CLARISSE HOOD

Material Futures // Charlestown, Scotland

Material Futures proposes a layered conservation strategy for the former limekiln complex in Charlestown, Scotland. The project responds to the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery by reimagining an industrial heritage site as a centre for sustainable material research and production.

The proposal adopts three distinct conservation approaches across the site, creating a layered response to materiality, programme, and change over time. Drawing on the site’s industrial history, the project shifts from an extractive past towards a regenerative future, establishing a design and research laboratory focused on low-impact, bio-based materials. A key principle is that the building itself becomes a learning tool, embedding material experimentation and testing within the fabric of the retrofit. Existing and new materials are expressed honestly, creating a clear dialogue between heritage structures and contemporary interventions.

Flexible workspaces, research facilities, and a material library support collaboration, experimentation, and knowledge exchange. Through the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage, the project explores how architecture can support new material futures while remaining rooted in the site’s existing character. Existing circulation routes are integrated into the design, strengthening connections between public and production spaces while promoting transparency and shared learning.