Our studio set out to bring forth a new vernacular through a self-sustaining community, tackling the loss of identity in rural Essex, conceived over years of standard industrialisation, landfill, and neglectful damage to habitats. The common perception that Essex is a location to reside in for a larger house or more space, yet still commute into London to work is a reality I aim to dismiss.

The site is in Mucking, a small hamlet with historical importance dating back to the bronze age. It overlooked the sea and was thus used for settlements up until pre industrial times. The livelysite in turn became a gravel quarry and a dump for landfill as societal demands tightened. However, this rich history prompted archaeologists to excavate around the village. Work on site did not cease during the excavations, the gravel quarry in fact tookpriority over it, meaning the excavations would be rushed by the chasing quarry workers, a somewhat harsh reality that undervalued the affluent site.

Through my architecture I must establish the framework that pays attention to the historical site, whilst also solving present day dilemmas.

I am proposing a scheme for artists and other creatives that are being priced out of London, as rent is far too much for them to afford. Even with the help of companies such as Cell Projects and Space Studios, who acquire old buildings and rent them at cost price, it can be too expensive. And for those who can afford it, the spaces conceived are not effective for a creative to work in.

The multifunction community I propose will subtly lie on remnants of the past, in an adaptive reuse scheme that will attempt to pay tribute to the current infrastructure and typologies in a contemporary way. It should interweave the new and the old, giving an everlasting experience to many of those who have not tiptoed in the countryside, and thus are not familiar withthe history.