Common Ground – Veterans’ and Community Wellbeing Centre
CIAT Outstanding Student Award 2026
Common Ground is a veterans’ and community-focused PTSD rehabilitation centre in Salford. The project challenges the idea that recovery should take place in a clinical or isolated setting. Instead, it brings veterans, families, and the wider community together through shared therapeutic, social, and creative spaces.
The scheme supports recovery through everyday interaction, routine, and connection. It is informed by research into trauma-informed design and post-traumatic stress disorder, with a focus on how architecture can support emotional wellbeing.
The building is designed to feel calm, clear, and non-institutional. Natural materials, controlled thresholds, daylight, and views towards the River Irwell help reduce stress and strengthen the connection to nature. Public community spaces face Adelphi Street, while quieter rehabilitation areas are positioned towards the River Irwell and Crescent Meadow.
A key feature of the project is the rehabilitation centre, organised around a central atrium. This space supports orientation, natural light, and a sense of calm within the therapeutic environment.
Alongside this, the community hub includes a café, peer support spaces, meeting rooms, an art gallery, and family-focused facilities. Together, these spaces create an inclusive rehabilitation environment that promotes dignity, creativity, belonging, and long-term wellbeing.
Connect with Jack
Email: fenwick.jack@outlook.com