COMMON GROUND

A civic framework for reuse, learning and community connection on the edge of the River Ouse.

CONTEXT AND VISION
Common Ground reimagines a former industrial site as a catalyst for social and environmental transformation. In a world shaped by throwaway culture and the urgent need for more sustainable approaches, the project explores how architecture can respond creatively to these pressures. By turning an overlooked site into a civic resource, the design demonstrates how places once defined by industry can be reinterpreted as centres of innovation, resilience and collective identity.

PROGRAMME AND CONCEPT
At the heart of the scheme is a facility for the collection, repair and redistribution of salvaged building materials. Large and small components alike including steel beams, windows, sanitaryware and furniture are given new life through processes of remanufacture. Alongside this, public spaces such as workshops, kitchens and growing rooms encourage learning and skill sharing, from sustainable cooking and upcycling to hydroponic growing and fermentation. These elements come together as an open civic hub where professional makers and local communities share space, knowledge and resources.

ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH
The project’s architectural language reflects the principles of circular design. Existing industrial structures are carefully retained and adapted, their materials dismantled and reassembled to form flexible new spaces. This act of reuse is not hidden but celebrated, making the process of transformation visible in the architecture itself. Spatially, the scheme is organised around porous thresholds, courtyards and a circulatory route that connects workshops, gathering areas and shared facilities. While each building supports a distinct programme, together they operate as a cohesive whole, creating a framework that embodies resourcefulness, openness and continuity.

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Circularity extends to material choices and environmental strategies. Low carbon and natural materials such as hemp insulation, lime plaster and timber finishes are combined with reused steel and masonry. A hydrogen powered boat connects the site to the river and sea, enabling the low emission transport of salvaged materials. These interventions position the project not only as a community hub but also as a living demonstration of sustainable practice, where the architecture itself teaches through example.