Charity social enterprise scheme combines education, café and shop to create unique community hub
Acoustic panels specified low carbon social enterprise, Murtle Market.
Murtle Market is a unique project for the charity Camphill School, devised as a multi-use facility acting as a learning space, shop, café, community and heritage hub. Located at the west of Aberdeen City, it aims to support cultural transformation in the local area towards a more sustainable lifestyle. It was officially opened by Scotland’s Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP in November 2024.
The project was designed by architects Camphill Architecture and Development which offers tailor-made architectural services for individuals and organisations whose wish is to create healthy and integrated environments and specialising in inclusive design for people with additional support needs.
The market is housed in a former bookshop at the entrance to Camphill School Aberdeen’s Murtle Estate and encompasses the original building with a new extension. Camphill School is an independent charity supporting children and young people to reach their fullest potential and supports over 100 children and young people to provide a safe and nurturing environment where they can thrive outside of the mainstream education system - where many had previously struggled.
From the outset, it was decided that the market should act as a zero-waste organic farm, refill shop and craft shop coupled with a heritage centre and social space for the local community. It is stocked from the charity’s own gardens along with dry and fresh ingredients from local suppliers. Crafts made by the young people including pottery mugs and bowls, prints, scrunchies and greeting cards are also on sale.
A major part of the project was for the market to be a meaningful training, vocational and work experience hub for students at the school helping give training and guidance to these young people with learning disabilities and complex additional support needs.
To complement the scheme’s aims to allow visitors access to local seasonal produce, reduce the amount of plastic packaging and promote reuse and recycle schemes in the area, Camphill Architecture diligently designed the building to be as energy-efficient as possible, reusing and repurposing existing materials and sourcing low carbon impact materials, dramatically reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Part of this was to specify Troldtekt’s wood wool panels were used across many of the ceilings to improve the acoustics and solve the problems of reverberating sound from all the hard surfaces. Not only does this make the space quieter and calmer for visitors but, importantly, it is also widely recognised that people with special educational needs are generally more sensitive to the acoustic environment. This made it especially important given the space is used by the school’s children as a training and vocational workshop.
The project has been hailed as an innovative and remarkable success story which strongly contributes to many aspects of the local area. It brings the local school and community together, it provides students to obtain meaningful work experience and skills development whilst also providing therapeutic benefits and it acts as a showcase for the local community on buying local, buying organic and reducing waste.
Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin said:
“I am delighted to be here marking the completion of Camphill School’s sustainable project, Murtle Market. The project, which has been supported through the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund alongside investment from Social Investment Scotland, is an exciting example of how a community can come together and build a positive future for its young people, in a way that also benefits the local area and helps people take climate action.”
Alex Busch, Executive Director at Camphill School Aberdeen, also commented,
“Our purpose is to help every young person who walks through our doors reach their full potential. Murtle Market is an important part of that offering – expanding the opportunities for young people to develop critical skills and build their confidence which positively impacts every aspect of their lives.
“We’re excited to be opening our doors to the public which will help us further strengthen links with the local community and improve understanding of what Camphill School Aberdeen is all about. We couldn’t have got here without the generous support of local residents, businesses, and the trusts and foundations who donated to our capital appeal campaign.”
Troldtekt wood wool panels excel at providing acoustic comfort with a visually attractive and sound-absorbing tactile surface coupled with high durability, resistance to impact and humidity. With a long-life cycle of over 50 years, all panels are Cradle to Cradle Certified® at Gold level and only use wood from certified forests (PEFC/09-31-030 and FSC®C115450). Depending on the panel specified, reaction to fire is classed in accordance with EN 13501 as B-s1,d0 or A2-s1,d0 respectively.
