Volume 1

Information, ideas, questions and answers about community-led built asset development

Welcome to A Building for Your Community, a free resource series by New Practice. We are an architecture practice who have been fortunate to be involved in lots of exciting projects, working in collaboration with communities to explore future plans for their buildings.

You might already be managing a community building, or perhaps you are a member of an organisation looking to embark upon finding one. Or perhaps you are just curious about what community-led development entails.

A white square with the words A Building for your Community surrounded by angled yellow lines,. In the bottom right corner is the subtitle: Community Led Development - Scotland underlined in yellow
A 3D birdseye illustration of a neighbourhood in Glasgow, showing the Barras Market, Barrowland Ballroom and Many Studios from above. Many Studios is outlined in white.
An old toy plane is on a very dusty floor in the foreground of a derelict room. In the background we can see a pile of construction materials, timber and insulation panels, and a single window leaning against a metal balustrade

Sometimes a building isn’t the right solution

Our work with communities across the UK means we understand that a building is not always the right outcome. It is far better to start by making sure you have a strong and resourceful community group which has the capacity to take on big and exciting projects. You can only start where you are.

Some questions to ask yourself:

1. Is building ownership necessary or desirable for your organisation?

2. Could similar results be delivered through a long lease or agreement with a land/building owner?

3. Is your community organisation prepared and resilient?

  • Essentially, resilience means knowing how to cope with setbacks or barriers and limited resources. Resilient communities know how much they want something and how much they are willing (and able) to overcome obstacles to get it.

    Resilience has a lot to do with the combined emotional strength and support you can give each other, and seek externally.

In 2015 we worked with a community group in Sighthill to set up a new green and growing space. However, in conversation with the dedicated community members it was clear that this would be too risky and too soon. Instead we worked with them and local schools to design and make a bespoke community dining set. 

This was their first step in gathering to create new things and wonderful ideas as a more resilient community. Since then they have gone on to develop more projects and small scale interventions together.

A black woman and her child paint on brown cardboard at a table. The child is wearing a denim shirt and glasses, the mother is wearing blue jeans and a black and red jumper. They are both concentrating on their creation
The image shows a space at the top of a staircase where we can see yellow buckets and tarpaulins placed to capture water from the broken roof. The balustrades are painted grey and the building is clearly in state of disrepair
Four piles of school chairs in various shades of blue against a backdrop of timber panelling which is also painted blue. The floor is a bright orange vinyl

Glossary

Before we begin looking at community ownership and the process of buying your building. Here are some useful terms to understand in advance:

  • Community-led development is a route for communities to play a central role in the development of new and improved neighbourhoods. This could include housing, community and learning spaces or self-builds

  • A built asset is a building, or series of buildings, which are valuable to a community or group of people

  • A brief is a list of needs, wants and wishes for your land or building. This may be developed alongside a business plan, but that isn’t always true or necessary. This will depend on your particular building, community, and funding situation

  • A Feasibility Study will most likely be the first step you would undertake. Rather than come up with a design and build it straightaway, a feasibility study gives you an idea of what is possible and how much different options will cost

  • Planning approval is permission from the planning authority (part of the Council) that the proposals are in keeping with any Local Development Plans. The process can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks from submission. Larger and more sensitive projects may have to go to committee which can take longer

Here are a few inspiring community-led projects to take a look at:

An empty derelict swimming pool showing the line markings and the overhead structure which is painted red

Govanhill Baths

Govanhill Baths closed to the public in 2001. A local community group, established following an occupation of the building, have been working to bring the Baths back into use.

A protest walk of people holding placards and banners walk down a narrow street between two rows of brick houses

Cressingham Gardens

The residents of Cressingham Gardens led the development of a People’s Plan for their housing estate, representing an alternative to the plan for demolition as part of the Council’s wider regeneration strategy.

The outside of a shop unit with turquoise signage and a chalkboard a-frame. In the foreground an old man and a young woman are having a conversation seated at a timber Talking Booth

The Stove Network

The Stove Network run a premises on the High Street in Dumfries as an accessible public arts space and resource for the population of the town.

Where’s the money?

In this section will be dipping our toes into the mysterious world of Community Ownership, feasibility studies and (of course) finding the money to make it happen. 

In broaching this topic we are joined by Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS) who have kindly contributed to provide you with more information.

How to buy your community building

Under Scottish law there are two ways you can buy your community building, enabling you to begin working on improving it for the future: Community Right to Buy, and Asset Transfer.

Within the rest of the UK things are a bit more complicated, however it’s still possible. 

