We are delighted that our collaboration with Bloqs and Enfield Council to deliver the UK's largest open-access factory has been awarded both a RIBA London Award 2023 and RIBA London Sustainability Award 2023.
"The jury was impressed by the obvious collaborative approach between client, architect and users, who all engaged positively and proactively with the environmental design of the building. Bloqs has a circular approach to heating – a new biomass boiler is fed by waste timber produced from makers in the building, while new solar photovoltaics on the roof provide electricity. There was also a waste-not approach to its fit-out: materials for the refurbishment were sourced from across London. cross-laminated timber partitions that were being removed from an architect’s office were repurposed, windows destined for scrap were reappropriated for the café shopfront, and many of the landscaping components are from industrial waste products. The site takes a high-value, low-maintenance approach to drainage, collecting rainwater run-off in rain-gardens to feed biodiverse planters on site.
This clever and very practical initiative cries out to be the first of many other similar facilities to be repeated across the UK, encouraging more like-minded people to develop an interest in design and manufacturing, and to hone useful skills that are greatly lacking across the country."
Read more about the project here.