Following a vertical trajectory, Dock Mill would become one of the tallest timber buildings in Europe, therefore setting a precedent for future projects on a national and global scale.

Naturally lightweight, the use of timber allows for easier transportation and enables prefabrication of the architectural structure off-site, thus reducing the local disruption and high carbon footprint typically associated with construction work.

Tracing back to its material source, the design concept for the timber structure mimics the vertical stretch of a tree, sinking its roots into the existing structure of the mill and growing upwards in a network of timber rafters that mimic tree branches. Like a modern take on the glass house, the structure preserves the warmth, texture and scent of woodgrain inside, flipping the role of the high-rise to contain and celebrate nature rather than exclude and defy it.

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