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WCA Warehouse

Architecton, Bristol, 1997

 

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Exterior view of riverside facade 

Peter Cook/View (website)     Download Original

  • Exterior view of riverside facade    
  • The spectacular waterfront setting - despite being largely unchanged, the warehouse facade looks surprisingly like a mansion block of flats    
  • The new front door    
  • Glass-brick wall allows light into the stairwell    
  • Materials in the internal circulation areas are modern and light    
  • The Ritveldian coloured wall planes create bold interiors    
  • Roof flats are designed as independent corner structures    
  • These flats offer exciting views of the city    
  • Site plan    
  • Ground floor plan    
  • Third floor plan    
  • Fifth floor plan    
  • Section    
  • Isometric of terrace and steel framework of new flat    
  • Section through concrete structure, terrace and new flat    

Restoration and conversion of a Grade II listed waterfront warehouse into housing association flats

Originally constructed in 1910, the warehouse is one of the first concrete-framed structures in Bristol. Deterioration and corrosion meant a great deal of the interior had to be demolished and replaced.

The scheme features 29 one-bedroom flats and ten two-bedroom flats. The plan developed along a central axis with a new staircase riding through a central courtyard between the third and fifth floors. Roof flats have been designed to be independent corner structures, expressed in steel and glass to purposefully counter the brick and concrete structure which they sit on.

Repair of the building centered on the concrete elements. The internal structure was repaired or replaced where needed. New beams and slabs are tied to the existing structure by a proprietary anchor system.

Data

  • Begun: Mar 1995
  • Completed: Jan 1997
  • Floor area: 2,990m2
  • Sector: Residential
  • Total cost: £2.3M
  • Funding: Housing Association Grant
  • Procurement: JCT 80 with approximate quantities
  • Address: Redcliff Backs, Bristol, BS1 6WA, United Kingdom

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