Architects :Invisible Studio

Area :1040 m²

Year :2021

Photographs :Piers Taylor, Jim Stephenson

Manufacturers :  Troldtekt, United Anodisers, Avdon, SchucoTroldtekt

Contractor :Midas Group

Structural Engineer :Momentum Engineering

Executive Architect : Ellis Williams

Pod Fit Out : Pearce + Faegen

Client : Onion Collective

Architects : Invisible Studio

City : Watchet

Country : United Kingdom

A new home for the creative community has been completed in Watchet, Somerset. East Quay was designed by Invisible Studio and Ellis Williams for the Onion Collective CIC – a local female-led, not-for-profit social enterprise. It provides a new cultural anchor for the town and the surrounding area, featuring two contemporary art galleries, 11 artist studios, a paper mill, a geology workshop, a print studio, a restaurant, an education space, and five accommodation pods arranged across the top of the building.

The center draws inspiration from both the built environment and the natural landscape. A solid plinth reflects the harbor wall and nearby cliffs, containing the reception, gallery space, restaurant, and artists’ studios. External stairs lead up to the upper level which connects directly to coastal paths, allowing East Quay to become a porous object that can be climbed, traversed, and explored. The ground-floor restaurant opens out onto a new public space where local people and visitors alike can sit and enjoy views back into town, as well as the boats in the marina and the sea beyond.