Asset Transfer

Under the Community Empowerment Act Part 5 eligible community bodies can request to buy, lease, manage or use land or buildings that belong to local authorities, public bodies or Scottish Ministers.

Community
Right to Buy

Under the Land Reform Act (Scotland) 2016 community throughout Scotland can register an interest in land and the opportunity to buy that land when it comes up for sale.

Three girls of primary school age are waving ribbons and smiling at the camera, they are stood next to and holding onto a colourful piece of public art, in the background we can just see a mid-rise postwar social housing block

Common pitfalls when looking for funding

The Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) is part of the DTAS membership body for community development trusts.

COSS is funded by the Scottish Government to support community based groups take a stake in or ownership of publicly owned land/buildings. Our focus is on publicly owned assets, although the challenges the groups we work with face are also evident when groups seek to use community rights in relation to privately owned assets, for example, through Community Right to Buy. We work with community groups and public authorities in terms of Section V of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, which came into force in January 2017. 

What then are the challenges we see being faced by community groups. A reasonable ‘top ‘4’ might consist of the following:

  • Eligibility / The Community rights really are just that, rights for communities, and new groups need to be clear about which communities they represent – whether geographic or communities of interest – and be able to demonstrate those communities are in control.

  • Purpose / Many groups respond to the availability of an asset or the potential loss of an iconic building without having a shared vision of how the asset can be used to benefit the community.

  • Sustainability / Many groups will have a strong sense of social purpose, e.g. to bring life back into our town centre, but they need to plan for the reality of generating revenue to run a facility and ‘save for a rainy day.’

  • People / Achieving acquisition and delivering a service requires stamina and a range of skills, and unless there is a collective approach success is unlikely – you need to assemble people with the right skills and attributes for success. 

- by Development Trusts Association

An image looking up at the roof, we can see the underside of the cantilevered roof which has a timber cladding. The windows are full height and have a strong vertical rhythm

Finding funding

Whatever route you choose to buy a building you are likely to need support and funding to progress a purchase. Many community organisations will use a mixture of grant, loan and self-funding.  Depending on the nature of your building and your future plans some groups may be able to access specific heritage or sector funding.

Can we get a grant?

Good news - there are non-returnable governmental and non-governmental grants available to support buying a building! 

All available grant funds will need evidence around the future viability of your building to know they are supporting well managed community led spaces. However, grant funding is limited and the process is competitive.

Is a loan right for us?

There are a number of options for loans which might provide some or all of the funding to purchase your building or land. To access loan funding you will need to be constituted group with known income or firm projections. Loans may provide additional personal risk to members of a community organisation if they require a personal guarantee. 

Good ways of using loans:

  • Explore local organisations which provide loan funding at low interest rates

  • Peer-to-peer lending through organisations like Funding Circle, Zopa or Ratesetter rely on small investments from a large number of investors to fund business and community projects

  • National and local governments provide loan funding based on specific criteria

What about crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding can be an excellent way to seek support from an engaged and global community. It is most successful when a large group of people already have a sentimental connection to the building. That makes it much easier to sell them the story about why they should support your aims for redevelopment.

Good ways of using crowdfunding:

  • Start small, if it takes off you can raise your expectations

  • Sell the story of the building and why your redevelopment plans are its best future

  • Limit what you are asking for, be specific and provide measurable outcomes for funders

  • Use a platform where you can access funding even if you don’t meet all your targets

  • Don’t create more work for yourself with complicated or costly “rewards” for funders

A red sandstone building taken at a jaunty angle showing the stonework and the large windows which have teal sash window frames

Getting Started

What is a Feasibility Study?

A feasibility study gives you an idea of what is possible and how much different options for your building will cost. A feasibility study may be required to allow you to seek grant funding to make changes to, or purchase, your building. Funding may also be available to enable you to pay for the study.

... and how much does it cost?

The cost of a feasibility study will differ depending on your plans, and the extent of changes to the building. We are experienced at working with communities to ensure they get the right level of support at the right budget for them. Here are a few examples of the costs associated with varying requirements:

An architects illustration of the inside of a building, it is conceptual image showing a mix of both internal and external elements together, red figures are shown doing different sporting activities within the space

Example 1
City wide approach to identifying a new rehearsal space for performance. Non-specific to a particular site, but considering a wide range of types of buildings and demonstrating different approaches.

