Thom Wood-Jones

Ground, Traces + Conditions

Reclaiming Wisley Airfield

Wisley Former Airfield has laid dormant for the last 50 years, subject to abandonment and disuse. It sits amongst the Surrey Hills, providing a clear definition on the ground of the sites former use. This project aims to repurpose this land, and in essence reclaim it. The project itself looks to introduce a new campus, one which sustains itself through the land upon which it is situated. The campus will be a built example of methods through which to produce a building in way which utilises both reuse of the existing ground condition and surrounding site, and one which utilises innovative construction methods. A core intention being that via a simplified and efficient design there would be no superfluous use of material, creating no excess  – demonstrating only utility, minimising impact upon the existing site.

Compositionally, the campus is formed of three primary buildings, the Accommodation Tower, the Learning Centre, and the Construction Hall.  Each operating purely of its core function, with only necessity driving their provision and their physical form. The morphological arrangement of the campus pays tribute to the situation of the former airfield’s hangars, making use of their discarded foundations. Across this area of sprawling concrete, sections will be removed in a highly respondent manner to the pattern, rhythm and texture of the existing. In removing these sections, it allows the campus to introduce a new contingent of biodiversity through seasonal planting, whilst simultaneously fostering the established mature flora and forestry surrounding the site. This acts to establish a natural connection between the proposed and the existing.