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WEST BAR | CASTLEMORE

PROPOSAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEST BAR

SHEFFIELD

BY CASTLEMORE SECURITIES

CASTLEMORE SECURITIES LTD

CEDAR COURT, 221 HAGLEY RD, HAYLEY GREEN, HALESOWEN B63 1ED

0121 585 4444

WEST BAR

Why is it that commercially developed masterplans are generally

so soulless? Even the best schemed such as Brindley Place in

Birmingham fall short of the diversity and variety of a

traditional urban area. In preparing this bid Castlemore and

their professionals have sought to answer this question.

Fresh from their experience in Temple Quay in Bristol,

Castlemore and their team have sought to reconcile the

demands of commercial development with the aim of creating a

high-density mixed-used urban ‘citadel’. A continuously active

ground floor together with narrow streets and gateway towers

will create an urban development of a kind that has not before

been built in Sheffield.

The masterplan has been generated through an intensive and

enjoyable process of collaboration between Castlemore, URBED,

Glenn Howells Architects and Landscape Projects (all of whom

have worked on Temple Quay). Together we have generated a

distinctive masterplan as described in the first part of this

document.

The plan creates a sequence of public spaces from the

rediscovery of West Bar Green to a new linear square in the

heart of the scheme. This public realm has been conceived by

Landscape Projects and is described in the second part of the

document.

The masterplan creates a framework for the development of the

site rather than a blue print (as many masterplanners seem to

believe). The masterplan is a trellis onto which the ‘vine’ of the

city can grow and will only come to life when filled out by a

variety of buildings. No one architect can create this variety

alone. It was therefore decided early on that we would give

each building to a different architect and that this would include

sub divisions within blocks as well as whole. The architects

involved in these buildings have included Glenn Howells,

Aedas, Jestico & Whiles and URBED. Their work is described in

the third part of this document.

We believe that the results of this intensive collaborative

process is an exciting scheme. However it has also been

developed with input from CB Richard Ellis and is both viable

and practical to develop. We look forward to the opportunity to

develop this approach further in partnership with the city.

Introduction

WEST BAR

| PROPOSAL | INTRODUCTION


- 2 -

WEST BAR | CASTLEMO RE

- 3 -

The MasterplanThe Masterplan has been designed to create a piece of city. It

does this by recreating the conditions that exist in traditional

urban areas, namely:-

n A high-density of uses and a dense building footprint

n A network of tightly enclosed urban spaces with buildings

which are generally twice as high as the width of the streets

n A fine urban grain of closely knit spaces streets and blocks

that contain a number of buildings.

n The maximum amount of active ground floor uses including

shops, cafes, studios and workshops, a hotel as well as

public uses such as an architecture centre.

n A through mix of uses on upper floors including a broad

50:50 split between housing and offices along with a hotel

n A variety of buildings and architecture designed by different

practices to reflect the diversity found in a traditional urban

quarter.

n The highest quality of design created through a sense of

competition between different practices much as in the past

the industrialists who built Sheffield competed to produce

the best buildings.

The masterplanning process has been undertaken collectively by

Castlemore with URBED, Glenn Howells Architects, and

Landscape Projects. The results described on the following

pages combine the strengths of this team by bringing together

commercial realism with flair and imagination.

However masterplanning is only partly about inspiration. Just as

important is a through understanding of the urban form of the

surrounding city as described on the flowing pages. This

analysis feeds into a description of how the plan was developed

before we describe the preferred plan, the massing, movement

strategy and mix of uses.

This, of course is just the start of the process, successful

masterplans are rarely conceived in a few short weeks. There is

a need for development and testing and a series of interactions

following input from the council, and other stakeholders. We

look forward to the opportunity to develop the plan further if

Castlemore is appointed.

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | INTRODUCTION


- 4 -

The Masterplan Analysis

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | ANALYSIS

It is vital in developing a masterplan to understand the history,

form and structure of an area. URBED’s approach to

masterplanning is based on the 3Rs. The first is the Rediscovery

of what an area once was and the second is about the Repair of

damaged urban fabric. Only then can the masterplanners set

about the Renewal of the area through a new contemporary

layer overlaid over those of history.

