IF_DO Reimagines Hastings Building into Eagle House Community Centre
A neglected Victorian building in Hastings was transformed by IF_DO into a multi‑purpose community hub. The design blends open public space, affordable work areas, and youth services into one welcoming building.
In Hastings, a long‑abandoned Victorian structure was not demolished but re‑envisioned by IF_DO and the community‑led developer Hastings Commons into the Eagle House community centre.
Instead of a new build, IF_DO kept the building as part of the street. The ground floor hosts a common room with large operable windows framed by a green‑concrete façade, allowing people inside to converse directly with passers‑by.
Above, three floors of flexible, affordable workspaces and youth counselling rooms are arranged around a new circulation core that includes a lift and a skylit staircase. Bright canary‑yellow steelwork and timber window boxes add a lively touch.
For designers, animators, and builders, the project demonstrates how adaptive reuse can create civic infrastructure that feels welcoming rather than institutional. The open windows and street‑level interaction offer fresh ideas for designing engaging, multi‑use spaces.
Future coverage may look at how the centre supports local youth and how its design principles can inspire similar projects elsewhere.