Costs: £8,000
Team required: Architect
Duration: 3 months

1. Minimal approach / Exploring minor improvements and changes which support organisational aims and will make the building work better and exist flexibly for the organisation in the future

2. ‘Just right’ approach / Exploring a range of designed solutions which balances the needs and wants of the client organisation and allows for greater structural improvements than Option 1

3. Maximalist approach / Looking beyond Option 2. to explore high level and high-ambition outcomes which supports a future vision of the organisation. This may support future funding or phased approaches to development and allow for a strategic community wide approach with projects across a locale

An architects illustration of the inside of a building, it is conceptual image showing the insides of a building with the roof taken off. Some figures can be seen inhabiting the workspaces

Example 2
Specific to an existing building. Exploring a potential change of use from an office to shared co-working hub. Providing three options and outline costs. 

Costs: £5,000
Team required: Architect
Duration: 3 months

An architects illustration of the inside of a building, it is conceptual image showing a mix of both internal and external elements together, blue figures are shown within brick arches walking and doing yoga

Example 3
Specific to a heritage building. Considering three approaches for future renovation and internal reorganisation. Including input from a full design team, extensive brief building and community engagement.

Costs: £21,000
Team required: Architect, Quantity Surveyor, Engineers
Duration: 9 months

A derelict brick building with roller shuttered openings. The foreground is a single storey flat roofed building where the external brick is painted fawn, the rear shows a 2 storey barrel roofed building with windows at first floor
A man wearing a denim shirt and a kilt with brown hiking boots is plating the bagpipes inform of a red roller shutter that is down. Above is head is a green building sign saying 'Barras'

Who is the brief for?

“In our work with Kinning Park Complex we spent time creating and examining the brief with the client team in order to understand their priorities. They had an extensive list of “needs” but with the limited budget available we needed to understand which were most important. Following a couple of conversations we developed a prioritised brief as a diagram - that way we could always use it as a tool to review our designs and show if they met all, or only some of the brief. 

We spent a lot of time on the brief before we started. We really wanted to understand not only what kind of building we would like to have at the end of the process, but what we wanted it to achieve.

Most Third Sector organisations are used to thinking about Outcomes and that is the way that we approached this too. 

We wanted a building that was Viable, Sustainable, Usable, Comfortable, Flexible, a building that expressed our Identity, helped build Community and another one that I can never remember. 7 out of 8 is not bad, right? 

Building that brief beforehand allowed us to express properly to the various professional consultants what it was we wanted. It allowed us to evaluate the proposals. If the time comes to make tough choices it should allow us to prioritise what we can have and what we can’t.”
— Kinning Park Complex

Here are a few examples:

a need

  • Enough storage

  • Accessibility 

  • A fixed roof

  • An updated fire alarm

a want

  • A larger kitchen space for community use

  • Full accessibility throughout

  • A lift

  • Improved finishes

a wish

  • A sustainable development (zero waste, carbon neutral)

  • An improved garden space

  • Energy generation

A close up image of a handrail and balustrade turning a corner. They are painted grey, on the handrail we can see where the tough of building users has worn away the paint to the timber beneath
A black and white cad drawing printed out and covered in sketches and notes from a design team meeting

What will a design team do?
Project Workstages

There are 7 Work Stages, as defined by RIBA, which cover all aspects an architects involvement within design and development projects:

Do we need a design team?

A design team is a collection of professionals whose job is to provide support and guidance throughout your project. Think of them as a group of experts who speak each other’s language, working together to cover all aspects of your building’s needs.

As we covered in the last section, you may need a feasibility study to be completed as part of funding conditions - this should be done by an architect, who will advise you as to whether a wider team of experts is required in your particular case.

You are likely to be in most contact with your architect as they will generally lead the design team. The role of the architect is to get to know your building, and help you translate your community’s needs, wants and wishes into a brief. The architect should then, in collaboration with the rest of the design team, answer that brief with design options. 

This is a very brief introduction - for further reading we can recommend “A Client’s Guide to Engaging an Architect” published by RIBA.

  • Leads the design team and acts as main client point of contact - usually the architect. They lead the overall strategic approach to the design of the building to meet client needs and aspirations

  • Building Services Engineer (otherwise known as Mechanical & Electrical Engineers) lead explorations into existing services (things like heating, power etc) and identify suitable approaches to improve or upgrade these to meet client needs

  • A Structural Engineer will lead explorations into existing structure of the building and its envelope (this is a fancy word for the walls, floor and roof of the building) and present suitable approaches to improve or upgrade these to meet client needs

  • Once the rest of the design team have compiled their work, the Quantity Surveyor (often known just as the QS) will develop cost plans to provide the expected costs for the proposed designs to be built

If you think a design team is what you need after reading this, get in touch to see how we could help.

