We were approached by WIRED Magazine to envision what the pub of the future might look like. To do so, we referred to a diagram of a 19th-century Lambeth pub that we found in the archives of the Victoria & Albert Museum, which provided a model for Victorian public houses of the time. These served a myriad of functions outside of selling alcohol – encompassing job centres, bureaux de change, post offices and working spaces.
Rather than redesigning the pub itself, we reimagined it in a new context. In our design, the pub spans six floors, taking up a whole building. On the ground floor, a maker space with tool hire, 3D printing and prototyping kits serves the local creative community, alongside a pub staffed by robotic bartenders. The basement is dedicated to a games room for local area network parties, while the higher floors contain workspaces for freelancers, event spaces, and a shop with smart lockers for customers to pick up goods. Meanwhile, the roof would contain a vegetable garden, kitchen and beehive. Serving as a community hub to bring people together, the pub of the future would strengthen local character, helped by the occasional pint of beer.
