LLA were invited to the second stage of a 2-stage competition organised by Hounslow Council for a ‘Cabin’ to house a multi-purpose space for exhibition and meetings for the Friends of Feltham Green, a local community group.  

The COVID-19 Pandemic has demonstrated the contribution that local community networks bring. We are all more aware of the value of social connections, neighbourliness, and sense of belonging. We interpreted the Cabin to be an important local resource to support multiple activities, and, given its prominent location within Feltham Green and across the road from the High Street, to act as a ‘shop window’ to communicate the existence of these invaluable support networks. 

Our proposal draws inspiration from the rich history of Feltham and the surrounding area as a centre for market gardening and a focus of horticulture continuing into the present day with the horticultural activities of the Friends of Feltham Green. 

In response to this, the cabin is conceived as a structure designed to support and showcase horticulture in the form of walls that carry planting, a green roof and combined with sustainable strategies of a water source heat pump supplying energy drawn from the pond, and rainwater harvesting.

The cabin is extendable externally with a retractable canopy structure that provides covered space immediately adjacent to the cabin to support outdoor activity in close proximity to the community garden.