Types of approach

Projects may include some, or all of the following types of design approach. As an example, our work at Many Studios was mainly adaptive reuse, with some refurbishment of existing structural trusses and brickwork.

Once you start to feel comfortable with sentences like that, you are well on your way to speaking Architect!

Adaptive Reuse / This refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. Many Studios is an example of this, because it is a former market hall (existing use) that now serves as a creative workspace for artists, designers and more (new purpose). 

De-furbishment / A funny term, this approach is based on finding a building’s original features. Note that it doesn’t mean the opposite of refurbishment - as once these features are identified, they are typically refurbished and enhanced. This is a bit more applicable to how you approach the building interiors, as opposed to a full building approach. At Many Studios we embraced the bare brickwork of the original building, restoring it and enhancing it rather than covering it up.

New Build / A brand new building! This can be done on a piece of land with no existing buildings, or on a brownfield site following the demolition of unfit existing structures.

Renovation / This typically refers to restoring something to a good condition or state of repair.

Refurbishment / This term implies process of cleaning, equipping, or retrofitting an existing structure. A typical example of classic retrofit works would include like-for-like replacements of older elements like windows. 

Do you speak architect?

Let’s get started thinking about briefing and learning how to decipher the world of architecture and its jargon. This section aims to demysitfy some of the language that architects use - equipping you with some of the language required to confidently communicate with a design team, and to use when building a brief for your community building. 

In this section we are joined by Kinning Park Complex (KPC) who are contributing to give an insight into the creation of a relationship between our teams.

What is an architectural brief?

An architecture brief is a list of needs, wants and wishes for your land or building. This may be developed alongside a business plan, but that isn’t always true or necessary. This will depend on your particular building, community and funding situation.

What do you need?
What do you want?
What do you wish for?

These three questions are a good starting point for a brief which can be shaped with an architect and design team to consider budget, business model and physical constraints. 

  • At this very early stage, you will be working to define the business case and client requirements. We are often involved at this stage, but not many people will have an architect for Stage 0, this is before you know that a building is the right answer and may include extensive community engagement and strategic planning for your community group.

  • Working with the client the design team will explore and build the brief for design proposals including understanding needs, wants and aspirations

  • The development of initial proposals produced as sketches which may explore a number of options for the building or site. At this stage early costings can be undertaken by the Quantity Surveyor to provide some ideas of the required budget

These three workstages form a feasibility study see above for more information

Following on from any feasibility study there is the option to continue to develop the ideas explored, with the same architect and design team, or with a new team, through Work Stages 3-7.

  • Following the sign off of concept designs and agreement on which approach to take, the team will develop one design proposal which meets the brief. During this stage the design team will submit proposals for Planning Approval

  • During this stage the design team will add detail and technical information to their drawings. They will also submit the proposals to Building Control to get a Building Warrant. In Scotland, it is illegal to start Stage 5 without this. The warrant process is different in England, Wales and N. Ireland

  • Permission from the planning authority that the proposals are in keeping with any Local Development Plans. Depending on scale this may require statutory engagement. The process can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks from submission. Larger and more sensitive projects may have to go to committee which can take a longer

  • Permission from the building control department of your local authority that the building proposals are safe and meet the Building Standards. In Scotland this is a requirement before work on site begins and will be handled by your council. Approval can take anywhere from 12-16 weeks following submission. In rUK, this may be undertaken during Stage 5 with proof of compliance provided to a Building Control Officer who may work for a private company

  • This generally refers to the process of finding and agreeing a contract with a Contractor to deliver the building work. Your Architect and Quantity Surveyor should support you in this task

  • Depending on the scale of your project this might be a few months, or over a year. During this time the contractor will undertake the work designed by the team. If there are any changes - due to new information, or required design changes from the client - then these will require your sign off and may be additional costs

  • Traditional Contract the architect and design team work for you from Stage 0-7. They project manage the building on site and acting on your behalf throughout the project. This is recommended if your building includes historical elements or is on a challenging site. This route is said to be best for maintaining quality and control, if there are numerous variations costs may rise

    Design & Build Contract recommended for simple new build construction, and the contractor is likely to be involved at a much earlier stage. The architect and design team may work for you from Stage 0-3, after this point they will work for the contractor. This route is said to be best for maintaining cost control, it may produce lower quality buildings as contractors will benefit from cost cutting.

  • At this point the building will be handed back to the community, this will include an inspection at the end of the construction to identify any work still outstanding. The contractor then has 12 months to complete this work

  • Should include some form of Post-Occupancy Evaluation with your input. How does the building work for you?

