Amazing space: Q&A with Ecospace’s Lee Town

Everyone who works at home, at least some of the time has probably experienced the assault on the attention that working and living in the same space can provoke. The dishes that have to be done before you can get stuck into a project; the crack in the plaster that needs addressing; the demands of the kids; the lure of the TV; the dog that refuses to walk itself – the thousand tiny distractions that steadily coalesce into a snowball of unproductivity. After a while, you start to wish you had a space to retreat to. Somewhere close by, yet separate, where you can focus. And if it happens to be sustainably built so you don’t give the planet a carbon kicking in the process, so much the better.

Here’s some good news: Ecospace makes these. For the last 10 years, the architects Lee Town, Amira Idris-Town and Matthew Kettle have led a garden-office revolution, creating compact modular workspaces and studios for homeworkers and creatives – all for a startlingly low cost and, best of all, championing low-carbon sustainability in their materials and construction.

Whether built bespoke or configured from a predesigned module, each Ecospace offers gorgeous modern design, durable construction, a literal shedload of functionality and minimal environmental impact. You only have to look at their pics and your ‘I Want One’ gland goes into overdrive. 

These days, it’s not just garden offices – Ecospace has grown to encompass compact houses, classrooms, holiday retreats and other large-scale structures in countries throughout Europe.  

We’ve already fallen in mad, drooling lust for the aesthetics of their spaces – but when you factor in the positive contribution the practice is making in the fight to save the world (a fight that just got a hell of a lot harder thanks to the US election :( ), and it may just be love too.

So how is it possible to create flawlessly crafted, architect-designed spaces that – in every sense – don’t cost the earth? Ecospace’s  Lee Town told us…

As architects, we are passionate about improving people’s lives by creating well-designed sustainable environments. As well as running our architectural practice and working as design consultants, we wanted to explore the idea of bringing together the process of designing and making to create better sustainable buildings of a compact nature. We were also interested in creating live/work environments for sustainable living, from modest working pods for people working from home, to compact dwellings. 

By creating our own design and fabrication workshop we have challenged and pushed the boundaries of the traditional role of the architect, allowing us to have more control of the entire process of making buildings. Clients seem to appreciate our ‘one-stop-shop’ business model, which provides a seamless journey from inception to completion of each project. We work with modern methods of construction, (MMC) creating structures mainly off-site in workshop-controlled conditions. 

Designers, professionals, families all with an appreciation for meticulous design and sustainability. 

Ecospace started by designing and fabricating modest garden office buildings, mainly in urban areas. From there we have progressed by developing these micro buildings to large- scale projects such as homes, schools and holiday retreats. International publicity has also allowed us to open satellite offices in various European countries, with numerous projects completed in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Spain. 

To work and respect the nature of the ‘system build’ and to work within its parameters. 

Winning awards, completing projects throughout Europe but above all seeing our clients using and enjoying their buildings that we have created. 

Increased quality, less waste, increased efficiency – it allows us to explore and research through physically making rather than as a theoretical exercise only. We believe in designing through making and testing.

Between the three founders of Ecospace, we have a vast experience of designing, engineering, and making buildings and this has allowed us to craft structures that are meticulously designed, efficiently engineered and executed with a high level of craftsmanship.  

We believe in the longevity of sustainable natural materials. For us it’s how we use such materials in an innovative way. Where we use new innovative materials and technologies, these often may replace a less durable alternatives therefore we are always confident that they will not become obsolete, but instead should evolve.        

Through continual research and exploration we are working on further developing our studios and dwelling typologies, with design innovation, energy efficiency and affordability at the forefront. 

For more information visit the Ecospace website and don't forget to check out their Instagram.