Knowle West Media Centre

Bristol

Knowle West Media works with the community to develop the creative potential of local people, providing office units, recording and photographic studios and a double height multifunctional gallery. Community involvement was key to the success of this project with a core group of young people helping to formulate the brief and interview design team members and contractors. Through workshops we were able to explain the design process and gain a better understanding of what they needed from the building. The brief was for a welcoming and “green” building which had to be completed within a tight budget. To achieve this the team adopted an integrated approach to structure, architecture and services. By incorporating the latest carbon-negative thinking and engineering technologies the team has been able to produce a beautiful building with timber and straw bale panels with exceptional environmental performance.