We have therefore started with a historical analysis of Sheffield.

The city was founded at the point where the River Sheaf flows

into the River Don. A defensive settlement was built just to the

east of West Bar and the city expanded up the spur of land

between the two river valleys to the point where the Cathedral

stands today. The city occupied the high land on the valley sides

while the flood plain was gradually transformed from market

gardens to riverside mills and industrial premises. West Bar

marks the transitional between historic city and industrial

valley bottom.

It was until recently a dense collection of industrial sheds and

factories but with little of the charm, quality or historical

significance of Kelham Island to the West or Bridgehouse to the

East.

Urban Form:

A comparison of the historic and present day figure ground

plans show the transformation of the area. The historic plan

shows the grain and variety of the historic city to the south and

the West Bar industries. Between the two is West Bar and the

Green, an important street and square on what would have

been seen as the edge of the city.

The contemporary figure ground plan has even more of a feeling

of edge. The historic city survives albeit damaged and bruised

to the south. However, to the north the urban form of the area

has been shattered. The court building forms the edge of the

city and every thing to the north appears to be formless

wilderness. Form starts to emerge in Kelham Island and

Bridgehouse but there is very little that connects to the site.

Connectivity:

West Bar is a classic riverside quarter. While today we see

riversides as attractive locations traditionally bridges were

expensive and they tended to be boggy backwaters and ideal

places for industry. The original street pattern of Sheffield

fanned out from the first bridge in Castlegate. West Bar was an

important road to the bridge but there were no routes north of

this until Borough Bridge was opened. The wide spacing of

The 1894 plan and figure

ground plan. This shows the

area as a dense area of

workshops and lanes. The

figure ground plan

emphasises the importance

of West Bar as a public

space


- 5 -

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | ANALYSIS

these bridges mean that the few main roads (like Corporation

Street) are clogged with traffic while the rest of the streets feel

like backwaters.

The development of the Ring Road is both positive and negative

in this respect. On the one hand it will take traffic out of West

Bar so helping to connect the area to the city centre. On the

other hand there is a risk that it will further isolate West Bar

from the areas to the north and west.

This brief analysis of the West Bar area and the much more

detailed analysis in the Sheffield City Centre Urban Design

Compendium provide little for a masterplanners to work with.

There is little intrinsic urban form other than the remnant of

Love Lane and little surrounding urban form to tie into. In the

following section we therefore describe how we have responded

to this.

A contour model of the site showing the

edge of the flood plain running along

the line of West Bar.

At present the activity of

the city centre stops at

West Bar (left hand plan).

There is the potential to

use the West Bar scheme

to unlock this barrier

allowing activity to flow

through to the river and

into Kelham Island to the

north west.


- 6 -

The

Masterplan

Development

The starting point for the masterplan was

the realisation from the analysis described

on the previous page that there is very

little urban context around the site that

we are able to key into. The first move

was therefore to create a citadel that reads

as a single block. The image of the Walled

City in Kowloon gives an impression of

what we are seeking to achieve - a quarter

of densely-packed buildings of a constant

height with a clear edge. This means that

it is made up of a series of buildings but

also reads as a single ‘Citadel’. The

buildings within the citadel are to be solid

and stone built with a unity of materials.

The next step was to analyse the

movement routes across the site. It

seemed to us that they created an ‘X’

shape. Movement is fed down hill from the

south down Tenter Street and Exchange

Place. These movements also feed down

the minor streets from the Cathedral. The

Court Building creates a barrier and the

trick of the plan is to make sense of routes

into the site from the southern corners of

the site. These routes need to link to

Kelham Island (where we have tied into

the proposed pedestrian crossing on the

Ring Road) and towards the bridge over

the river to Nursery Street.

Very early in the development of the plan

we decided to create a square at the

intersection of this ‘X’ shaped route. As

the scheme developed this became an

elongated space modeled on the

proportions of St. Annes Square in

Manchester. The plan also aims to recreate

West Bar Green as the important space

that it once was. This is made possible by

the reduction of traffic on West Bar

following the opening of the Ring Road.

