Park Hill | Transformation Preview

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by Tom Bloxham MBE, Jonathan Falkingham, and Nick Johnson.

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© Urban Splash, 2011

Published by RIBA Publishing, 15 Bonhill Street, London EC2P 2EA

ISBN 978 1 85946 396 3

Stock code 74717

The right of Urban Splash to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owner.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound by Butler, Tanner & Dennis Ltd, Frome and London.

While every effort has been made to check the accuracy and quality of the information given in this publication, neither the Author nor the Publisher accepts any responsibility for the subsequent use of this information, for any errors or omissions that it may contain, or for any misunderstandings arising from it.

RIBA Publishing is part of RIBA Enterprises Ltd.www.ribaenterprises.com

When Tom met Jonnie 5Work talks 7A space, called home 23Places matter 39From old to new 51

Royal William Yard, Plymouth 52Lister Mills, Bradford 60Chimney Pot Park, Salford 66Fort Dunlop, Birmingham 74MoHo, Manchester 82The Matchworks, Liverpool 88Midland Hotel, Morecambe 94Budenburg HAUS Projekte 2&3, Altrincham 102Rotunda, Birmingham 1083Towers, Manchester 114Chips, New Islington, Manchester 120Park Hill, Sheffield 128Lakeshore, Bristol 136Saxton, Leeds 144Longlands, Stalybridge 152

Conclusion 159Projects 160The final word 164Acknowledgements 166

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Park Hill, Sheffield130

This amazing concrete landmark, the most ambitious inner-city development of its time, was opened in 1961, to replace slum terraces. It was a hugely popular place to live, with its ‘streets in the sky’ and innovative external decks for access.

The brutalist design of the original architects, Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, created three different types of apartment above, below and adjacent to the deck to suit the full range of home owners, from single pensioners to families of six or more.

Over time, Park Hill became a victim of circumstance. Conceived in the 1950s and delivered in the 1960s, Park Hill emerged into a very different world. By the 1980s Park Hill had become dilapidated and was no longer a popular place to live.

Park Hill caretaker, Grenville Squires, referred affectionately to Park Hill as his grand old lady who had ‘come on hard times. She just wants to wash her face and put on a new frock, and she’ll be out there!’

Project Park HillLocation SheffieldSector Apartments / Office / Leisure / RetailSize 13.3 ha / 974 homes / 140,000 sq ft commercial Built 1957 – 1960Transformed OngoingArchitects Studio Egret West / Hawkins\Brown / Grant AssociatesPartners Sheffield City Council English Heritage Homes and Communities Agency Great Places The Housing Corporation Transform South Yorkshire

Park Hill, Sheffield

Tom‘To use a common phrase, Park Hill’s like Marmite: you either love it or hate it! We were very reluctant visitors when we first were invited to the site, but once there we saw why those in love with the building were so smitten.’

We accept that Park Hill has its flaws but we believe it’s much, much better than a lot of the mediocrity that is defining our cities in their renaissance race. Besides, getting rid of it is not a ‘sustainable’ solution, not when it can be saved, repaired and made good again.

Our plan revolves around making Park Hill a special place and knitting it in to Sheffield. We think the way to soften its brutality without softening its character is to create a world-class landscape, inside and outside its walls.

A place where nearly 2,000 people will live, with offices, shops, a nursery, bars and restaurants underneath them, it will thrive rather than just survive.

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Designers David Bickle, Hawkins\Brown and Christophe Egret, Studio Egret West

' Park Hill is a brute of a building! A vision born out of pure optimism and modernist idealism. Years of neglect and a few wrong turns brought it to the brink of demolition. It needed landscape, colour, daylight, openings and vistas, art and... a bit of romance! And already it is smiling back to the city of Sheffield and inviting those of character to invent their life here.' Christophe Egret Studio Egret West

Park Hill, Sheffield 133

Park Hill, Sheffield

' I think this scheme gives real meaning to the word ‘regeneration’; it represents a new beginning, a new vitality. I sense in those who have been involved the same enthusiasm and excitement that Jack Lynn and I enjoyed half a century ago. It will be a great place to live!' Ivor Smith, the original architect

Jonnie‘The original building was very well designed with the 1,000 plus flats all duplex, having living space, a sun-facing balcony and double aspect views. It’s had its problems, a lack of love, care, attention, but it’s in a great location and will have fantastic gardens. This kind of building and space are hard to find these days. The flat plans are great – more generous than many developers’ modern boxes.’

Architects Hawkins\Brown, working in collaboration with Studio Egret West, have given special consideration to the façade because of its significance looming over the city of Sheffield. Colourful anodised aluminium panels replicate the coloured brick tones of the original façade and emphasise the modular structure.

Built on one of Sheffield’s seven hills, the flats were designed so that the roof line remains level despite the steeply sloping site. At the highest point of Park Hill, the flats are four storeys high – but at the bottom they increase to 13 storeys.

Park Hill is a huge, confident reminder of the philosophy that architecture, rightly or wrongly, can help improve lives.

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Park Hill, Sheffield 135

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Park Hill, Sheffield

' We have found Park Hill to be a remarkably intelligent building full of complexity, potential and great character. We wanted to capture more permanently that moment of vision, optimism and personality that seemed to have been lost.' David Bickle Hawkins\Brown

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ContactUrban SplashTimber Wharf16 - 22 Worsley StreetCastlefieldManchesterM15 4LD

0161 839 2999www.urbansplash.co.uk

305 awards for design, architecture, regeneration and enterprise.

We would like to thank everybody that has been a part of the Urban Splash story. There are too many of you to name individually but you know who are.

Photography and CGI's Adrian BurrowsAndy BrownBen BlackallBristol Records OfficeCharlotte Wood PhotographyDaniel HopkinsonDuerden CollectionHugh BurdenJason LockJoel Chester FildesJonathan KeenanJonathan Moore PhotographyKaren WrightLen GrantLuke UnsworthMartin CrombieMcCoy Wynne AssociatesMorley Von SternbergNic Gaunt Nick Hufton Paul GroomPeter Bennett PhotographyPrice & MyersPlymouth Naval Base Museum Robert Whitrow Richard Cooper, PhotoflexSimon Webb Shaw + Shaw Tim SmithTom BennTrevor Burrows Uniform

Design Mhairi Smith, Urban Splash

Printing Butler, Tanner & Dennis Ltd

Publisher RIBA Publishing

© Urban Splash 2011

Architects and designersAdjaye AssociatesAlison Brooks ArchitectsAlford Hall Monaghan MorrisArkheionAustin-Smith:LordBDPBen Kelly DesignDavid Morley ArchitectsDalton MaagDe Metz Forbes KnightDesign StudioDSDHAFATFeix & MerlinFerguson MannFielden Clegg Bradley ArchitectsFlacqFoster + PartnersFuture SystemsGareth Hoskins ArchitectsGillespie Yunnie ArchitectsGlenn HowellsGrant AssociatesHawkins\BrownIan Simpson ArchitectsIce ArchitectsKineticLatham ArchitectsLevitate ArchitectureMakeMatthew HeywoodMaurice Shapero ArchitectsNORDNorthPlanitProject OrangeQuerkraftQ2Reiach and HallRichard Rogers PartnershipRiches Hawley MikhailRyder ArchitectureshedkmSMC AlsopSnookSpace CraftStephenson BellStudio 3Studio Egret WestUnion NorthWeston Williamson

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