A crafted rural campus for Ruskin Mill College

Austin Design Works has a wonderful history with Ruskin Mill. David Austin set up offices in the college in 1993 as their resident architect and grew his practice from there to form David Austin & Associates, which would later become Austin Design Works.

The vocational college provides a range of craft activities and land husbandry under their curriculum, aimed at learners with complex needs, and their influence is expanding internationally.

The practise have led a significant range of works over the years throughout the college, including full refurbishment of Ruskin Mill and Horsley Mill to provide offices, workshops, a café, teaching and exhibition spaces and accommodation, including apartments for students learning to live independently.

Throughout the landscape of lakes, wetland, woodland and market gardens, our projects also include a sedum-roof fish hatchery, forge and woodworking shelter- these all sit in harmony with the mills to bring unity to the college’s estate and the Horsley valley.

Beyond the valley, on their Gables Farm campus, we have also designed a woodland kitchen. Its nautilus form arose from the client’s desire to embody the spirit of self-exploration, discovery and transformation in its structure. The timber-frame construction uses native grown timber; the roof uses earth excavated from the site and is planted with flowers found on-site using locally sourced seed.

A wood stove, fuelled using timber harvested from the adjacent woodland, sits at the centre of a spiral plan arrangement.

Architects: Austin Design Works

Landscape architects: Austin Design Works