This will allow the creation of a linear

space along West Bar as a space to collect

up pedestrian movement to channel it into

the site.

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | DEVELOPMENT


- 7 -

The concept of the Citadel means that we

have created a series of gates where these

routes enter the Citadel. The gates could

take a number of forms from a narrowing

of the street of an arch or even a link

between the buildings at the upper level.

The next step was to create a series of

sentinel buildings at the gateways. We

have looked at a series of options for these

buildings as shown by the visuals. The

option illustrated shows two pairs of

towers on either side of the Law Courts

although we have explored options with

single towers. These are to be light

transparent structures of steel and glass

contrasting with the solidity of the stone

Citadel. The towers will read as objects

above cafe/restaurant uses on the ground

floor.

The final image shows the detail of the buildings. The included minor

routes to create a series of blocks. These blocks have been developed by the

plot architects based on the uses described on the following pages. These

are based on tight courtyard blocks both for the housing and commercial

blocks. The ground floor is to be predominantly active including retailing,

cafes and restaurants as well as studio space and workshops.

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | DEVELOPMENT


- 8 -

Land use ground floorThe key to creating a place that feels like a piece of city is the

mix of uses. Only by having a mix of uses will the area have

activity throughout the day and at weekends. There are two

elements to this – uses on the ground floor that animate the

public realm (plan to the right) and a mix of uses on the upper

floors (plan on facing page).

The scheme has been designed to create animation on the

maximum amount of the ground floor. This includes retailing

and leisure uses lining the two routes into the site from the

south. Café bar uses are used to further liven these frontages in

blocks 7, 9 and 10. There is a further concentration of café uses

in the central square in blocks 4, 5 and 6. This will create a

critical mass of active uses that will both feed off the people

living and working on the site as well as becoming a destination

for people elsewhere in Sheffield. In the northern part of the

site the ground floor of the multi-storey car park (Block 3) is

envisaged as a Tesco Metro supermarket. There is a health club

in the base of Block 2 and the hotel in Block 1 will, of course

have a foyer and associated public uses.

The ground floor of the blocks elsewhere in the scheme will be

glass-fronted workspace and studios for use by small creative

companies. This will create active frontage to the surrounding

area and create a non-corporate public face to the development.

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | MASTERPLAN


- 9 -

Land use upper floorsThe upper floors have a broad 50:50 split between housing and

office space. The three main office buildings are Blocks 2, 4 and

5 partly because they will be subject to noise from the ring

road. The northern block (1) is a hotel with residential above

while block 6-11 are residential on the upper floors.

Parking is accommodated in two multi-storey parking structures

(Blocks 3 and 12). These blocks both have active ground floors

and so will contribute to the urban vitality of the area. However

these parking structures avoid the need for extensive basement

parking (with the associated problems of levels).

The Urban Studio: One of the most exciting elements of the mix

is a proposal to create an ‘Urban Studio’ on the central square.

This would be part of the University of Sheffield School of

Architecture and would bring students into the heart of the

scheme to create a space that is part laboratory, part

architecture centre and part interpretation centre (like the Red

Box in Berlin). This is described in more detail in the addendum

to this section.

WEST BAR



- 1 0 -

The northern

part of the site

will be a

landmark hotel

building by

Jestico Whiles

Architects

The commercial

building to the

west of the

central square,

designed by

Aedas

Residential

block to the

east of the

central square

designed by

Glenn Howells

Architects

The entrance

towers in he

south west

corner of the

site have been

designed by

URBED

WEST BAR



- 1 1 -

The plan on the facing page shows the current illustrative masterplan. This is captured at a point in

time and the team has explored a range of alternatives and iterations. Should for example there be one

or two towers at each of the entrances to the citadel, how tall should the central block be, what should

be the scale of the public spaces etc... We are not pretending that this is a finished plan and look

forward to developing it further with Sheffield Council.

The plan embodies the concept of the citadel, made up of different buildings but retains a coherence.

We believe that it creates a piece of city both in the uses, (described on the previous page) and in the

tightness of the form, variety of buildings. The public realm is described on the following pages before

looking at the four buildings illustrated in this page that have been designed in more detail.

