2022/23
magda gauden
marginal gains
In Tower Hamlets, where multiculturalism and economic disparity coexist, Magdalena Gauden proposed a space that nourishes both body and community. Her bakery is more than a food production site—it is a social anchor, where residents share techniques and stories through dough and glaze. Working with ceramics made on site and ingredients grown nearby, Magdalena invited residents into the building process itself, from tile-making to loaf-kneading. Her project was shaped through participatory workshops, drawing inspiration from Gabriel Epstein’s Lansbury Estate to create gentle, human-scaled architecture. Here, repair is sensorial and participatory—it smells like bread, feels like wet clay, and looks like joy.