Camden’s Maiden Lane Estate has all but been left behind the fast-gentrifying King’s Cross development. Their proximity however makes the estate vulnerable to urban regeneration pressures.

The Maiden’s Tale aims to introduce a different method of acquiring a new skillset and continue to develop a sense of community for the low-wage families that live in the Maiden Lane estate. Conceived as a bottom-up initiative, the project proposes a series of communal spaces that would allow the neighborhood residents to use and learn the creative skills. The residents would then be able to utilize them to future-proof their living environments through retrofit.

The project started at the scale of a specific housing unit and how it would be renovated to accommodate the creative Londoners seeking affordable housing in Camden's cultural hub while offering their services and skills to the existing estate community. The project grew in scale and ambition by introducing a Retrofit Academy to upgrade the estate and provide additional means through retrofitting for not just Maiden Lane Estates, but the entirety of Camden as well.