Projects / Built project
Container Art Studios
Artel31 used repurposed shipping containers to rebuild creative workspace at Krowji in Cornwall, bringing adaptable studios and shared outdoor spaces back to the site after a fire.
The new studios sit within Krowji’s existing creative campus.
- Practice
- ARTEL31
- Year
- 2025
- Building levels
- 1
- Photographer
- Charles Emerson
- Design
- ARTEL31
- Completed
- 2025
- Levels
- 1
The project
A new chapter for Krowji
A fire in 2021 destroyed fifteen studios at Krowji, the creative hub in Redruth. Artel31 led the redevelopment of the affected area, creating a new cluster of studios from repurposed shipping containers. The studios opened in 2025.
An artist at work inside a container studio.
Space for making
The spaces support creative practices that can be messy or noisy, including ceramics, sculpture, woodworking and sound art. Glazed doors, full-width windows and dedicated outdoor workspaces connect the studios with the shared landscape.
Tools and materials line the walls of a working studio.
Container studios open onto shared outdoor workspace.
Designed for changing uses
The scheme combines insulation, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, photovoltaic panels and passive solar strategies. Adaptable interiors and shared kitchens, accessible toilets and gathering spaces support different tenants and ways of working.
Light from the studios animates the courtyard at dusk.
An open studio door frames the shared landscape.
Key idea
Reuse in the structure
Repurposed shipping containers provide a robust starting point for studios that can adapt to different creative practices.
One more photograph
See all 7 in the full-screen gallery, with captions and credits.
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