ProjectSt George's, Wolverhampton
LocationWolverhampton
ClientCapital & Centric
Contract Value£60,000,000
StatusCompetition - Shortlisted
Made With Wolverhampton: Integrating Community With Materials Legacy For Capital & Centric
St George’s St. George’s is a bold urban regeneration scheme in central Wolverhampton. The masterplan brings over 400 new homes, 15,000 ft² of commercial space, and revives the historic St. George’s Church as a hub for local culture and community-building.
Studio Bark was shortlisted for the RIBA competition as part of a collaborative team alongside Metropolitan Workshop, Mole Architects, and Jan Kattein Architects - bringing our expertise in regenerative architecture and circular construction to the fore.
Header image by Axson Office.
Designing With Wolverhampton
From the outset we looked to embed the city’s unique skills and resources into the proposal, strengthening the sense of identity and connection to both people and place. Our team undertook extensive mapping of local material suppliers, demolition sites, reuse networks and circular economy specialists – including the ReUse Hub, ASAN Wood Saints, International Synergies, and the National Brownfield Institute – to create a low-carbon materials strategy that would be deeply connected to the St George’s neighbourhood.
Our design for the scheme’s community pavilions and social structures used the U-Build demountable construction system, repurposed materials, and locally available products. The outcome would be flexible, adaptable spaces, with low embodied carbon impacts.
Revitalising The Church Building For All
At the heart of the masterplan is St. George’s Church – a Grade II listed building with a complex history, once used as a supermarket. Our proposal is to gently restore and reuse the space as a civic and entrepreneurial hub, designed to support local food businesses, makers and social enterprises.
Studio Bark’s proposed ‘House of Makers and Borrowers’ pavilion – part Library of Things, part community workshop – was designed to complement the church as a place for learning, sharing and making, while celebrating Wolverhampton’s industrious spirit. The pavilion uses reclaimed and low-carbon materials, with cladding designed to give use to offcuts and smaller pieces.
Building Skills For The Future
Our proposal included an open invitation to Regeneration Brainery to run workshops on-site as part of the engagement and activation strategy. These sessions would provide local young people with practical exposure to sustainable construction, circular economy thinking and digital tools – including 3D scanning, reuse mapping, and hands-on fabrication.
The aim is to support skills development, demystify the build process, and cultivate a strong sense of community involvement from the start.
Our Regenerative Design Ethos
Studio Bark’s role on the team was to bring a practical regenerative design ethos into the core of the project, rooted in what can be made locally and reused creatively. We outlined strategies for achieving low embodied carbon and whole life adaptability – including demountable construction, reuse of existing materials from the demolished supermarket, and circular design thinking.
By connecting material choices to Wolverhampton’s existing skills and supply chains, the proposal demonstrates a robust approach for delivering spaces that leave a legacy of meaningful social and environmental impact.
