IDK

Landscape restoration for a community-focused mix of use project, including a hub with café, event spaces, allotments and co-housing.

Weston Farm is a community-focused, heritage-rich project which aims to improve people’s health and wellbeing. IDK are working closely with the client to deliver a vision and engagement strategy for Weston Farm and restore its unique agricultural heritage landscape into a mixed-use site which benefits both the local community and visitors. The farm aims to improve people’s health and wellbeing by giving them access to green spaces rich in wildlife, outdoor activities, fresh seasonal food, and co-housing which encourages social interaction.

A diversified programme of workshops, talks and events will appeal to intergenerational users, educating them on how to live in a more environmentally-friendly, sustainable way. Three thoughtfully-designed co-housing units will offer accommodation to the elderly and single-parent families, bringing together and benefitting these often isolated and vulnerable individuals at the heart of the site.

The core concept of gentle living – 'a way of living that is more in tune with nature, kinder to the environment, and kinder to ourselves' – and the site's historic and ecological context create a framework for the project.

The project is work in progress. The development of the site, heritage conservation of its buildings, and the scope of the project will be fulfilled progressively. This approach of incremental changes and phased development will benefit the economic model, while providing opportunities for community engagement and fostering a feeling of opportunity on the site. These ‘slow design’ principles offer the chance to reflect and build on an approach which recognises that environments and systems evolve over time.