WEST BAR



- 1 2 -

The School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield is consistently rated as among the top two

in the United Kingdom. It has the best research record of any School in the country over the past

ten years and receives more applications to its undergraduate course than any other University.

Over the past few years the School has been pioneering educational and research initiatives with

the express purpose of making better connections between architecture and the wider community.

Central to this has been the development of the ‘Live Project’, programmes where students work

with local and regional groups on real projects – from developing feasibility studies to actually

building small structures. The projects have received international acclaim, and in all cases are

empowering for the students and community groups alike. A number of the projects have been in

collaboration with Sheffield City Council, thereby directly benefiting the local community.

West Bar – The Urban Studio

The opportunity to work with Castlemore on developing a city centre presence for the School of

Architecture is thus a welcome and natural extension of our mission to bring architecture and

architectural education into the heart of the community. We propose to use the very central and

public facility to develop an ‘Urban Studio’. This would be a place for students to use as a base for

live projects, a kind of architectural shop front where members of the public could come for direct

contact with architectural processes. The space would mainly be used as an open studio for

community and regional groups to come to develop and discuss architectural projects in

collaboration with postgraduate students. At times - mainly out of term - the Urban Studio would

also curate exhibitions. The main purpose of the Urban Studio would be to demystify the often

arcane process of the architectural world – to make them fun, accessible and useful to the community.

The Urban Studio would be run by Professor Jeremy Till, widely seen as one of the key actors on

the UK architectural scene. Jeremy is Chair of the RIBA Awards Group and, with Professor Sarah

Wigglesworth, designer of one of the country’s one most influential buildings of the past few

years. (9 Stock Orchard Street – the Strawbale House - which won the RIBA Sustainability Prize).

The idea for the Sheffield Urban Studio is based on the acclaimed Rural Studio at Auburn

University in Alabama. Here students work with the rural underclass, operating out of a public

facility in Hale County. The Rural Studio has been a genuine force for regeneration in the area.

The proposed Urban Studio has the same potential, bringing the skills and energy of one the

world’s leading Schools of Architecture into the heart of its home city. This accords with the

objectives of the Sheffield One Masterplan with its ambitions for a knowledge-led economy. The

proposed location on Castlemore’s planned public square would be vital to achieve the community-

led aims of the Urban Studio, providing as it would easy and very visible access in a very high

quality architectural environment.

The School of Architecture is genuinely excited at the prospect of working with Castlemore on this

unique venture, and looks forward to developing ideas for the Urban Studio with them and the

City Council.

Jeremy Till

University of Sheffield

School of Architecture

Castlemore recognises West Bar as a destination venue, it will create

it’s own centre and draw people in. The excitement of the spaces

created around buildings will be complimented by architecture of a

quality that makes a statement to all. It is with this in mind that we

are keen to establish links with the School of Architecture and create

a connection for the School and the Sheffield public. The space would

take the form of an Urban Studio.

Brett A.J. Lovett, Design Architect

Castlemore Securities

An Urban Studio

at West Bar

WEST BAR

| MASTERPLAN | URBAN STUDIO


- 1 3 -

The spaces between buildings is where the public life of a city

takes place. An active public realm is one of the most attractive

aspects of city life, and streets and squares must be designed to

support and enrich interaction between people. Interactions can

be passive, such as seeing and watching, or more active such as

chatting, but all serve to reinforce the social health of the city.

The key to promoting interaction is to make connected streets

and squares which are comfortable to be in, so that people are

encouraged to linger. Streets which are sheltered, where the

sunshine lights warm corners, which are not noisy and

dominated by traffic, but which offer places to sit and views of

passers-by, are the most attractive. People go where people are.

The quality of the public realm matters; streets and squares

should be uncluttered, allowing good visibility. They should use

surface materials carefully, to mark thresholds and routes,

which when combined with trees, fountains, seats and lighting,

give a rich and distinctive character to a space. In this way

spaces are given identity and life, and become places which

contribute to overall picture of a city. WEST BAR

| PUBLIC REALM | INTRODUCTION

Public Realm

The masterplan for West Bar establishes a framework of

buildings which define the public realm. There are two distinct

types of spaces.

