Surman Weston

Surman Weston creates buildings that are flexible to the changing needs of the people who use them and the places they inhabit.

They eschew a house style, instead spending the early stages of a project analysing and interrogating the brief and context. With these, designs are developed that are highly contextually sensitive, with careful consideration of materiality, sustainability, construction technique, use and function.

In 2022 the practice was awarded the prestigious RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize for its work on the Hackney School of Food. Set within the grounds of Mandeville Primary School, the project converted the redundant caretaker’s house into a pioneering food education centre and community hub.

Since opening its doors in 2020, over 9000 school children have visited – learning how to grow, cook and eat healthy and delicious food.

In 2023 Surman Weston launched an Open-source Design Toolkit to help other schools and community groups replicate the project.

Hackney School of Food this year will be opening their doors garden gates and kitchen doors for you to meet the architects behind this multi award-winning food education hub, Surman Weston - as featured in the architectural press and 'The Sustainable City'. You will also have the opportunity to chat with the team behind our 'soil to spoon' food education.

Surman Weston will be answering questions about the origin of the scheme and how they went about retrofitting the caretaker's house into the Food Education Hub that stands today with the teaching kitchen, surrounded by productive gardens, supplying ingredients for our lessons.