The Hut

‘The Hut’ was a single-storey community and church hall facility in Chelsea, in a poor state of repair and increasingly not fit for purpose. CGL were appointed to design a scheme to replace the existing building with a new, two-storey modern building to suit a variety of uses by local school and community groups.

The previous incarnation of The Hut, located on Alpha Place, just south of the Kings Road in Chelsea, was a tired building that formed part of the local church’s hall facilities and in the main housed a nursery. The building was in a state of disrepair and did not meet the need for a flexible community space.

The new Hut, completed in early 2015, takes the form of a two-storey building on the existing site, tucked behind a new solid brick wall with a secure gate. The form of the building was inspired by the concept of a hut, and has a prominent oversailing pitched copper roof sheltering the accommodation beneath. Internally, the building will consist of meeting spaces, WC, kitchen and storage rooms, an office, new stairs and a platform lift.

The brick wall on the pavement line helps to provide the users with a notion of security and privacy, essential for the potentially vulnerable occupants. The first floor reduces its impact on the neighbouring properties and a well-established tree through its form, while also appearing to hover over the pavement, giving a feeling of separation and privacy from the street. Tall windows at first floor, and rooflights down to ground floor will flood the building with natural light.

Our client for the project was Martin’s Properties, a locally-based developer, and was part of their contribution to the Chelsea community.