A collection of former chicken sheds, reimagined one by one into a vibrant community hub at Griffin Estate.

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Now home to studios for small businesses, coworking spaces, an after-school club, and flexible conferencing areas that transform for supper clubs and talks, the site has been carefully shaped to support connection, creativity, and adaptability.

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The new super energy-efficient buildings are clad in thermally treated ash from Vastern, our local sawmill. With ash dieback affecting UK timber supplies, using this material became both a sustainable and meaningful choice, embracing what is available while giving it new purpose.

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Set across a hillside rich with natural springs and generous roofscapes for rainwater collection, the project became an opportunity to celebrate water in the design. An intricate and visible network flows throughout the site, from rain chains and water spouts to stone troughs, open brick gullies, meandering swales, and two ponds at the foot of the slope.

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Over time, the cladding gently weathers and silvers, marking the passing seasons. Sheltered undercrofts retain their warm golden tones, while northern faces take on subtle green hues after rain. The result is a living, evolving material, quietly reflecting time, weather, and place.

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Photos by Where Space Becomes Story and Jon Cardwell

Video by Where Space Becomes Story