Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, visited the Luton Hat District including touring the Fleet Projects HatHouse and HatWorks.
Fleet have designed and overseen the refurbishment and re-purposing of 2 historic hat factories in the HatDistrict – HatHouse and HatWorks:
The visit was covered by BBC Look East (West) news https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000flhk
(19.02.20)
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The Fleet designed refurbishment of Peterson’s Grade II listed Smokehouse in Grimsby for the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust has been submitted for planning. Some images of what we are proposing posted below to wet any fishy appetites. The project is a collaboration with our friends BB Heritage Studio and YOU&ME.
The project is partially funded by the Architecture Heritage Fund and is currently seeking round 2 funding form NLHF.
High Streets are in decline, at least that is the prevailing story across much of the country. However, It’s not entirely true, and not just confined to an inner London bubble. The 2019 Kent Property Market Report , prepared by Caxtons (with KCC and Locate in Kent ) describes how Kentish High Streets (see also high Streets of Kent) are moving away from shopping, particularly larger units, towards smaller convenience shops, specialist boutiques and, most significantly, services. Gyms, yoga studios, escape rooms, nail bars, cafes, bars, barbers, shared workspaces, alternative medicine, all increasing, all returning footfall and trade to high streets, but what of the large department stores and supermarkets?
The former Primark in Margate, a typical example of a large High Street unit which could be suitable house re-imagined civic and municipal functions like Health (currently enjoying an exciting meanwhile Art use) (photo credit/copyright Kim Fyson)
Fleet have been working with Haringey Council’s urban design team and Haringey CCG to design the conversion of a former super market, just such a large unit commonly becoming available, to provide space for a new Health Centre. When realised the centre could accommodate up to 4 GP practices, a Community Health Hub for the Whittington Hospital in addition to other complimentary civic functions including a library, citizens advice and co-working space.
Excellent transport connections and a large span large volume buildings make the High Street a perfect opportunity to re-imagine the next era of healthcare, much of which will be delivered outside of the hospital, as Lord Darzi proposed once upon a time , and could not be accommodated in a converted Victorian terrace, within which a typical urban GP will often be found.
The High Street also mutually benefits from the arrangement, with circa 18,000 listed patients, the health centre will generate more than 90,000 visits, irrespective of skype consultancy, and each of which is likely to also visit another shop or service in the area en route. The plague of empty units can be at least partially abated if health and other municipal functions seize this opportunity for improved locations, and attractive rents. Landlords should also be attracted by the strong covenant and stability such tenants could offer in increasingly choppy waters. The whole argument is strengthened further if the host buildings can also accommodate residential uses on upper levels too, further amplifying footfall, but also homes within easy reach of services and amenity, and reducing traffic in the process.
Oliver Wainwright, writing in the Guardian, recently presented the energy use and carbon footprint case against demolition. As it seems inevitable that 2020 will witness the closure of more large high street units, the case for the nascent GP networks to consider a bolder, accessible high street locations for the mutual benefit of both the tenant and the host, is very convincing.
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The HatHouse,1 of 2 projects for Culture Trust Luton in the emerging Hat District, Completed in 2019. Here are some photos as it neared completion. Watch this space for the official photos over the next month.
The Edwardian Hat Factory was entirely refurbished with new stair cores and lifts given access to a range of work spaces and a food and beverage offer in the basement.
The project was completed for under £1m and was partly funded by a SEMLEP grant.
The Hat House sits opposite the HatWorks, the workplace and studio hub of the Hat District. A grade II listed former Hat Factory the works are funded by Heritage England and the NLHF.
Both Hat District projects are in partnership with best friends YOU&ME.
Place of Safety – Focus on Mental Health
This January we have been asked back to work with two Mental health Trusts with whom Fleet have longstanding relationship.
With the Cornwall Partnership Trust we are again considering their management of crisis and de-escalation. This involves redesigning a suite of rooms including a lounge and the seclusion suite itself. As with any seclusion suite management, or mental health unit in any respect, striking the balance between safety and therapy is a challenge. Most rewarding for us as designers, the ward manager invited a service user to the working group, while this isn’t unique, it was genuine and engaging, which is not always the case when patient groups or representatives are consulted.
We have also been in Northampton at Berrywood Hospital, where we have worked previously. We have been asked to consider the redesign of the approach to Section 136 admissions across their sites. Often a source of differing view points from the services engaged, Section 136 of the Mental Health Act is the law by which the police can transfer a person to a ‘place of safety’ to receive assessment with 24 hours. As with many other aspects of the mental health care system, this process is under strain and polices and operational approaches are evolving. Use of triage, mental health assessment in parallel with the police response, can reduce pressure on Section 136 services and, most importantly, ensure the service user is on the most appropriate care pathway.
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Our Grade II listed refurbishment (in collaboration with our friends at You&Me) of the oldest standing hat factory in Luton – Hat Works – for Luton Culture (now the Culture Trust Luton)is upping the pace. A huge Christo-esque scaffold now tents the historic fabric preventing water entering the building for the first time in approximately 15 years. Having been riddled with toxic mold and many varieties of non-edible fungi it is taking its first steps to drying out.
Funded by Historic England, phase 1 works concentrate on emergency remedial works to the external envelope including a new roof, rainwater goods, masonry repairs and structural works.
More about the sister HatHouse project and the Hat District here.
Fleet are currently designing the extensive refurbishment and extension of the Fort Road Hotel, Margate’s much loved ‘iconic building’ overlooking the Turner Contemporary.
The scaffold hat, currently in place while stabilising the building and 20 years of collapsed roof and detritus, afforded us a first glimpse of the staggering view the top floor sea facing rooms with enjoy.
Sawbridgworth Central Surgery Moving In
Fleet worked with Hawkins/Brown to design a large new extension for the Central Surgery in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. Official photography due in Spring 2020.
The refurbishment and extension of the derelict former language school on St Augustine’s Road Ramsgate, which occupies 2 grade II listed town houses, is gathering pace as we near year end.
When finished the property will house 9 generous apartments including 3 which will be double fronted and sea facing.
Our design completes the Townley designed crescent from the St Augustine’s road view, with a final Regency pavilion and loggia added to mirror the existing villa to the extreme eastern end. The villa provides 2 new 2-bedroom flats.
Tomorrow Ltd have moved into the Fleet designed retrofit one wing of The Vinyl Factory at 180 the Strand. Fleet have previously designed a floor for the Arts and Media organisation Frieze when thy moved to the Vinyl Factory early in 2019,learn more of that project here. Whereas the Frieze design explored a post ‘burolandschaft’ environment, this design sought to maximise natural light with unashamedly open spaces supported by a range of meeting and smaller work spaces. We used exposed blockwork partitions, strand board and tinted ply to achieve a simple mid-2oth-century appearance complementing the concrete structure of the host building. Further play with the Palm Springs feel involved collaboration with The Conservatory Archives, who brought a verdant palette of cacti and ferns to the final design. Here are some photos of the SNAGGING process while we wait for the official photos.
Tomorrow host many exciting names in fashion including Samuel Ross’ A Cold Wall.
