Craigend Resource Centre

Craigend Resource Centre (CRC) is a registered charity providing social, recreational, educational and health services and facilities for the residents of Greenock East.

Research has identified that this is a community living with multiple disadvantages. This new home for CRC enables the organisation to meet demand and need for the valuable services it provides to the people who require them most, as an exemplar of community-led health. The building has been funded by the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF), Big Lottery Fund and The Robertson Trust.

The new resource centre has been delivered to replace CRC’s previous facilities and provide enlarged and enhanced space for the organisation to offer increased services to the local community. The centre provision includes a café, multi-purpose hall, laundry, IT suite, play & sensory space and commercial kitchen. All spaces provide both a functional and essential social purpose in the community, working to improve health outcomes by enabling access to low cost & freshly prepared food, training opportunities, pathways to employment and local contacts.

Additionally, the laundry contributes to tackling the problems of mould and damp in local homes, by offering a space for residents to wash and dry clothes outside of their homes. The building is designed as a set of three gables, acknowledging both the historical warehouse forms in the area and the residential context.

The simple material palette responds to the client’s need for a facility that is low maintenance and secure. Inside, double height volumes mark the main public spaces, creating a sense of space and light. Daylighting and views out to the stepped terrace landscape feature throughout the centre. At the heart of the building is the café, presenting a lively focus upon arrival and an informal meeting point to counter isolation and promote social wellbeing.

INCH has been involved in the project from the outset, supporting CRC to secure funding, complete the asset transfer of land for the building and navigate the design and construction process. Central to the proposals has been ensuring the long-term viability of the centre, with the enhanced space provision enabling the café and laundry to generate income for CRC to reinvest in their programme. An assisted natural ventilation system, air source heat pump, low U-values and flood risk prevention measures also contribute to the longevity of the centre within the context of the climate emergency.