The Dovecote Studio is a striking piece of adaptive reuse architecture designed by Haworth Tompkins for the internationally renowned Snape Maltings music campus in Suffolk, England. Completed in 2009, the 30-square-meter studio is built within the dramatic, derelict brick ruins of a 19th-century dovecote, which sits prominently on the edge of the marshes overlooking the North Sea. The design approach was to preserve the poetic decay of the existing ruin while inserting a contrasting modern structure within it.

Haworth Tompkins achieved this by creating a self-supporting, watertight, monocoque structure from Corten steel. This prefabricated "shell," welded together on-site like the hull of a ship, was craned into place in a single day. The weathering Corten steel gives the new intervention a reddish, rustic patina that complements the aged red bricks of the original dovecote. Minimal repairs were made to the Victorian brickwork, and existing vegetation was protected, allowing the ruin to continue its natural process of decay.

The interior is lined with pale spruce plywood, creating a warm, timber "box" within the steel shell. This simple volume is designed to focus attention on the surrounding landscape and can serve as a space for artists, rehearsals, performances, meetings, or exhibitions. Natural light is provided by a large north-facing skylight. A mezzanine features a writing desk and a fully glazed corner window offering views of the marshes and sea. Laminated plywood was also used for the staircase, balustrade, and mezzanine.

Credits

Haworth Tompkins as the architect

Aldeburgh Music as the client

Elliston Steady and Hawes (Building) Ltd as the main contractor

Philip Vile for photography

Price and Myers LLP served as the structural engineer

Ernest Griffiths handling environmental engineering and PFB Construction Management Services Limited as the CDM coordinator.