Blennerville Windmill Visitor Centre
The reuse, adaptation, and extension of an existing underused building as a focal point for village renewal and regeneration
Public Building of The Year Shortlisted 2024 - The Building and Architect of The Year Awards
The Challenge
The Windmill Centre project was an opportunity to breathe new life into a vital community asset. The primary challenge was the existing underused building, which had limited space and was no longer meeting the community's needs.
The museum housed within the centre was dated and suffering from declining visitor and tourist numbers year after year, diminishing its role as a local landmark. Furthermore, the wider village suffered from a lack of public amenities, such as accessible outdoor spaces and dedicated community rooms. This project was a chance to address these multifaceted issues and re-establish the Windmill Centre as the heart of the village.
Our Process
Embracing our value of Transformative Collaboration, we engaged closely with local stakeholders to reimagine the Windmill Centre's purpose. Our process began with a deep dive into the community's needs, confirming that a simple renovation would not be enough.
The vision was to create a new, open, and welcoming community building, a civic living room, connected to a new public garden. We developed a design that repurposed and extended the original structure, creating a flexible layout with a community room, café, and a modern museum space. Proactive communication and detailed 3D modeling were crucial in demonstrating how the new design would function and serve the village for generations to come, securing community buy-in from day one.
The proposed alterations and extensions to the existing Blennerville Windmill Visitor Centre will make the centre an active, welcoming, and vibrant focal point for Blennerville. Our first principle is to re-use and adapt as much of the existing building fabric as possible, while providing a huge range of new facilities.
Outcome & Impact
The revitalized Windmill Centre is a prime example of Sustainable Impact. The new building is a thriving hub of activity, providing previously absent amenities and a renewed sense of place. The modern museum has seen a significant increase in visitor numbers, and the flexible community spaces are in constant use.
By creating a joyful, light-filled environment that seamlessly connects to a new public garden, the project has delivered a lasting social return. It is an example of how thoughtful, community-led design can transform an underperforming building into a cherished and vibrant civic asset.
