Place Makers

Place Makers

MARK London helps build (or re-build)
much-loved destinations and neighbourhoods.

Activating the ground floor plane with:

Women friend and families at placemaking street market.

Culture.
Independent retail. Meanwhile use.
Activation.

MARK spun out of Southbank Centre.

And has since contributed to London’s most significant urban regeneration schemes - including King’s Cross, Greenwich Peninsula, Elephant & Castle, White City and five projects at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

We now work with forward thinking developers to create great places to live, work and visit.

MARK drives footfall and connects communities with:

  • Retail - permanent or pop-up, always independent

  • Meanwhile uses - temporary delis, cafes, bars, pop-up parks and playgrounds. Creating vibrancy and bringing early amenities for residents, workers and neighbours. Trialling types of uses and operators

  • Activation - events (workshops to festivals), public art (local, UK and international artists), specialist markets etc

What we’re great at:

1. Strategy & Planning

  • Strategies: placemaking, activation, meanwhile use, creative/cultural and retail

  • Place positioning & concept development

  • Engagement: stakeholder & community, audience profiling

  • Partnerships & commercialisation

  • Practicalities: space / retail unit design reviews, operations & services audits

2. Curation, Programming & Delivery

  • Activation & events: creative development, programming, execution

  • Retail, meanwhile use & pop-ups: curation, design, operator contracting, fit-out 

  • Culture & public art: commissioning & production

  • Networks & suppliers: maximising industry contacts

  • Marketing & communications support

Work & Clients.

  • The Barbican Arts Centre foyer and lakeside restaurants lit at night

    The Barbican: City of London

    Consultancy to bring new F&B and retail to the Arts Centre and Estate, as part of the transformational Barbican Renewal project; with architects Allies & Morrison and Asif Khan Studios.

  • Placemaking activation at Southbank Centre Square for London Design Festival. Thomas Heatherwick spinning chairs.

    Southbank Centre

    Creating a mixed economy at the world’s largest single-run arts centre with new independent F&B and retail, London-first pop-ups and opening new spaces such as rooftop garden and bar; all increasing commercial income.

  • Placemaking activation at Coal Drops Yard King's Cross London at night.

    King’s Cross: Argent

    The initial independent retail strategy for landmark shopping destination, Coal Drops Yard.

  • People sitting in deckchairs as part of placemaking activation at Greenwich Peninsula. Yinka Ilori colourful design summer performance stage.

    Greenwich Peninsula: Knight Dragon

    Retail strategy and managing operator fitouts, integrating six districts across 150 acres.

  • Triptych Bankside: JTRE London

    A new way to launch a development; with an immersive, 3D art installation and creative event series. £11M in sales in the 7-days from launch.

  • Families in deck chairs and bunting at Here East Canalside retail family day launch event at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

    Here East: Delancey

    Activation from masterplanning stage through to launching Canalside retail.

  • Retail and Enlivenment Strategy at East Bank London public realm outside V&A Museum.

    East Bank: London Legacy Development Corporation

    Retail design strategy and advice plus an operational plan for enlivenment.

  • Placemaking candle maze art installation at East Village London for fireworks night / guy fawkes night.

    East Village: Delancey / Get Living

    Retail and enlivenment strategies and ongoing implementation transforming the former Athlete’s Village into a new neighbourhood.

  • Brightly coloured astro turf temporary park, turned permanent at IQL (International Quarter London) at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

    IQL: Lendlease

    Activation to embed the office-led site into Olympic Park and the cultural precinct.

  • Local office workers friends - man and woman - sitting and eating at Placemaking meanwhile use street food market for workers at White City Place, London. With deck chairs and market stalls.

    Television Centre / White City Place: Stanhope

    Enlivenment strategy and delivery, repositioning the iconic former BBC Television studios and media offices.

  • Westfield Square at Westfield London, colourful design with adult play equipment and colourful astro turf..

    Westfield: Unibail Rodamco Westfield

    Re-designing Westfield Square to be an ‘always on’ activation space with structures for lounging and play for all ages.

  • Southmere Village, new town centre retail at Thamesmead near Abbey Wood Elizabeth Line.

    Thamesmead: Peabody

    Large-scale meanwhile concepts, retail strategy and detailed design guide for Southmere Village, the new town centre.

  • CGI of blue green waterside dockside pop-up park with cafe, playground and community garden.

    Westferry Printworks: Northern & Shell

    Masterplannng retail and meanwhile use strategy, with pop-up park, cafe and community garden, for the former Isle of Dogs printworks.

