The Shed

A community hub for Bordon’s health and wellbeing transformation.

Bordon, Hampshire is a town teeming with history. A former army barracks, the Whitehill and Bordon Masterplan, prepared by Urban Place Lab, now seeks to transform the area into a thriving and green town that the local people can enjoy, with new amenities to explore, live, and work in.

The Shed is part of the starting lineup for this masterplan, as a gathering space for all. The industrial-inspired building both welcomes interest and fits into the local area. Inside, a ‘makers market’ of different spaces lets visitors explore, with a hairdressers, cafes, restaurants, shops, and live entertainment space.

It is accessible, connected to the upper town square, and residents can walk or cycle in, encouraged by the cycling shop at the entrance. Fire station-inspired doors provide visual and physical links to the adjacent park, reinforcing the connectivity of the internal and external spaces and inviting natural light in. In the winter the doors stay closed, keeping it warm inside for year-round enjoyment.

The market space is easy to navigate, with 18 units providing achievable spaces for local businesses to evolve over time. Mezzanine office units and pods for coworking and starter businesses overlook the retail space, giving those working a space to focus, with the benefit of visiting the ‘makers market’ in their breaks.

The client wanted a unique building with a variety of uses and spaces, designed to draw new life to help small businesses grow and create a space for community gatherings. Stride Treglown were brought in and evolved the brief to create a space for all walks of life.

We hope that The Shed will continue to encourage the other phases of the town’s regeneration. These include a new leisure centre, school, and residential areas, as well as 85 apartments and a Health Hub designed by Stride Treglown that is currently in for planning.