The Idea Stores are the product of a concept pioneered by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to improve access to a wide range of information and educational facilities. Somewhere between public building, cafeteria, and department store, these public centers are equipped with libraries of books, audiovisuals and learning centers for children and adults. To this end, the organization of the interior is highly permeable and the circulation is arranged as a ‘promendade architecturale’ linking the lower levels to a café on the top floor.

Though the prominent facade facing south towards Chrisp Street has two levels, which correspond to the entrance lobby and to some of the reading areas, most of the building extending behind occupies the first floor only, using the roof of a commercial building as a platform upon which to develop the program of the cultural center. The more compartmentalized spaces are on the west facade, with numerous classrooms and offices for staff. The use of identically colored glass panels on the other Idea Stores is a large-scale graphic device which reinforces their presence within the communities they serve...[+][+]