How Matter helped Cody Dock’s regeneration from wasteland to new community hub

The regeneration of Cody Dock is an inspiring story of community, creativity and determination, and Matter is proud to be part of it. Our founder Christina talks about working with Cody Dock to transform an abandoned wasteland into a thriving hub for the local community.

Being resourceful and efficient

We started developing a concept for the wash block together. Cody Dock is on an industrial site surrounded by a concrete plant, warehouses and lots of different businesses selling construction materials, which every so often they donate to Cody Dock. So we tried to build the wash block using the materials they already had.

The project was successful – they’ve managed to stay within budget and to build it themselves, and it wasn't too complicated. We’re really pleased with the results.

Working to overcome challenges

The architect we were working with, Nicholas, came back to me and asked if Matter could help them to build a community centre – a multipurpose space with a kitchen/restaurant and a theatre space for performances. The charity had already paid someone to design this, but the cost had come back very over budget. He asked if we could work in a different way, starting with the amount of money they had.

We were presented with a challenge because there’s a high-voltage cable running through the site, carrying electricity from one end of Thames to the other. There is also a major sewer nearby. In the end, we had to cut the community centre in half, so the cable path could always be accessible for maintenance. I wasn’t surprised that the previous engineer and architect had come up with the expensive brief due to the complex nature of the ground conditions.

Thinking creatively

One way we helped to bring costs down was with the foundations. The original design had lots  of piles. I went back to first principles and argued that the community centre is  a single storey and the loading would be less than a skip. You don't need any foundations for a skip so there was no need for the pile solutions.

Ensuring good communication

We made sure the client was on board with the plans for the community centre. We communicated with the charity, letting them know that the worst that could happen is the building might settle a bit in the corner, and we could pack it up separately.
Cody Dock wants to use the community centre as a theatre, so it needs places to hang equipment and the flexibility to change the space. Because the budget was so tight, we had regular communications with the architect to propose ideas and then test them to see if they were affordable. Nicholas would try to find out prices and then feed them back to us. Building something original on an extremely small budget was not an easy task, but we got there.

Supporting the community

Even though the community centre is not quite finished, it has already opened up all kinds of possibilities. There have been lots of events there throughout out the summer.  It’s open to everyone, every day from nine to seven. There’s also a gallery space, birdwatching resources, a project to promote and support wildlife and all kinds of fun and creative activities happening. Cody Dock has an ambitious 10-year masterplan to develop this creative space even further. We’re keen to become more involved with Cody Dock, to support their events and to spread the word about this amazing place.

My personal belief is that we have a responsibility to help society, using the skills that we have. It's important to me to do what I can to make the world a better place, even in small ways. Getting involved in community projects is one way for us to give back to the community. Everybody can get involved in volunteer work, but I want to help in the way that can have the most impact, with my particular skillset.

Working ethically and sustainably

One of the Matter’s core values is acting in an ethical way. Everything matters to us. We are caring and, to us, sustainability is caring for our environment, for human beings, and for society. We can’t do what we like without considering the consequences. We have an impact, and our actions will impact on future generations as well.

We love working with charities and community projects, to support communities that don’t often get their voice heard. You can see some of the work we’ve done on projects like Clitterhouse Farm, Silvertown Studios, West Library and the Jean Stokes Community Centre with Islington Council. We also work with V22, a charity that supports artists. We’re open to working with all kinds of charities and local authorities. We may not be the biggest company or have the fanciest software, but we really listen to what you want and we’ll work with what you’ve got.

If you’d like to talk with Matter about working together, we’d love to hear from you.