  • Colourful lit interior of Architects of Air giant inflatable art installation where you can walk inside at The Royal Docks London.

    Royal Docks: ABP

    Placemaking and creative activation strategy and delivery, positioning a new East London tech and business district.

  • The Deck, new undercover F&B and events space planned for The Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell Town Centre.

    The Lexicon: Schroders / L&G Capital

    Shopping Centre and Bracknell Town Centre retail and placemaking audit, analysis and strategy for a new F&B, cultural space.

  • Eastwick & Sweetwater residential development public realm and commercial spaces, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

    Eastwick & Sweetwater: Places for People / Balfour Beatty

    Commercial, retail, leisure market analysis, financial modelling and recommendations for uses, operators, unit design & meanwhile.

  • Digital lighting art installation at Buck Street independent shopping shipping container market.

    Camden Markets: LabTech

    Winter re-activation programme to drive footfall to independent shopping shipping container destination; Buck St Market.

  • Vision for Enfield Town Centre Market Square, landscaping and lighting. LDA Design.

    Enfield Town Centre

    Placemaking and activation business case to revitalise and commercialise key public spaces.

  • Sayer Street independent Elephant Park Living Room meanwhile use kiosks curated with local entrepreneurs and creatives.

    Elephant Park: Lendlease

    Long term meanwhile uses and activation with innovative local creatives and entrepreneurs. Digital placemaking during lockdowns.

  • Grosvenor Estates

    Bringing London’s oldest timber yard to life as an international design destination on Pimlico Road, with Plain English, Nina Campbell, AndObjects, The Lacquer Company and Modernity.

Our approach:

We make sure we:

  • Bring a place vision to life on the ground. Determining what the experience of a place will be; what it will feel like?

  • Balance creativity & commerciality and social & economic value

  • Work with best in class partners, support emerging talent and be a good neighbour

  • Question what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and who we’re doing it for

  • Maintains a strong sustainability and inclusivity ethos

Because we operate in both strategy and delivery, we know what works at every stage.

A couple of guiding principles:

  • ‘Locally loved, globally admired’
    A place can’t become a successful destination unless it’s first embraced by those who live and work there.

  • ‘Bringing the inside out’
    The route to being locally loved, is tapping into talent that already exists within communities; entrepreneurial, creative or tech. We find the hidden gems.

Keys to success:

Meet the Team.

  • Jenni Carbins

    FOUNDER

    An experienced strategic placemaking expert, Jenni has helped conceive world-class destinations such as King’s Cross and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Previously she was Director of Marketing at Southbank Centre, worked with London Design Festival and founded a marketing communications agency in Australia, with clients including Sydney Opera House.

  • Sofia Dawe

    DESIGN DIRECTOR

    Sofia has extensive experience in creative strategy, experiential placemaking, cultural programming and strategic partnership development. She has led the curation and delivery of high-profile enlivenment programmes across London including King’s Cross, International Quarter London, Broadgate, Regent’s Place, Royal Albert Dock and Elephant Park.

  • Anne Hynes

    STRATEGIC RETAIL ASSOCIATE

    Expert in delivering vibrant commercial precincts, Anne develops strategies for landmark regeneration and cultural projects. She has brought her hands-on approach to developments at Greenwich Peninsula, East Village E20 and The British Library. As Trading Director, she transformed London’s Southbank Centre into a dynamic destination for shopping and eating out.

  • Roberta Titley

    RETAIL OPERATIONS CONSULTANT

    As Southbank Centre’s Commercial Project Manager, Roberta oversaw the delivery of all retail and commercial projects. She’s delivered retail and enlivenment projects with major UK property developers and is skilled in leasing strategy, working with architects during design and delivery, managing stakeholders and suppliers and overseeing fit outs.

  • Matt Nightingale

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    Matt’s 15 years experience as project manager & producer includes festivals, public art, installations and live events across the UK – working with clients such as Southbank Centre and 180 The Strand. He is also Creative Producer on the TIDE Festival at Greenwich Peninsula; a large-scale outdoor arts festival featuring wellness, food, art, music, film, fitness and performance.

  • Gillian Fox

    PUBLIC ART CONSULTANT

    Gillian is a Curator for Hayward Gallery Touring, based at Southbank Centre. As a freelance Art Consultant, she brings her expansive knowledge of the UK and international art world and links to established and emerging talent. Gillian is commercially savvy and has a deep understanding of what makes public art relevant, engaging and successful

How can we help?