London’s Night Time Economy is one of the most vibrant economy within the UK. However, many of its workers have been marginalized, neglecting much of their welfare and well-being within our society. The Midnight Communes is a pilot program located at Marble Arch by the Night Time Borough Commission. The Midnight Communes is designed with the intention to provide support and relief for the NTE workers between, before and after their work shifts. In addition, the Communes is also a platform for these workers and the public to engage in conversations so as to raise awareness of these forgotten cohort of workers and to empower them to reach for a better work/life balance.

Through the design of a series of lightweight pavilions with systems of inflatable roof structures, the Midnight Communes would provide resting and social spaces for a variety of NTE workers throughout Westminster, where the largest Night Time Economy in London is located.

The project aims to explore the different experiences of time through the night in aspects of materiality such as inflatable materials, social interactions such as between drivers on their shifts and personal emotions like the touch of water. Despite being an infrastructural themed, it also acts as a potential template for other similar NTE locations throughout London.