UPCYCLE KERNOW

Upcycle Kernow is a community workshop housed in a 1941 RAF Portreath Dispersed Accommodation block. They were keen to improve its energy efficiency and make it a warm hub for the community.

Upcycle Kernow’s approach chimed with our thinking that demolition is a last resort.  The materials in the original building -single skin blockwork wall, Ministry of Works steel trusses and an asbestos roof- could be considered low value, however, the starting point for the design -nothing is waste- guided our approach to reuse. 

HERITAGE

The original building retained the historic linear form with piers along the length and a low pitch roof. To improve its energy performance, the structure was over-clad with an airtight, timber-framed, insulating envelope. Both the walls and the roof were finished in dark grey/blue corrugated steel sheets that reference heritage RAF colours and materials used in that period. Openings were retained as much as possible, with the large garage doors a welcoming community entrance. Internally, the blockwork and roof structure are painted white, celebrating the original form and the Ministry or Works trusses. The full length of the building can still be seen from the reception through the Tea making area.

COMFORT & WELLBEING

The original building was very cold and damp. The original idea was to open up the building to allow more light to come in from the South through the roof and give more access to outside to the North. Where light was needed the envelope was punctuated with green-painted timber, triple-glazed windows and doors. Rooflights provide glare-free light for woodworking and sunlit spots for warmth when sewing. 

The cold concrete slab was topped with a warm insulated timber floating floor, finished with oiled OSB. Running the length of the roof are distinctive stainless steel ducts that provide ventilation from the MVHR to what is now a draught-free building, designed to be comfortable through the winter and summer months. 

Following a six month build, Upcycle Kernow opened in April 2025. It now provides a warm, welcoming, light filled space for a weekly repair cafe, tool library and community workshops.

THE FUTURE

Over the next five years, Upcycle Kernow are looking forward to constructing a sorting shed and refill porch and installing photovoltaic panels on the long South-facing roof. The building will continue to be a test bed for ‘up-skilling’ community-builders in the use of waste as a valuable resource and be an exemplar in how to minimise the amount of carbon we use. 

FUNDING

This collaborative development was made possible with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which aims to ‘improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills’.

The Community Capacity Fund provided part-funding for the initial feasibility study and planning application. The Rural Prosperity Fund provided part-funding for the Construction Stages. Material donations, volunteer time from the consultancy team and the volunteers provided match-funding.