St Anne's Sure Start Centre

Following a RIBA competition, DSDHA were commissioned to design a SureStart building to serve the St Anne's area of Colchester. A public consultation process followed, based around three possible sites for the building, and the greenfield site on Harwich Road, which leads into Parsons Heath recreation ground, was selected. The building is designed to provide a new high-quality community facility which responds to the immediate context of Parsons Heath and its topography. A dynamic undulating form creates an identifiable entrance to the heath whilst a triangulated roof "landscape" can be seen from many angles and levels, both from the heath above and the surrounding roads and green spaces, creating a local landmark and beacon.

“Pevsner believed that what is most impressive about Colchester... is the continuity of its architectural interest. It began before the Romans and lasted through the 18th century. Maybe St Anne’s SureStart is a sign that the town has rediscovered its taste for adventurous architecture”.

RIBA Journal, January 2007

The project was featured as part of the Mies Van de Rohe Awards Made in Europe exhibition at the 2014 Venice Biennale. Visit the website here.