Pipeline projects: five design and architecture schemes to watch
From Belfast to Elephant and Castle, we round up the latest architecture and design concepts receiving approval or nearing completion across the commercial design sector.
Dundee & Angus College. Image provided by BDP.
Space House
Squire & Partners to bring a modern workplace to the mid-century Space House
Originally built by Seifert and Partners in 1968, Covent Garden’s Space House is set to be sensitively retrofitted and extended, with design proposals by London architecture firm Squire & Partners to create 255,000 sq ft of high-quality workspace, flexible retail space and an active public realm. Despite the familiar cylindrical tower and its rectilinear block undergoing refurbishments in both 1996 and 2003, Squire & Partners intends to strip back these layers of modern intervention and instead expose and revive the site’s original mid-century architecture – such as the pre-cast T-forms which will be unstitched, restored and reinstated.
A two-storey extension is also outlined in the proposals, with the aim of creating a better proportioned top to the building ‘as was originally intended’. Inside, the design is set to continue this 1960s aesthetic with mid-century-inspired furnishings, such as fluted sapele wood panelling that closely resembles the original teak finishes. However, future-forward changes are also planned to give the scheme a longer lifespan, including converting the car-centric elements of the building into dedicated cycle access and end of journey facilities, and transforming the onsite petrol station canopy into The Filling Station restaurant to activate the street for public use.
Walworth Road
Fabrix wins planning for community-centric PBSA in London
Putting forward proposals for a largely derelict 1980s office building, Fabrix – a development and investment company that specialises in bringing value to underutilised urban spaces – has received unanimous planning consent for a new scheme at 182-202 Walworth Road in Elephant and Castle, London. The sustainable, mixed-use concept will be led by Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), which is set to provide 283 new student beds, while also introducing valuable public services into the heart of the community. Such initiatives include a community kitchen project run with local charity Pembroke House, 23 new affordable homes available for social rent, and both high street retail and pedestrian routes through an accessible courtyard garden.
Designed by architecture practice Howells, the 134,000 sq ft development will reportedly take a reuse first approach, planning to retain and remodel the building’s concrete frame to enable a reduced-carbon development and extensive greening that aims to deliver a biodiversity net gain of 142.5%. “Our redevelopment of 182-202 Walworth Road will add density and activity to a stranded office building that has been a blot on the high street for far too long,” says Louis Duffield, Partner at Fabrix. “By bringing life back and identifying a new mix of uses for this redundant asset – and by working with our neighbours to create space for them to join us – we’ve been able to put together an ambitious project that will make a positive contribution to the social fabric and economy of Walworth.”
Dundee & Angus College. Image provided by BDP.
Dundee & Angus College unveils proposals for a campus regeneration
Inspired by an innovative model that has been implemented in Australia and Scandinavia, Dundee & Angus College has revealed ambitious plans for a collaborative model that would unite education, employability services and student support under one roof for the first time in Scotland. Expected to cost around £265 million, the college hopes to work alongside a selection of local and national partners as part of its 10-year vision for a new way of providing learning, skills, support and advice in the region – as well as driving economic growth.
For both Dundee and Arbroath campuses, potential proposals include relocating the facilities to the town centre and taking over two high street shopping centres. For the College’s third campus at Gardyne, plans include expanding and developing the location to include Construction, Engineering and Science departments in a new STEM facility, as well as a green skills and innovation hub. “If we were to develop a new campus on the site of the Wellgate Shopping Centre, it would put the college at the heart of Dundee’s regeneration and breathe much-needed new life into the city centre,” comments Simon Hewitt, Principal of Dundee & Angus College. “Not only would each new campus be modern, sustainable and fully digital, but they would also be right at the core of each community helping to advise, educate and train the workers that the Dundee and Angus region will need to continue its economic regeneration.”
Powerhouse
Doors set to open at Chelsea Waterfront Development’s Powerhouse
Work has officially completed on Powerhouse, the latest instalment and cornerstone of the Chelsea Waterfront development – and the oldest of London’s three historic Power Stations. Designed by Sir Terry Farrell, the 8.85-acre development encompasses ten new buildings, three new bridges (which join two London boroughs) and a reopened a passageway that has been closed for over 100 years. First built in 1905, Powerhouse once supplied energy to multiple tube lines in the London Underground and was revered by many as the ‘cathedral of the industrial age’ – now, the site has been transformed into a high-end, mixed-use scheme that blends the capital’s industrial heritage with modern, aspirational amenities.
Opening its doors in November, the interiors were helmed by London-based designer Fiona Barratt. Powerhouse is now home to 260 luxury apartments and a 100-metre atrium that acts as an intimate ‘mews’ street, providing both residents and the local public with shops, restaurants and leisure spaces – including a wellness centre, spa and pool, a waterside restaurant and a club lounge.
Belfast Stories. Photo: Snøhetta/Proloog
TODD Architects & Snøhetta reveal a first look at Belfast Stories visitor centre
Norwegian practice Snøhetta and local firm TODD Architects have unveiled the first concept images for its proposed £100 million development, Belfast Stories. Plans for the visitors’ centre will aim to transform the empty, 1930s Art Deco Bank of Ireland building on the city’s Royal Avenue, as well as replace other existing buildings within the 5,000 sqm plot. The architecture duo won the project over a year ago after being shortlisted among a roster of Stirling Prize winners and international leaders, including OMA, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Stanton Williams and Haworth Tompkins. The multi-purpose scheme strives to propel urban regeneration in the area, with the underlying goal of the project to share stories of Belfast residents past and present.
“This story gathering element is a work in progress that is being influenced and shaped by our ongoing engagement with the people of Belfast,” explains Eimear Henry, Creative and Strategic Lead at Belfast Stories – the initiative launched by Belfast City Council. “The gathering of these stories, or the ‘story engine’ as we call it, is the project’s cornerstone. The concept is driven by the belief that by telling these authentic stories of the people of Belfast we will tell the story of the city.” Initial images show both a central courtyard and creative hub, which is set to feature a range of musical and audio-visual installations for visitors to interact with.
