Three Conical Timber Roofs Shape Open Community Cabin in South London

Burgess Architects has completed Feltham Green Cabin, a new community facility situated on the High Street in Feltham, London, marking the culmination of a five-year initiative driven by grassroots ambitions and low-carbon design principles. Commissioned by the London Borough of Hounslow on behalf of the Friends of Feltham Green—a local volunteer coalition that has long campaigned to improve this historically underserved area of West London—the building is positioned immediately adjacent to the green space rather than on it. This placement activates an underutilized section of the High Street while preserving the open land it serves.

The defining architectural feature of the structure is its roofscape, which consists of three timber cones of varying heights, giving the compact 21-square-meter building a civic presence far beyond its modest footprint. The tallest cone shelters the primary community area, opening into a vaulted, light-filled interior. Flanking the space are two gabion walls partially filled with salvaged materials donated by local residents, arranged in collaboration with local artists Susie John and Bill Fuller to establish a grounded sense of permanence while simultaneously functioning as a bug hotel to integrate biodiversity into the architecture.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Environmental performance was a primary focus throughout the design process. Collaborating with structural engineers Allt Environmental, the project team entirely eliminated concrete and steel from construction, utilizing compacted rubble foundations and an all-timber superstructure instead. The exterior is clad in lightweight FSC-certified poplar plywood finished in natural tones that mirror the bark of the nearby plane trees. Additional features include a continuous external insulation layer, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, solar cells with battery storage, and rainwater harvesting for irrigation, collectively enabling the cabin to achieve net-zero operational status.

Designed from its inception to serve the local community through its construction, materials, and everyday programming, the flexible interior accommodates activities ranging from gardening workshops to art classes and public meetings. The transparent frontage allows passers-by to view ongoing activities, helping revitalize a town center section that has long awaited such activation. The cabin is now officially open for use by the Friends of Feltham Green and the broader local population.

Source: designboom