Convent Way

Project
Community Engagement & Social Value

Client
Hounslow Council

Project Team
Bell Philipps Architects & Gillespies

Location
Hounslow, West London

Estate Regeneration requires a thoughtful, considered approach—one that prioritises care throughout the design stages and integrates co-design principles into the engagement process, focusing on the people who live, work, and study there, those who call it home.

We were commissioned by Hounslow Council to develop a community engagement strategy and social value initiative for the Convent Way Estate. Collaborating with Bell Phillips Architects and landscape designers Gillespies, we worked closely with Hounslow’s regeneration team and the architectural design team.

Our approach involved curating monthly co-design workshops and engagement events to gather insights and ideas. These sessions were designed to elicit community responses to design proposals for Phase 1 and the Masterplan, aligning with RIBA design stages.

To maximize resident engagement, we integrated social value outcomes into our community engagement events, fostering greater impact and community cohesion while involving residents in the estate's regeneration plans. This initiative also included creating paid roles for local residents to collaborate with us in designing the engagement program.

Watch Our Project Film

Watch our project film spotlighting local residents, showcasing the impact of our work, and featuring our Green Week as part of the final design exhibitions on the Convent Way estate.

Green Festival, Exhibition Week

As part of the Masterplan Exhibition for Convent Way Estate in February 2022, we organised and executed a weeklong Green Festival. This event aimed to showcase Hounslow’s new green recovery agenda and highlight the design proposals by Bell Phillips Architects and landscapers Gillespies.

It was an opportunity to demonstrate how insights gathered from our co-design workshops had influenced these design proposals, fostering community engagement and awareness.

The week was designed to connect and bring to life local and regional policies, covering a range of topics including transport (with a focus on cycling), Passivhaus construction, recycling initiatives, and community development teams. It aimed to integrate these elements into the broader context of the Convent Way Estate Masterplan Exhibition, highlighting their importance and relevance to the community.

We focused on Green Transport by collaborating with Sustrans to organize free cycling workshops for children and adults to learn how to ride. Dr Bike was also present to repair residents' bikes, promoting safe cycling. We shared architectural plans for a new cycle highway and green loop within the estate.
Additionally, we hosted two walking challenges with checkpoints where residents engaged in conversations with our Community Champions about various design proposals for the estate. Children collected stamps at each checkpoint, which they could exchange for prizes and books on topics like bees, green energy, and sustainability, promoting healthy exercise and learning.
Moreover, we facilitated design activities for children while exploring the architectural model and plans for the estate, encouraging creative engagement with future developments.
We collaborated with ZCD Architects to design a Play Street and Forestry School takeover for young residents. This initiative allowed children to engage with nature and the surrounding green spaces through play and exploration, reclaiming the streets from cars. It provided an opportunity for them to provide feedback on the plans for a series of pocket parks, ensuring that their perspectives and preferences were integrated into the design process.
We explored Creative Connections with local residents through recipe sharing and cookery classes, focusing on vegetarian and vegan dishes from diverse cultures. These activities sparked conversations about the sustainability practices of various communities and cultures, emphasising local sourcing and traditional growing methods. Participants exchanged knowledge and ideas on how the new architectural and landscape plans could support more sustainable living practices.
In addition, we conducted up-cycling workshops throughout the day. Residents created birdseed hangers and plant pots using materials like plastic bottles, cardboard, and food containers, promoting creativity and sustainability in everyday practices.
We delved into Green Practices by collaborating with Feltham Arts Group for an up-cycling session led by artist Corinne, focused on repurposing and reusing materials and clothing. In the afternoon, the Recycling Team from Hounslow Council led a session on recycling practices, educating participants on what should and shouldn't be recycled and providing home recycling bins.
Furthermore, we hosted an informative session on Passive House principles by expert Rick Wheal from Qoda Consulting, with translation into Punjabi by Community Champion Jatinder. The day concluded with a design competition for young people to engage them in the future of their community.
Throughout our engagement with residents of Convent Way, we employed a team of Community Champions. In the coming months, we will conduct capacity-building sessions with this team, exploring exemplary community centre projects across London. This initiative aligns with Bell Phillips' plans to develop a new community centre as part of the regeneration scheme, aiming to equip residents with the skills, networks, and infrastructure necessary to manage and program their own centre.
As part of this effort, we will visit the Granville Centre in Brent, the Show Rooms on Kings Crescent Estate in Hackney, and other inspiring spaces, fostering a knowledge-sharing and exchange program across the capital.

A Generation Unheard

To engage underrepresented groups not initially involved in the regeneration plans, we developed a tailored week-long Designers and Makers program during the October half-term, specifically targeting young residents living on the estate. The program featured a design competition open to individuals aged 14-25, challenging them to create concepts for a new community and outdoor play space on their estate.

Throughout the week, participants collaborated with our team and local partners to develop their design ideas from inception to realisation. They worked closely with architecture and design professionals to create models of their designs and share their visions for the planned community space.

We partnered with local photographer Kirin Sall to document young people's perspectives on the estate, allowing them to capture images through their own lenses to express their likes and dislikes. Additionally, we collaborated with Tale To Be Told, a local actor training company, to enhance the participants' skills in pitching their design ideas confidently to a panel at the week's conclusion.

In conjunction with the landscape team, we delved into the potential and vision for green spaces on Convent Way. This involved exploring aspects such as materiality, sustainability, and green infrastructure with the young participants.