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12 VIEWS


Sensitively repurposing buildings plays a vital role in regeneration by providing a continued sense of place, resulting in stronger communities


the West and East Coal Drop buildings to create a successful future as a retail and foodie destination. One of the major challenges was the two buildings and their respective viaducts having four different floor levels. To unify the floor levels and provide step free access from the East Coal Drop to the West Coal Drop, the timber floor (including large timber beams) in the East Coal Drop was dismantled and lowered, while lightweight build up material was added to the viaducts to retain the original fabric. The large timber floor beams here needed to be stitched together with long screws enhancing their ability to carry load while being a very discrete and almost invisible intervention. Also, the East Viaduct – a brick arched structure – was cut back at the north end to


provide greater flexibility of space and pedestrian flow at yard level. This required careful temporary design work, with the new staircase designed to resist the outward forces of the retained arch.


Looking ahead


How contemporary audiences will use heritage buildings is not the only concern for us. Renovating must also consider long-term future audiences. Throughout the Coal Drops Yard project, we were mindful to create different pockets of space to encourage seeing them from a new perspective with each visit and to ensure different focuses and uses could be met in years to come. For example, the new roof and floating floor (which span the 33 m wide central courtyard), and glazed facade provide a


unique and strikingly contemporary form that immediately captures people’s attention and draws them to the space. The mix of spaces and materials provide a unique character. This includes intimate spaces at the yard level from the cellular nature of the original building where coal was once distributed, to the larger more open spaces at the upper levels where the wagons travelled the length of the buildings.


The deliberate choice of materials was also a key decision as the raw mix of brickwork, timber and iron structural elements remain visible and are celebrated in the design. This avoids ageing the renovations, while maintaining that connection to the past and respecting the history of the buildings. In the UK we are spoilt with a plethora of historic and heritage buildings to enjoy. But to give them a future use and protect them from disrepair and even destruction, renovating is of far more power and practicality than revering them.


Richard Hill is an associate director at Arup


WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


ADF JUNE 2021


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