In the foreground people gather at five timber market stalls along a tarmac street, there are yellow and blue box stools placed around their feet. A single building in the background is painted grey. The sky behind is stormy.

From community to client

This is the final section - however this doesn’t have to be goodbye! We’d love to hear from you and keep the conversation going. 

For our final section we are going to be looking at our project with Kinning Park Complex (KPC) who are contributing to give further insight into their experience as a community client.

Two orange chairs with coffee mugs at their feet. The chairs are in front of a yellow timber panelled wall with glazed sections above head height. We can see through an open door to more yellow timber panelled rooms in the background
A wall showing various levels of painting and plasterwork. We can see through to the original finishes on this wall which is in poor condition

Case Study // Kinning Park Complex

The name, Kinning Park Complex, refers to both an organisation and to a place. That place is an old red sandstone building - built in 1916 as an addition to Lambhill Street Primary School.

In 1976 the building was converted into the Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre, run by the local council, providing local residents with vital space for gathering and shared learning.

Slated for closure in 1996, a group of the centre’s users and supporters took matters into their own hands and began an occupation of the building. Finally an agreement was reached with the local council, and the centre remained open under the new management of a community organisation - Kinning Park Complex. Today the building is vibrant hub of community activity.

We have been working with KPC since 2017 to find a way to make sure their building, is functional, flexible and accessible for generations to come. Ownership of the building has now been transferred to Kinning Park Complex SCIO. This process was supported by Scottish Land Fund and Development Trusts Association Scotland.

In March 2019 additional funding was secured from the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. This award, along with the amounts secured from the Big Lottery and other funding partners, represents validation of KPC's status as an organisation and their solid future.

Our approach to the building is one of adaptive re-use. Making the most of the building's heritage and existing structure to create functional, flexible and accessible community and creative workspace across all three storeys. Working in collaboration with Armour Construction Consultants, David Narro Associates, Atelier Ten and Max Fordham LLP. Clark Contracts were appointed as main contractor with works beginning in August 2020. The building reached practical completion in March 2022 and re-opened its doors to the community in Spring 2022.

Making the most of the building’s heritage and existing structure - creating functional, flexible and accessible community and creative workspace across all three storeys.

community to client

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community to client 〰️

Spend the time at the start really understanding what you want. Departing in the wrong direction will take you very much off course. Changing what you want half way along the road will be expensive. It will cost you time, energy and money. Much more than it would if you had prepared more adequately beforehand.

You will have to tread a fine balance between compromise and sticking to your guns. 

Sometimes your architect is going to tell you things that you don’t want to hear, sometimes they are going to tell you things you shouldn’t listen to. One of your biggest challenges will be figuring out which is which. They don’t know your business, they don’t know your building, they don’t fully understand your aspirations, you need to know them inside out.

You don’t know how to build a safe building, you don’t know how what creates usable, enjoyable space, they do. They also know more about what the opportunity cost of the choices you make are. They should tell you of course you can have X, but you need to understand that such a choice will cost Y.

Try to speak to each other in questions, not statements. Try to avoid saying “I want this and I don’t care” rather ask the question “If I do this, what is the implication?” Unless of course it is something that you are not willing to compromise on; Accessibility, ability to generate revenue, your organisational values, you will know where your red lines are.

The bottom line is always important. It’s essential that you start with a robust budget and the skills on the Board to oversee its preparation. Review this regularly as the project progresses from application, through design and onto the construction stages. Challenge yourselves and the project team on any changes that creep in. They always do.

Lastly make sure you have the best Project Team that you can before you start. Find Board members that have been through the process before. Find a Project Manager that you trust to help you deliver your project. Trust your architects, but give them clear instruction. This will be vital. And always have a small pot of money that you don’t intend to spend. 

There will be something that comes up along the way.

Something that goes wrong with the build, a cost higher than predicted, a survey that no one told you about, legal bills that are higher than expected (usually because you had to deal with a Local Authority legal team).

You never know what’s around the corner during you project. It could even be a global pandemic…

- by Kinning Park Complex

A concrete staircase with an orange bucket on a stair halfway up. On the left of the staircase we can see a white tiled wall
An external photograph showing a red sandstone building over three floors with teal window frames, on the left of the image is a bright yellow scalloped fence and other buildings visible in the background.

Thank you for reading!

This concludes Volume 1 of ‘A Building for Your Community’

Please don’t be strangers, we are open for conversations and to provide support and looking forward to hearing from you.
Get in Touch to talk, we can do that by email or video call.