain SoDa has everything the modern live/worker needs, through speaking with residents of our other developments and working alongside a team of gifted architects and designers,’ said Yuda Ambalo, Investland’s joint managing director.

‘The final picture is one we’re incredibly proud of and which we’re keen to hold up as a paragon of live/work in practice.’

SoDa is Investland’s third live/work development along a stretch of Kingsland Road that is gradually taking on more of the characteristics of neighbouring Islington and the City of London. The area’s transformation should speed up considerably with the completion of the East London tube extension in 2010.

Investland is actively seeking to boost the neighbourhood’s appeal to aspiring live/workers through negotiations it hopes will see new bars, restaurants and even a hotel opening up locally.

SoDa studios will be one of the last live/work developments in Hackney to get planning consent from the local council, which in the 1990s was the first in the UK to actively champion live/work.

SoDa studios has 46 live/work units for sale at costs ranging from £495,000 to £695,000. The £31.8m scheme was designed by architects Thinking Space.