100 Factories

An operating system for modern manufacturing
100 Factories rethinks how things are made in the UK — not through a single site, but through a connected network of smaller, local factories. By combining distributed manufacturing with home-grown timber and regional expertise, the project explores a more resilient, traceable and sustainable way of building — proving that local capability can deliver national impact.

100factories.uk

  • Brand strategy
    Digital design
    Narrative development
    Ongoing creative collaboration
    Project positioning
    Systems thinking
    Visual identity

To capture and communicate the work in full, we combined digital storytelling with film and photography. Alongside designing and building an online report website to bring together the project’s research, context and outcomes, we commissioned trusted partners to help document the work in use. Led by Dr Alejandro Veliz Reyes, Associate Professor in Digital Design at the University of Plymouth, the project required a clear, accessible digital platform capable of holding depth without feeling dense.

In parallel, Round One produced a short film documenting the Dell Cabin – focusing on atmosphere, materiality and lived experience – while Notch Studio captured a considered set of images reflecting both detail and relationship to place. Together, the website, film and photography form a cohesive narrative – showing not just what was made, but how it is encountered, used and lived with.

Designing the system, not just the outcome
Our role was to help articulate a complex idea with clarity and confidence. This meant shaping a narrative that could speak to multiple audiences – from policymakers and manufacturers to designers, builders and communities – without diluting the ambition. Rather than focusing on finished buildings, the work centres on infrastructure: supply chains, processes and relationships. The brand and language were developed to feel practical, credible and forward-looking – positioning 100 Factories as a framework for action rather than a fixed solution.

Rooted in place yet designed to scale, 100 Factories is built around traceability – understanding where materials come from, how they are processed, and who is involved at each stage. This connection to real-world making grounds a national idea in regional identity, while a flexible system allows it to adapt across locations, partners and technologies without losing coherence. By reframing manufacturing as shared infrastructure – supporting housing, skills, local economies and long-term sustainability – the project operates at system level: part strategy, part provocation, and a practical blueprint for better ways of building to emerge.