The heart of the district is the “citadel” where the streets and

long square are carved out of the dense building fabric. This

square’s unusual proportions are a response to the sun pattern,

which makes it a comfortable, warm place, particularly in the

middle of the day. At the same time it encourages visual

connections and supports walking routes through the district.

Around the “citadel” the public realm performs a linking role,

serving to make attractive places which connect the new district

with its surroundings. These spaces provide a setting for the

distinctive “object” buildings proposed at the corners of the

West Bar area. The historical importance of West Bar is

reinforced through its transformation into West Bar Green. This

links to the new boulevard which will provide the Law Courts

with an appropriate setting of a square. Links to the canal

quarter to the east are made via the dramatically landscaped

space at the foot of Snig Hill. At the northern end of West Bar,

connections to the river and Kelham Island are reinforced

through the public realm.

WEST BAR

| PUBLIC REALM | ANALYSIS

Public Realm

at West Bar


- 1 4 -


- 1 5 -

The Public Realm layout within the masterplan creates a

network of linked spaces with different scales and characters.

Their proportions, of width to height and length, and their

enclosure, encourage different patterns of use, and affect the

experiences of people who inhabit them.

The diagram shows a simplified layout, and describes the

variety of spatial typologies envisaged by the masterplan.

WEST BAR

| PUBLIC REALM | ANALYSIS

Spatial Typology

BOULEVARD

Widen the footway / further narrow the road to improve

the setting of the Law Courts. Formal tree planting and

high quality paving provide an ‘Agora’ style facility

SNIG HILL

Landmark building sits on the corner of the site as an

‘outcrop’ which invites the landscape underneath it as it

plays with the changing levels of the site.

EASTERN APPROACH

High quality pedestrian approach

from the eastern side of the town

which forms an interesting view

gradually turning into the site to

those coming in from Castlegate.

MAIN SQUARE

The main area of the development is a

long linear space bounded on both

sides by buildings. The space is large

enough that it is divided up into

smaller spaces - the character of

which are allowed to develop as one

moves down toward the river. The

space is again allowed to focus on the

presence of water in the landscape -

this time functional water that creates

a more ecological character.

WESTERN APPROACH

The transition from West Bar Green down to the

main square draws people down a narrow street

bounded on one side by tall buildings and partly on

the other side by the boundary wall of the Law

Courts. The water moves down from West Bar Green

in a narrow rill and interacts with the walls to create

a playful , inviting landscape.

SMALL SQUARE

A small public square sits to the

north of the site - a tranquil,

relaxing space focussed on a central

water feature overlooked on all sides

by the surrounding buildings. As

people move down through the

development this square forms the

transition to Kelham Island.

WEST BAR GREEN

Large public square - West Bar Green to act

as a vehicular gateway to the city and a

meeting point for people coming into the

development. Active water features

animate the space and draw people

around the side. Building sits in

the square and forms a focal

point viewed from Paradise

St and Tenter Street.

BOULEVARD

LARGE SQUARE

SMALL SQUARE

The fabric of the Public Realm layout at West Bar should support

the legibility and atmosphere of the different spaces; there

should be a consistent pattern or language of surface materials,

lighting, trees and street furniture which is adaptable to local

requirements, but gives a sense of coherence to the district as a

whole. The Public realm masterplan shows how materials at the

perimeter of the district will relate to squares, streets and

courtyards within the central areas.

Materials will be chosen for their attractiveness, robustness and

ease of maintenance.

WEST BAR

| PUBLIC REALM | DEVELOPMENT

- 1 6 -


Materials

PEDESTRIAN PAVEMENTS

Robust

VEHICULAR PAVEMENTS

Shared surfaces

HIGH QUALITY PUBLIC REALM

Decorative pavements. granite.

Semi mature trees


- 1 7 -

The presence of water in various forms is often used to animate

the public realm. It can form a strong “narrative” through a

place, particularly in waterfront and riverside areas such as

Sheffield’s central riverside quarter.

