The Circular Kitchen

The Circular Kitchen is a collaborative project between our London studio and third year Central Saint Martins Architecture students to design a portable garden kitchen made almost entirely from repurposed materials.

As London shifts towards retrofitting, The Circular Kitchen aims to change attitudes around waste materials by highlighting their potential for reuse.

Starter

In early 2024, we invited a group of architecture students from Central Saint Martins to design a flexible outdoor kitchen, embracing the principles of circular design. Our London studio partnered with Brockwell Community Greenhouses in Lambeth—who acted as a potential client—and South London Reclamation, a supplier of reclaimed materials.

The students visited the community garden to explore the site and meet with potential users of the kitchen. Their insights shaped the final design: a two-part, reconfigurable octagonal structure that opens out into a functional outdoor kitchen. The kitchen is modular, mobile, and easy to store in winter, making it ideal for community use year-round.

The project has been a really enjoyable, and a powerful educational tool. It was great to see students contribute, lead and grow with the project, getting involved in the day-to-day life of our studio, and present Circular Kitchen at their final show in June. The project has opened our eyes to the number of community led initiatives that exist in our local area and through the Circular kitchen we are able to contribute to the people led support network of South London.

Flynn Williams, Part II Architectural Assistant

Second helping

The success of the design led to a real-life commission. The team was invited by Woolwich Common Community Centre to design a version of the kitchen adapted for their garden.

The new kitchen will need to offer even more flexibility as its use will extend beyond the Woolwich Common Community Centre.

A moveable feast

With a new site, and new users in mind, the team once again turned to Central Saint Martins students to continue the project.

In April 2025, a fresh group of students took part in a three-day project to create a short film that captures the stories and aspirations of the Woolwich Common community. They met with cooking groups, gardeners, women’s groups and local boxers to understand how the kitchen could support everyday life at the centre.

 

Just desserts

In April 2025, Woolwich Common Community Centre received lottery funding to support the build of The Circular kitchen. Stride Treglown will partner with Public Works to build the kitchen this summer, working once again with Central Saint Martins students and volunteers from the Community Centre.

What’s Next?

Join us at The London Festival of Architecture 2025 for a special event that celebrates the powerful role food plays in empowering people and uniting communities.

Sign Up

Reimagining Waste as a Resource

By reusing what’s available, The Circular Kitchen rethinks our approach to making, consuming, and recycling, using creativity to turn waste into valuable community resources.

Initiative contacts

Flynn Williams

Part II Architectural Assistant

As well as an architectural assistant at Stride Treglown, Flynn is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London. He was instrumental in delivering Stride Treglown's Circular Kitchen project.

Karla Bonner

Part II Architectural Assistant

Karla is doing her Part 2 architectural studies with Stride Treglown. She has a focus in the education sector, having worked on school and university projects. She played a key role in Stride Treglown's Circular Kitchen project.

Nik Hoggarth

Senior Associate Architect

Nik is a Senior Associate Architect in the London studio.

We’d like to thank each of the students who helped create the Circular Kitchen: Matthew Cassidy, Kathryn Chieng, Poppy Dodd, Farida Doss,Beth Gavine, Peerada Liewchanpatana, Kelie Lin, Noa Sher, Max Tickner and Nina Vosvenieks.