PLACES
Shaping my city.
Bristol
Clockwise from bottom left: Portwall Place, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Wapping Wharf, The Welcome Building, and Assembly.
Director Catherine Macpherson shares some of the transformative projects that have helped to make Bristol the globally-renowned city it is today.
LET'S TALK
HOARE LEA & BRISTOL
Our Bristol office opened more than 60 years ago and has since become one of our largest office sites, housing everyone from engineers, consultants and specialists, to our digital engineering team and supporting management groups. It’s home to a spirited community of people who are passionate about projects that shape Bristol and beyond for the better.
Near the waterfront...
Portwall Place.
COMPLETED
This is a great example of a high quality, large-scale workspace in Bristol. Working with progressive developers on this scheme propelled us into more exciting and bigger-scale projects. Portwall Place was a great catalyst for this as it needed to balance the environmental conditions required for people to thrive in the space, alongside the challenges of an impressive, inspiring building, where the large glazed atrium floods the space with natural light.
Clifton Suspension Bridge.
IN PROGRESS
You cannot beat the suspension bridge when it comes to emblematic Bristol landmarks. We’re so proud to have recently won the competition to work with the Bristol Suspension Bridge Trust to transform the way it’s lit, by looking at solutions from integrated architectural, maintenance, energy and flexibility perspectives. Our pitch was all about exciting ways that the bridge could be used as a statement of the city’s progressive mindset and support key moments throughout its calendar. It won’t be a quick job, but it’s one we couldn’t be happier to be involved in.
Wapping Wharf.
COMPLETED
We love popping down to Wapping Wharf in my house! It’s such a brilliant example of how thinking about community, tourist and independent business needs can result in something that works perfectly for all. We often stop by one of the food retailers based in Cargo to grab an always-tasty bite to eat before a wander around the harbour. Working with the architects and employing our extensive residential experience, we were able to create an on-site energy centre that utilised energy from the city’s district heating network to ensure the development is as energy efficient as it is enticing.
The Welcome Building.
IN PROGRESS
As you approach Bristol on the train, this epic building, adjacent to the railway, will welcome you. Its location is in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, which has been a major driver in attracting world-renowned business to the city. Sustainability sits at the heart of the project and we’re targeting BREEAM Outstanding, Wired Score Platinum, EPC A, and WELL Platinum ratings – truly a project focused on people and planet. Setting a new standard for environmental sustainability, it’s also designed to become a space for events, interactive art, wellness – and to cultivate a collaborative occupier community. This is a project that I’m really proud to be delivering and I can’t wait to see it finished.
Assembly.
A COMPLETED, B AND C IN PROGRESS
Assembly was one of my first Bristol projects and you couldn’t hope for one more inspiring than Assembly A with its striking external structure. This is a collection of three new high-quality workplace buildings, that stylishly sit in the centre of Bristol opposite the Floating Harbour and near Temple Meads Station. Building A was the largest office in Bristol when it was constructed and saw the biggest pre-let in the city to date, going some way to deal with the pent-up demand. The engineering systems were designed to allow ultimate flexibility, reflecting the changing needs of the letting market.
Clockwise from bottom left: Soapworks, St Mary Le Port, Horizon House, The Galleries and Cabot Circus.
The vibrant heart of the city...
Soapworks.
IN PROGRESS
This is a site for which many Bristolians hold much affection, so ensuring its development creates a vibrant and inclusive new district, for people to work in, live in and enjoy, is close to our hearts. This brilliant mixed-use scheme is targeting impressive environmental credentials and has focused on social value, with the development committed to creating new jobs, unique homes, and green public spaces for all to appreciate. At the centre of the site, the Grade II listed soap-pan building is core to the heritage of the area and we’re focused on showcasing its history to provide a quirky workspace that can inspire the innovative and creative Bristol workforce! Having worked on this truly iconic scheme for the last three years, I am really excited to see it moving forward and into construction.
St Mary Le Port.
IN PROGRESS
This is an area of Bristol that has been neglected for some time, despite its central location. In fact, this part of the city was hardest hit during the bombings of World War II. We’re delighted to be able to be involved in the exciting plans for the site; the three planned large workspaces will all go beyond the carbon emissions requirements and will honour the history of the area by rebuilding several of the old streets, so we can’t wait to get started.
Horizon House.
COMPLETE
This was the new headquarters for the Environment Agency, and we achieved the highest ever BREEAM rating (85%) of its type when completed in 2010. The space was designed to be filled with natural light and ventilation, which successfully reduced related energy consumption. Most interestingly, we undertook an evaluation study (five years after completion) to review measured energy use data and feedback on performance, finding it was still achieving the exceptional levels expected.
The Galleries.
INCOMING
The Galleries is the original shopping and social destination in Bristol, but unsurprisingly after Cabot Circus opened in 2008, it lost its shine and has seen a steady decline in visitors in recent years. We do like a regeneration challenge though, so we’re involved in new proposals to replace the existing shopping centre and multi-storey carpark with a pioneering sustainable mixed-used destination. There will be flexible workspaces, inclusive student accommodation, affordable housing and build-to-rent apartments, an aparthotel and mixed retail – built around a new pedestrianised landscaped street. We’re currently at pre-planning stage but I’m already excited about the ambitious approach to energy and carbon.
Cabot Circus.
COMPLETE
Such a transformative project for Bristol… It’s the landmark that greets most people at the end of the (rather miserable!) main M32 route into the city, so a showstopper was vital. In 2008, it completely set a new benchmark for high performing, sustainable retail centres – at the same time showing what could be achieved when experts from across disciplines work together. Roads were moved, the first fully covered, open streetscape was modelled, and we managed one of the largest telecoms trench-share agreements ever seen. Together, it meant we were not just re-establishing Bristol as a sought-after retail and leisure destination, but also helping to create a new landmark in urban regeneration.
Illustration: Naomi Skinner