The Hikers Retreat will act as a destination and base for the many tourists and local people that visit this stretch of Essex coastline. It will provide accommodation for visitors to stay overnight or for an extended period of time, also accommodating day visitors with facilities such tourist information, restrooms, a large interactive inhabitable scale map of the coast, as well as provide a warm hearth and meeting place for like-minded walkers and ramblers. The scheme will promote the rich history along the coast by creating a dedicated space that hikers can take ownership of and use as a base to explore the rich history of the surrounding coastline. Additionally, it includes cooking facilities, large air-drying clothes’ storage, while offering unique views out across the Blackwater Estuary.

The project is focused on creating a sense of ownership for hikers, and a communal meeting place and hub. It aims to create a new ‘hearth’—a now lost historic focal point, a place for people to reconnect and share stories and experiences. By referencing traditional materials used and also creating a new typology through modern techniques and forms of representation, it works in harmony with the surrounding historic vernacular.