New Creative Space and Architectural Studio Coming to New Street

Scrace + Architects and See Space Differently CIC are creating a new studio and workspace where art, architecture and community can come together.

Opening this October, Scrace + Architects is creating a visible new home for the practice alongside a basecamp for See Space Differently, a creative movement and Community Interest Company connecting people, ideas, places and opportunities.

The new studio at 65 New Street builds on eight years of Scrace + Architects, the success of IGNITE and support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and project partners. The studio is a pilot and the first physical base for See Space Differently CIC and its growing network.

“See Space Differently is really about recognising what is already here,” says Tim Scrace, Founder of See Space Differently CIC and Scrace + Architects. “Salisbury has an incredible amount of creative talent, ideas and energy. IGNITE showed what happens when you bring people together. See Space Differently is the next step in connecting people, opportunities, property and places and giving ideas and projects somewhere to develop.”

The idea behind 65 New Street is bigger than the space itself.

“We want everyone to look at places differently,” says Tim. “Where empty spaces, old buildings and difficult sites can be seen as problems, we see potential. “Our role is to find creative ways to unlock them, bring them back into use and create something that works for the people, the property and the place.”

That thinking connects both organisations.

For Scrace + Architects, the studio provides a place where property owners, businesses and organisations can explore what might be possible with a building, site or idea. For See Space Differently, it means bringing creative people, community, knowledge and opportunities together and creating connections that can turn ideas into action.

“We’ve always been interested in what makes a place work,” says Tim. “Architecture is obviously about buildings, but it’s also about what those buildings contribute to their surroundings, how people use them, how they connect to the street and what opportunities they create.”

Creative placemaking sits at the heart of this work, using public art, architecture and creative collaboration to activate community and agency, creating routes from big ideas to meaningful change. The new base will provide a place to meet, collaborate, exhibit and build ideas, alongside a visible high street presence and a platform for events, workshops, exhibitions and pop-up activity across the city.

Scrace + Architects brings architectural, property and development expertise. See Space Differently brings together creative people, community, knowledge and engagement. At 65 New Street, the two can intersect.

“We’re not pretending this is the finished product,” says Tim. “We’re starting small, proving the idea and seeing what develops. If we can create a place where people want to come, where businesses want to collaborate and where creative ideas turn into real projects, then we can build from there.”