Tiny Changes Cabin
The Opportunity
The Tiny Changes Wellbeing Cabin began with something small: one child singing.
S+Co Director Graham had been busking on Portobello Beach with his daughter, raising funds for Tiny Changes—the youth mental health charity founded in memory of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit.
Following an invitation to join a Tiny Changes workshop, a conversation emerged around how design could support the charity in creating something with lasting impact—moving beyond short-term initiatives towards a more permanent, scalable solution.
The idea of a dedicated mental health space for schools quickly took shape, with S+Co offering to design the pilot project pro bono.
Our work
• Concept development
• Co-design workshops
• Architecture and detailing
• Spatial design
Collaborators
Tiny Changes
Leith Walk Primary School
Armadilla
Our response
Together with Tiny Changes, we developed the concept of a wellbeing cabin—a calm, supportive space designed specifically for young people who need a moment away from the intensity of the school day.
Schools across Edinburgh were invited to apply to host the first cabin, with Leith Walk Primary School selected for its strong commitment to wellbeing and the challenges faced by its diverse inner-city community.
“Following the school closures we began seeing many more children presenting with anxiety,” explains Deputy Head Juliet. “We wanted to create a relaxing, safe space for them free from the stigma that can surround traditional support spaces.”
The design process placed pupils and teachers at its heart. Through a series of co-design workshops, children mapped the school grounds, exploring how different spaces made them feel and helping to define both the purpose and location of the cabin.
These insights informed a simple but carefully considered design: a small timber retreat positioned in a quiet corner of the playground beneath a mature tree. A high-level window frames views of the tree, introducing a sense of connection to nature within the dense urban setting.
The children’s voices are embedded directly into the architecture. Their drawings were incorporated into the cabin’s external cladding—an approach that fosters ownership, pride and a tangible connection to the space.
“When they saw their drawings on the cladding it was magical,” says Juliet. “They were so excited to see their ideas made real.”
Now part of everyday school life, the cabin provides a calm, tech-free retreat where pupils can step away when needed.
It supports small group wellbeing sessions, quiet play, and informal activities, while also offering a welcoming setting for parent meetings and pastoral support.
More than a single building, the project demonstrates how thoughtful, child-led design can support wellbeing in education—a small intervention with the potential to create lasting impact as the concept evolves and reaches more schools in the years ahead.
Visit tinychanges.com to find out how you could support their mission to help young minds feel better.
