Brew House
CDW2026
Date: 13.05.2026
Brew House pavilion constructed from 600 experimental Brew Bricks developed using waste coffee grounds collected across London, hits Clerkenwell Design Week 2026.
Brew House
Designed by Studio Egret West with collaboration from York Handmade, Simple Works, 15 Grams and Surface Matter x Material Rescue, and sponsored by Swatchbox.
Studio Egret West were selected as winners of the pavilion competition for Clerkenwell Design Week 2026, earning the opportunity to bring an interactive installation to one of the UK’s most influential design festivals. Chosen for its originality, spatial impact and engaging concept, the pavilion will sit outside the studio’s Brewhouse Yard location during the festival, serving free coffee to visitors throughout the week.
The installation reflects the practice’s belief that sustainable design should actively shape the stories, systems and materials that define our cities.
Material stories rooted in circular thinking
Developed in collaboration with York Handmade Brick Company, the pavilion features Brew Bricks, clay bricks incorporating used coffee grounds collected directly from Studio Egret West’s studio kitchen.
Across a series of tests, varying quantities of coffee waste were blended into traditional clay mixes to assess strength, weight and structural performance. The final result reduced clay use by approximately 10% while creating a lighter-weight brick that diverts organic waste away from landfill and back into the construction cycle.
Putting the material to practice, Studio Egret West partnered with Simple Works to design the pavilion structure itself. To further embed reuse into the project, Material Rescue collaborated on elements of the pavilion using reclaimed skate ramp surfaces bonded to exterior plywood. The rescued material has been repurposed into the servery counter alongside cut forms used for overhead signage, giving a second life to hardwearing surfaces already rich with texture, wear and history.
Rather than presenting waste as a problem to manage, BREW HOUSE reframes overlooked materials as valuable resources capable of re-entering the construction cycle. The project demonstrates how collaboration between designers, manufacturers and material reuse specialists can help reduce environmental impact while opening new possibilities for architecture and design.
