All About Clay
Clay is a timeless, sustainable building material that has supported communities for centuries. In our latest article, Olivia shares her experience from a hands-on clay workshop hosted by Oxfordshire Community Land Trust and Material Cultures. From its harmony with straw bale construction to its environmental benefits, explore what makes clay such a powerful tool in regenerative building. You can read the full article here.
31 Net Zero Affordable Homes in Thame
We’re pleased to announce our appointment by LIFE Build to support the delivery of 31 affordable homes in Thame for SOHA Housing. The £8.2m scheme, now in the technical design phase, includes landscaping, a sustainable drainage system, new access points, parking facilities, and upgrades to local infrastructure at the intersection of Phoenix Trail and Windmill Road. We’ll keep you updated as the project progresses!
Ozone Leisure Park Reimagined
On Wednesday 16th July, we hosted a public consultation on the final designs submitted for the planning application for the Ozone Lesiure Park. The project will include the following:A 5 / 6 screen cinemaA new bowling alley and spaces for a range of leisure activitiesNew restaurants and cafésDelivery of new, world-class facilities for the life science sector1,900 new jobs, ranging from entry-level to technical and research rolesRestoration of the former Priory Pub for community useAdditional funding to support the Cowley Branch Line and improve local bus services.
You can see the latest designs through the project website ozonereimagined.com.
Milton Keynes – An Oral Historical
Sammy-Jo was interviewed this month by Ellis Woodman from The Architecture Foundation about growing up in Milton Keynes. Part of her interview will become part of a zine about the oral history of the new town from the perspective of it’s residents. Watch this space!
What we’ve been up to outside of T/D
Last Friday Liv left Oxford at 3am to support the Birmingham bin workers in the 19th week of their all out strike against the council. The Megapicket was organised by StrikeMap, bringing supporters and trade union members from across the country, where we successfully shut down 3 sites in Birmingham and 2 sites in Coventry. The dispute is one of the biggest of our time, workers are facing cuts to their pay of at least £8k a year, a figure which no one can afford during the cost of living crisis. We cannot allow such a dangerous precedent to be set where councils can get away with targeting workers. You can read more about the strike here and support the striking workers by writing to Angela Rayner and Birmingham City Council and following Strikemap’s updates.✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻
Studio Life
Work Experience
In July, we had Delilah, a work experience student, join us at the studio for a week. She engaged in sketching ideas for a heritage building, participated in our internal meetings and a live site visit, and created a physical model using recycled cardboard to explore initial space design. It was a pleasure having her with us!
Welcome Ellen!
We’re excited to welcome Ellen, part of our associate community, back to the studio this summer! She recently finished her Part II at Oxford Brookes and is working with us on our Thame housing project. It’s a real pleasure to have her return to the team!
