The brief called for a landmark building on a gap site along the river Aire, in the centre of Leeds City.
Our approach responded to an analysis of the surrounding building conditions, and the abundant comparisons one can make between the legacy of Leed's historic weaving industry and the of threading and weaving of brick and building along the river front.
The core concept lies in unifying the 18th Century brick warehouses with Contemporary industries of media, tourism and leisure as drivers for regeneration. Indeed, there is significant evidence of the development activity continuing to increase along the River corridor, but it is important new development maximises the potential benefits to the City, generating an attractive, vibrant, safe and sustainable waterfront. Studies show that to attract creative and financial investment you have to create a city and environment people want to live and work.
The building form has been informed by a number of onerous site constraints as well as identifying relevant opportunities. In massing terms, the building is envisaged as an oversized pitched roof, split in two, referencing nearby gaps and slots in the existing urban fabric. The axis of the ‘split' runs along the flank of the existing building at 38 The Calls. This split runs the entire length of the site, and aims to connect the public realm along The Calls back to the River frontage. This space is thus a continuation of the street and landscape, into the site and unencumbered by threshold, allowing access to ground floor activities of cafe and gallery fronting a new river side terrace.
The floor plates above this ground floor activity are simple in plan and efficient in shape for a range of commercial uses; media or blue chip. The new building offers broad and deep floor plates with solar shaded light from all elevations. The floor plates of the existing warehouse building have also been cleaned out, increasing the Nett Lettable, with new bridge connections flying between the two buildings creating a connected whole.
