Nautically Inspired Plans Sail Into Gravesend

Nautically Inspired Plans Sail Into Gravesend

Published on 26-08-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com
Gravesend Heritage Quarter is a new development for the port town in Kent in what is a joint venture between property company Edinburgh House and local Gravesham Council aimed at exploiting some of the momentum the Thames Gateway offers.

Coming from the pens of Leslie Jones Architects, the project features 1,000 square metres of new offices, 12,000 square metres of general retail space, 2,000 square metres of new space for leisure and restaurants, and 600 apartments including many in a tower.

It rises to 34 storeys tall which should come in at over 100 metres if average floor to ceiling heights are to be used as a measure. The tall building is inspired directly by sails that have played such a strong part in Gravesend's history. By twisting and manipulating the classic form of a sailing ship, the architect has turned the tower into a curving blade-like design similar to a sail pitching into the wind.

Dominated by sleek lines, the heavy use of glass cladding on almost the entire building should lend it a constantly changing appearance depending on the weather that's reflected on it - a simple solution for naturally texturing the facades and bringing them to life.

Numbering 600, apartments make up a substantial component of the redevelopment although only 10% of the affordable housing will be provided on site with the remaining 20% to be situated elsewhere.

Redevelopment of the Gravesend Heritage Quarter is bound to be contentious amongst some, not least as the tower will stand on Upper St Andrews Gardens that is currently public space.

The developers are hoping that increases elsewhere, improved access to the banks of the River Thames, and a new town square which in total will see a 50% growth in public space above what is on offer now, will tempt the naysayers into supporting the project.

Another move that's clearly aimed more at winning people over than making the development sustainable is the increase in the amount of parking on offer with 300 additional car spaces to be built raising the total to 1,280.

Taking into account the current hardening economic conditions, the developers still expect the first phase of the scheme to be completed in 2011 although a concrete finish date is anyone's guess.
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Published on 22-08-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com
There are thousands of churches across the United Kingdom, so numerous we take them for granted as part of our urban landscape, with many of them protected by heritage organizations.

As Christian worship continues to decline the question has been what to do with them all. A church isn't the easiest space to convert into modern use, not least because it is centered around one big central area, but many are converted successfully into nightclubs or expensively into apartments.

Plans for St Nicholas Cole Abbey in the City of London have come with an idea on how to reinvent the church for the 21st century and still retain its religious use, a rare end result, by being turned into a multi-denominational centre for religious education.

Originally built in 1144, conversion will be helped by the fact that the Blitz left the church a completely gutted shell after World War 2 and it was fully rebuilt inside over subsequent years.

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