Winning Design Announced for ‘A Place to Belong’ Aldgate Connect Design Competition

We’re pleased to join London Festival of Architecture (powered by NLA) in announcing OUT Architecture’s Macchiato, as the winning design for our ‘A Place to Belong: Goulston Street Pocket Park’ design competition.

Open to emerging creatives, this competition invited applicants to reimagine a currently underused area of the Petticoat Lane footprint within Aldgate. Hosted in partnership with The Colombian Coffee Company, the winning design celebrates the local market, creating a welcoming and flexible space hosting community-led activities for LFA2026 and serves as a central ‘hub’ for café customers, market visitors and residents to celebrate the area and its community.

On their hopes for the project, the team said:

“The project aims to create a social infrastructure that connects different actors of the neighbourhood, bringing together the local community, Petticoat Lane Market visitors, and The Colombian Coffee Company. The intervention transforms an underused urban void into a place for everyday life. Its ambition is to support simple and repeated actions: sitting, meeting, eating, resting, and observing.”

To be unveiled as part of the London Festival of Architecture’s programming, the design was selected from over 30 entries and will be in place ahead of June’s festivities, linking with the festival’s 2026 theme of Belonging. The design stems from the concept of Macchiato, not the drink, but the double-entendred meaning in Italian of ‘trace’. The installation is inspired by the circular coffee stain left by a cup, an accidental mark translated into a shared table in a public space.

Rosa Rogina, Associate Director of Place Partnerships at NLA said:

“We’re overjoyed to be bringing OUT Architecture’s design into the Aldgate area. Macchiato perfectly captures the idea of creating a central ‘hub’ within the footprint, creating a place that festival attendees and market go-ers can stop, think, reflect and enjoy the diverse offerings of the culturally rich area. We’re excited to see how the design manifests itself into the local neighbourhood and creates meaningful connections within its community.”

The installation will contribute towards the goals of Aldgate Connect BID in creating a safer and more welcoming neighbourhood through the enhancement of the public realm.

Will Dyson, Placemaking Director at Aldgate Connect BID said:

“Our focus was on finding a team with strong, diverse skills and a creative proposal that was flexible, practical and cost-effective. We chose Macchiato by OUT Architecture because the nature of the design feels inherently connected to this part of Aldgate. The idea of transforming a simple coffee‑cup trace into a shared circular table is a perfect reflection of the everyday life, social exchange and diversity that defines Petticoat Lane. By creating a welcoming, inclusive point of pause at such a key gateway, Macchiato adds genuine value to the market and its community. We believe it will make this corner feel more inviting, more cared‑for and more connected.”

The piece is due for installation across the coming months, keep an eye on our Instagram for it’s unveiling.