Cleint: The Journey Church, CNC Property Fund Management

Our Services: Architectural Design

Status: Planning Permission Granted

The Hub is a community building in Englefield Green, Surrey, originally constructed in the early 1950s for the Royal British Legion. For decades it has provided a place for social gatherings, clubs, and support services, gradually accumulating a series of ad-hoc extensions that reflected changing needs but left the building inefficient, inaccessible, and increasingly difficult to maintain. CAUKIN Studio was commissioned to reimagine The Hub as a resilient, inclusive community asset - one capable of supporting contemporary use while respecting its local and social history.

The brief called for a comprehensive refurbishment: retaining what still worked, improving what did not, and creating a building that could adapt to the evolving needs of the Englefield Green community. Central to the approach was the decision to strip the building back to its primary structure, removing poorly performing historic extensions and consolidating the footprint into a clear, rectilinear form. This rationalisation allowed the project to improve circulation, accessibility, and spatial legibility while reducing the building’s environmental impact.

A new high-performance envelope wraps the retained structure, dramatically improving thermal efficiency through insulated wall and roof systems. Existing brickwork is carefully refurbished and over-clad where appropriate, balancing continuity with a renewed identity. Subtle changes to massing - such as the removal of the parapet - reduce the building’s visual impact within the residential streetscape, while new feature windows bring daylight deep into the plan and give the Hub a more open, welcoming presence.

Internally, the layout has been reorganised around flexible, multi-use spaces: two halls, meeting and consultation rooms, a centrally located kitchen and bar servery, and accessible WC provision. Storage is integrated throughout to support a wide range of activities, from youth groups to community events. A new sun room / greenhouse extends the building into the landscape, providing a sheltered, year-round space for gardening and social use - building on the Hub’s long-standing relationship with its community garden.

The project priorities reuse of materials where viable, improving energy performance, and designing inclusively so the building can be used by everyone.