The public realm at West Bar will be interwoven with a water

route. The journey of water, its changing character and form

will give identity and distinctiveness to the different spaces

within the public realm.

Water may be used to enhance the sustainability of the district,

through for example Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems

(SUDS), but above all the presence of water, with its movement,

sound and powerful atmosphere, will provide West Bar with a

unique character.

WEST BAR


Water STILL WATER

Tranquil. Focussed on waterspace

PASSIVE WATER

Pools. Gardens Ecological.water recycling

ACTIVE WATER

Water wall. Cascade

VERY ACTIVE WATER

Cascade

Focal point for green / boulevard

OUTCROP

The possibility of escaping the hustle and bustle of the city,

while remaining connected to it is very attractive. At West Bar,

the public realm design at the heart of the “citadel” will offer

comfortable places to sit under trees, close to water, at

lunchtime and early evening.

- 1 8 -


Intimate

Urban Space


- 1 9 -

The grand buildings and historic districts around West Bar

should be given an appropriate setting, which should be civic in

character; while grand in scale, these spaces will cater for

occupation through the provision of seating, low walls, shade

trees and water features.

Civic Space

Public art has an important role to play in defining the identity

and character of city districts. It can provide a continuity in

urban renewal by bridging the gap between past and future.

The renewal of West Bar affords several valuable opportunities

to create a strong and memorable urban area; these vary in

scale from the roadside works associated with the Inner Relief

Road, where a vehicular gateway can shift perceptions both of

the riverside quarter and of Sheffield. At the opposite scale

public art can animate the intimate spaces of the citadel in

subtle ways. A creative approach will underpin all of the design

decisions relating to the Public Realm, and collaborations with

artists form an important aspect of the development. A public

art strategy will be evolved as the masterplan process is taken

forward.

WEST BAR


Public Art


- 2 0 -


- 21 -

PLOT 1

HOTEL

JESTICO & WHILES

PLOT 6

RESIDENTIAL

GLENN HOWELLS

The Schemes

PLOT 4

COMMERCIAL

AEDAS

PLOTS 10/11

TOWERS

URBED

A masterplan should not be a blueprint for a development of the

scale of West Bar. When this is done the result often lacks soul

and interest. URBED’s approach to masterplanning is therefore

to create a framework into which the work of different

architects can be accommodated. The masterplan therefore

defines the siting, massing, use and orientation of each building

but does not dictate the architecture. This provides a shell for

each of the architects to build – the building line, height etc..

much as would be the case with a new building in a historic

quarter of the city.

This works best when each building is taken by a different

architect and they add a new level of innovation and invention

to the plan as a whole. This is what we have done as part of the

West Bar bid. A series of buildings in the masterplan have been

developed by different practices, Glenn Howells, Jestico Whiles,

Aedas and URBED Architecture. Marks Barfield Architects have

also agreed to take on blocks 8 and 9 but have not been able to

produce a scheme as part of the bidding process.

On the following pages we include the designs done by the four

practices that have contributed to the bid. Jestico Whiles have

looked at Block 1 which is to be a hotel with residential on the

upper floors. Aedas have developed proposals for Block 4, a

commercial building with restaurants or shops on the ground

floor, Glenn Howells have looked at block 6 which is a

residential scheme with an active ground floor and URBED have

developed proposals for blocks 10 and 11.

WEST BAR

| BUILDING | INTRODUCTION

WEST BAR | CASTLEMOREWEST BAR

| BUILDING | PLOT 1 | HOTEL | JESTICO & WHILES

- 2 2 -

Plot 1 is one of the three corner sentinels to the citadel and its principal gateway. It acts as a landmark to the city and a transparentshard revealing the citadel beyond.

Floorplans

Basement Ground Floor Fifth Floor Roof


- 2 3 -

This twenty-storey tower contains a boutique

hotel beneath exclusive residential apartments,

linked by a shared, double-height winter garden.

A central atrium allows plentiful daylight into

the heart of the building and creates a lively

focus for the tower. The basement conceals car

parking for the apartments and a loading area

for the hotel.

