MAIHOANG NGOC

Post Extractive Housing Futures // Grangemouth

Grangemouth has long been shaped by industry.

Housing, infrastructure, and everyday life have developed alongside the petrochemical landscape that surrounds the town. As Grangemouth faces a transition away from oil refining and petrochemicals, this project asks what role housing might play in shaping the town’s next chapter.

Working with an existing 1960s social housing estate, the proposal uses retrofit, selective demolition, and carefully placed infill homes to adapt a neighbourhood originally planned around a growing industrial workforce.

Alongside new family and accessible housing, the project introduces shared gardens, allotments, and community spaces that support everyday interaction and care. The proportion of family-oriented homes increases from around 30% to 80%, responding to changing local needs while aiming to minimise displacement of existing residents. The environmental approach builds on the retention and adaptation of existing buildings, alongside bio-based materials and landscape strategies that respond to the site’s industrial legacy.

At its core, the project considers transition not only as a change in industry or infrastructure, but as something experienced through daily life. It asks how housing can support family life, ecological repair, and a stronger relationship between residents, landscape, and community.