Person with backpack walking past modern beige building in green park with trees and grass

The Changing Rooms

Community retrofit of a derelict building with Growing Sudley

‘The Changing Rooms’ for Growing Sudley is a transformative project to breathe new life into a derelict sports changing facility, reimagined as a wellbeing hub in nature along with a vibrant community activity space. The income generated from the building directly supports Growing Sudley’s activities in the Walled Garden.

You can read more about the Growing Sudley Garden and the engagement journey here. 

Situated next to the walled garden at Sudley House, the council-owned property had fallen into disrepair. Originally built as the husbandry building for the Sudley House estate, it was later converted into changing rooms for the local sports teams in the 1970s. 

We worked closely with the local community through all RIBA stages, co-developing the brief and exploring practical, realistic uses for the space. This collaborative process continues to shape the project’s evolving identity, function, and design.

Project photos by Luke Hayes

People at an outdoor event with informational posters and lush plants in the background.
A tall, narrow window with a green frame on a beige stucco wall, with plants and small yellow flowers growing at the base.
Diagram of a garden design with various zones labeled, including a Garden Zone with trees, Changing Rooms, Woodland Zone, Meadow Zone, and a central area with edible and medicinal foraging hedges connecting the zones, along with structures labeled Stable Block and Sudley House.
Drawing of a garden plan labeled 'Draw me! Can you help me be a green building?' with features including a recycle bin, fruit trees, solar panels, flowers, planted mode from eco bricks, bee hotel, lavender patch, wind turbines, and a compost bin.
A man and a woman outside a modern building with white walls, surrounded by greenery. The man is standing near the wall, and the woman is walking away from the building wearing a coat and rain boots.
Black and white photo of an old, abandoned house with boarded-up and broken windows, graffiti on the walls, and a roof in disrepair. Trees are visible in the background.

Animal husbandry building for the Sudley Estate- 1970s

A brick wall covered in colorful graffiti art and tags with trees in the background.

Derelict sports changing rooms- 2019

Floor plan of Growing Sudley's ground floor, showing therapy rooms, workshop space, restrooms, office, store, and staff room, with labeled rooms and a scale for measurement.
People viewing outdoor informational posters on a green fence in a park on a cloudy day, with trees and grass visible.
Two people are standing inside a room and are visible through a large, vertical window with a yellow frame. The room is reflected in the window, and there are green leaves in the foreground, suggesting the outside is lush and leafy.
A weathered brick and concrete building with a rusted metal door covered in graffiti, surrounded by overgrown vegetation and fallen autumn leaves.

“When the fabric of a building is co-created by the community and the architects, you know it’s a real sign of success, even before anyone has crossed the threshold.”

Angela Samata, Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside 

We built models to test ideas, and most recently we held a hands-on community workshop exploring biodiversity through the future green roof design, exploring and suggesting which plants would promote the most biodiverse solution.

After securing Power to Change funding, the project team overcame many challenging circumstances dealing with the effects of Covid and Brexit which saw a rise in construction prices.

Following a fabric first approach, we used natural, low embodied carbon materials such as hempcrete, lime render and cork flooring. Where possible, the existing structure has been retained, with minimal demolition. An air source heat pump and MHVR heat and ventilate the space.

Two elderly people, a woman and a man, standing in front of a beige wall with two vertical windows, partially obscured by green plants at their feet. The woman is wearing a blue coat with fur trim, and the man is wearing sunglasses and a dark jacket.
Woman with a backpack and tote bag walking through a narrow, unfinished construction corridor with white brick walls and pipes on the side.
A woman with long hair wearing a long plaid skirt and black top walking down a brightly lit narrow hallway with white brick walls and a large window at the end showing green foliage.

Shortlisted for The Pineapples 2025 Awards for Community Engagement

Recognising the lack of regional construction skills in natural retrofit materials, we used the project as an opportunity to learn and share knowledge, setting up a number of training initiatives where the local community members could gain hands-on practical experience. People could then help to deliver a low-cost community asset whilst also teaching a green skill to go on to further a growing green jobs industry. Following a successful pilot project in 2022, Growing Sudley were awarded National Lottery Heritage Funding to run hempcrete installation workshops and insulate the building with the community volunteers.

People working together on a building renovation project, installing wooden framing on a brick wall, with buckets of hemp and bricks on the ground.
A group of five people working together to build a wooden structure outdoors, with trees and bushes in the background.
Construction worker working on a brick wall with scaffolding and plywood sheathing on a building exterior.
Side view of a building under construction with a textured hemp wall, a large tree, and leafy plants nearby.

As part of the same National Lottery Heritage Funding grant, we worked alongside ceramic artist Laura Naylor, who, together with 197 members of the community, made over 500 tiles using foraged botanicals, now installed as backsplashes in the therapy rooms. Now, community members have true ownership from a lasting connection with the building, which has created a deep sense of ownership. 

An overlooked structure has found its third life as a symbol of sustainable regeneration and collective creativity. 

Child with long, curly hair painting with green water on a small glass container, surrounded by plant samples and art supplies on a white table.
People participating in a flower tile making workshop inside a greenhouse.

“The community created over 500 botanical tiles from foraged plants from around the site and in the garden”

Person in white shirt pointing at a wall of botanical illustrations on tiles, with a sink and faucet below.
Therapy room with massage or treatment table, white cabinetry, a sink, potted plants, and cushioned seating area.
A black sign with white lettering that reads: 'CAGS TOTAL FOR WKT S OVERS 1ST-INNS TOTAL.' Several wooden ledges hold flyers and brochures. To the left, an orange door has a small circular sign with 'W.C.' on it, and a door handle.
Kitchen sink with a metal faucet, white countertop, potted plant, and decorative botanical tiles in the background.
A corridor with white brick walls, wooden flooring, several green doors with windows, and numbered signs, leading to a window at the end that shows green foliage outside.
Green door with a window featuring a white floral design, a silver handle, and a small circular blue sign that reads 'Fire door keep shut'. To the right of the door is a black number 7 plaque on a white brick wall.

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