The building is wrapped in a shimmering double

skin of frosted glass, giving translucency along

with optimum environmental performance. This

lightweight façade contrasts with the solidity of

the citadel. Strategically placed strips of clear

glass animate the façade and give tantalising

glimpses of the surrounding views from the

hotel bedrooms, apartments and circulation

areas. Beyond the glass, boldly coloured walls

that define circulation routes to the hotel

bedrooms and apartment entrances glow

iridescently. In contrast, key elements of the

façade are expressed as solid planes inset with

horizontal strips of glass, making reference to

the mass of the citadel.

The tower reduces in height as it wraps around

the atrium from one edge of the square to the

other, breaking down its mass and enlivening the

sweeping, curved façade that follows Bridge Street.

Visitors enter the hotel from the landscaped

square, emerging into an airy open-plan,

double-height space containing the hotel

reception and restaurant, which opens directly

onto the lofty atrium bar. At street level, glazed

facades to these areas of high activity and to the

adjacent retail units ensure the building’s

functions add vitality to the surrounding streets

and square. A suite of meeting and function

rooms occupies the first floor, for privacy.

Above the hotel’s common areas, 240 en-suite

bedrooms are arranged over eight floors and

offer views down into the atrium, citadel or city.

The residential component of the building has a

separate, secure entrance lobby onto Bridge

Street. Spread over the top seven levels of the

tower, the apartments boast panoramic views

over the city.

STRATEGICALLY PLACED STRIPS OF CLEAR GLASS ANIMATE THE FAÇADE AND GIVE TANTALISING GLIMPSES OF THE SURROUNDING VIEWS

- 1 -- 2 4 -

Fronting the civic space, plot 6

integrates café/restaurant/retail frontage

at the lower levels with residential

accommodation above. The plot is sub-

divided into three adjoining terraced

developments – we have described the

footprint of the whole and detail of the

central block.

Residential accommodation arranged

around a raised communal landscaped

courtyard - running the full length of the

plot – offers view, natural light and

ventilation to those inward facing

apartments and is animated by access to

the eastern apartments that enhances the

feeling of safety and security.

The provision of immediately accessible

public and private landscape and amenity

space for the residential building

supports this high-density development

model.

The residential façades are composed of

materials that reveal activity and offer

privacy where needed. All residential

façades incorporate sliding/folding

perforate screens to the balcony and

glazed areas maintaining partial views,

light penetration and natural ventilation.

The effect is a dynamic elevation that

responds to environmental conditions,

external activity and occupants’

movement patterns. The texture and

grain of the different surfaces fracture

reflections of adjacent buildings and the

sky.

Plot 6 typifies the masterplan’s simple

citadel approach of providing a rich

mixture of buildings - characterised by

the terraced roofscape and

interconnected courtyards - standing

cheek by jowl within a connected series

of high quality public spaces.

THE RESIDENTIAL FAÇADES ARE COMPOSED OF MATERIALS THAT REVEAL ACTIVITY AND OFFER PRIVACY WHERE NEEDED


- 1 -


- 2 5 -

WEST BAR

| BUILDING | PLOT 6 | RESIDENTIAL | GLENN HOWELLS

West Bar’s mixture of retail, hotel, café bars, restaurants, office and residential accommodation creates a vibrant sense of place by day and night. Thepublic realm - focussed on a central linear civic space – allows the collection of buildings to share and enhance the public realm’s identity; enjoyinherent flexibility to accommodate change; create higher value and allow greater freedom of expression in the design of the individual buildings.

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1 Bed Room 435 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 730 sqft

2 Bed Room 800 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

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1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 650 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 610 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

Commercial Unit 2230 sqft






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1 Bed Room 435 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft 1

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2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

1 Bed Room 590 sqft

2 Bed Room 650 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 705 sqft 1

Bed R

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520

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2 Bed Room 580 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 610 sqft

1 B

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1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

1 Bed Room 435 sqft

2 Bed Room 610 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

2 Bed Room 660 sqft

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Typical upper floor

First Floor

Ground Floor

Location

Glenn Howells Architects


- 2 6 -

WEST BAR

| BUILDING | PLOT 4 | COMMERCIAL

| AEDAS

The building on plot 4 is conceived within the masterplan as a solid structure, with a prominent or landmark feature on the north east

corner, which acts as both a visual termination for the public realm space, and a focal point for the north end of the development.

