Site 2
BBC/QUAKERS - COMPLETED
Between School Lane and Hanover Street, adjacent to Abney Building.
URBAN FORM
The building needed to reconcile the difference of scale between the relatively low Bluecoat Chambers and the tall Abney Buildings.
The opportunity existed for a new entrance to the Bluecoat Chambers, and an additional courtyard to complement the fine grain and atmosphere that currently exists. The architect's response to this has been to create a semi-circular space focusing on the Bluecoat Chambers and taking the central cupola as its centre point. The resulting building form steps back from the listed building on the west whilst forming a strong edge to Hanover Street on the east and bringing the scale of the street down from the Abney Buildings.
USES
Replacement facilities for the existing Friends' Meeting House and BBC Studios, relocated from Paradise Street. Ground floor shop units facing Hanover Street. Rear servicing from School Lane. Underground parking.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The southern corner of the building will mark the entrance to College Lane from Hanover Street. The relationship to site 3 is critical and the architects have liaised to create an appropriate gateway between the Rope Walks area and the enlarged main retail area; and a setting for the proposed re-building of the south-eastern corner of the Bluecoat Chambers.
MATERIALS
Concrete frame with brick and glass infill.
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