We have adapted the idea of a ‘walled city’ and applied it to the building

form to generate a solid lump of material from which elements are added

or removed to reveal the function of the building behind, or equally as a

response to building orientation and other external factors.

Floorplans

Basement Ground Floor Floors 1-4 Fifth Floor Roof


- 2 7 -

From these basic organising principles, the

scheme has evolved from a simple solid

block to a restrained building form which

has a controlled geometry governing the

massive elements of the design. The carved

like quality of the narrow streets between

the buildings, and the limited potential of

views and light into these spaces, has led

to the building design having a deliberately

heavy facade to both the north and south.

This reinforces the concept of the citadel

idea which is paramount to the evolution of

the masterplan itself, whilst also focusing

the internal spaces to the open aspect to

the east and west.

Because of the massive opportunity of

these open aspects, the elevations have

been conceived as light and predominantly

glazed, maximising the availability of

natural light and possibly ventilation.

These large areas of glazing again appear

to be cut into the hard shell of the building

and generate a dramatic and almost civic

quality to the architecture.

Equally the roof is conceived as a solid top

to the building, applying the same material

to the edge detail and treating it as a fifth

façade to maintain the concept of solidity.

This fifth elevation will be highly visible

from some of the other developments

within the overall masterplan and it is clear

that the treatment of the finish and the

plant accommodation should be addressed

within the same constraints as the building

elevations themselves.

THE PATTERN ARRANGEMENT REINFORCES THE CONCEPT OF MIXED USE & HIGH DENSITY URBAN CHARACTER ASSOCIATED WITH THE MASTERPLAN IMAGERY


- 1 -

The masterplan conceives plots 10 and

11 as ‘sentinels’ at the entrance to the

Citadel. The design team has explored a

number of options for this including a

single tower and a pair of towers. The

option explored by URBED is a concept

for a pair of glass towers that frame a

gateway to the site marking the

transition from the town centre into

West Bar. These towers will frame West

Bar Green as a result of their scale but

at ground floor they are sculpted so that

pedestrian movement flows into the

site.The Towers have been designed as

glass shards rising out of a solid base.

Functionally the base will include active

uses such as bars, restaurants and cafes

to animate the route into the site. Above

this the towers are residential rising to

16 and 18 floors with four apartments a

floor giving a total of 120 apartments.

The towers are designed to create

landmarks on the points of arrival to the

site and are designed to frame views on

the streets leading down from the city

centre to West Bar Green. They will also

be visible from the space within the site.

The central square is conceived as a

space surrounded by 6 storey buildings

with the glass towers in the three

corners of the site appearing over the

roofs of these buildings.

THE TOWERS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AS GLASS SHARDS RISING OUT OF A SOLID BASE


- 2 9 -

WEST BAR

| BUILDING | PLOTS 10/11 | TOWERS | URBED

The entrance to the site from West Bar Green could be fronted by two landmark towers. These have been designed as sentinels at the

gate of the Citadel.

Tower, Plot 11

Position Ground Floor Second Floor Thirteenth Floor

Tower, Plot 10Ground Floor Second Floor Fifteenth Floor


- 3 0 -

Glenn Howells Architects

Castlemore Securities LtdCedar Court221 Hagley RdHayley GreenHalesowenB63 1ED

Urbed10 Little Lever StreetManchesterM1 1HR

Glenn Howells Architects321 Bradford StreetBirminghamB5 6ET

Landscape Projects31 Blackfriars RoadSalfordManchesterM3 7AQ

Jestico & Whiles1 Cobourg StreetLondonNW1 2HP

AedasSt Mary’s Court21 St Mary’s StreetShrewsburySY1 1ED

The University of SheffieldSchool of ArchitectureArts TowerWestern BankSheffield, S10 2TN

west bar | castlemoredemocracy.sheffield.gov.uk/data/cabinet/20050921/agenda/1-5-1... · west bar |...

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