Box Works was a canal-side factory in Manchester’s Castlefield district. Like much local industry it closed during the recession of the 1980s and fell into marginal use. In the 1990s the factory was acquired by develop- ers Urban Splash as one of a number of
innovative housing projects they were carrying out in the area. Some of these involved redevelopment, others were able to re-use and adapt the redundant industrial buildings. The Box Works building was structurally sound and its high ceiling heights made it suitable for subdivision into generous- scale apartments.
The existing building was divided up with a central corridor arrangement served by new lifts and stairs. New glazed façades were added on two frontages to provide balconies and sun spaces. A two-storey extension was added on top of most of the existing build- ing. The apartments were originally designed as ‘lofts’ – serviced shells in which the room divisions and fittings were carried out by the purchasers to their own designs. The market for this proved to be limited so the develop- ers appointed interior architects to design three prototype apartments. Purchasers were able to choose one of these designs as an alternative to an unfinished ‘loft’.
The conversion was completed in 2002 and contains 75 apartments. Most of these are with two bedrooms. A few are single-bedroom units and there are penthouse flats at roof level. Urban Splash sets a premium on good design and the building is designed and fin- ished to a high standard. The open-plan lay- out of the standard apartments, though, has limited appeal. The lack of full separation between rooms means a high level of sound transference which would not suit all lifestyles.
Canal aspect LEVEL 3
Worsley street 304 303 302 301 312
6.9 Key plan
Entrance
Balcony
Sun space
6.10 Typical flat plan
6.11 The factory before conversion
6.12 The completed project
waterways unnecessary. These made a large number of industrial sites and buildings redundant. Many of these became derelict or were put into marginal uses. These redundant premises provided development opportunities on a significant scale and their use has accelerated over the past 20 years. Generally speaking, factories built during the twenti- eth century were large, lightweight sheds with roof lighting. These were designed to be serviced by motor vehicles and were often surrounded by large areas of land. Such buildings are usually unsuitable for conver- sion to housing – though a former handbag factory in North London has recently been turned into houses.12Rather, these large sites more often provide opportunities for ‘brownfield’ redevelopment.
Older industrial buildings, though, have often proved highly suitable for conversion. At the height of the industrial revolution factories were often housed in multi-storey buildings in or near city centres. Transport needs made this essential – workers had to travel on foot and the carting of fuel, materials and finished goods was slow and cumbersome. Many were built along canal sides to take advantage of water transportation.
Warehouses near docks were also multi-storey to ease the manual trans- fer of goods from ship to shore, and their subsequent storage. These buildings were sturdily built to carry the weight of heavy machinery or large quantities of stored goods. Many were also of striking design.
Many Victorian industrial and warehouse buildings were of very solid construction and often had generous fenestration designed to provide good daylighting. Their conversion involved the insertion of new lifts and stairs together with the installation of new services – gas, water, elec- tricity, sanitation and communications. Quite often conversion meant the provision of ‘loft apartments’. In New York, these originated in the adaptation of warehouses – each building was subdivided into large spaces which were provided with services but otherwise unfinished.
The occupiers were left to complete the dwellings to their own designs with spatial sub-division, finishes and decorations. In other projects conversion took the form of fully finished flats.
In certain areas the conversion of industrial buildings has been carried out on a large scale. In London there is a particular focus around Shad Thames on the south bank near Tower Bridge and on the opposite side of the river in Wapping. A large number of six- and seven-storey warehouses have been converted to flats, many of which enjoy river views. These sell for high prices and are particularly attractive to well-paid employees working in the financial institutions of the City of London nearby. In Manchester industrial buildings have been re-used as homes, both by conversion and
redevelopment, all along Whitworth Street and into the canal-side area of Castlefield. Similar conversions of factories and mill buildings have been carried out in most of the old industrial cities of the north.
Shopping centres
There are three ways in which shopping centres can provide more housing. First, shops themselves can be converted into homes.
Many Victorian residential areas were generously supplied with small shops. With the development of modern large stores many of these have become redundant. They can be readily converted to homes though to do this properly requires considerable investment. The shopfront needs to be rebuilt to provide domestic fenestration and the street frontage needs to be reclaimed and enclosed as a front garden.
Sometimes large commercial buildings can be converted to provide apartments (see Figure 6.13).
6.13 The new atrium in Smithfield Buildings – an apartment block created by the conversion of a former department store in central Manchester
The second way to bring more housing to shopping centres is to make better use of the existing space over shops. Many older shopping centres were built with residential space above in which the shopkeepers originally lived. Living over the shop has become less common and, over time, the upper space has often become used for ad hoc storage or dis- used altogether. A report in 1990 estimated that, in many shopping centres, 40 per cent of the space above-ground level is unused or underused. In some places this was thought to be as high as 90 per cent.13A recent government report estimated that such redundant spaces could pro- vided over 300 000 new homes.14Since most were built as residences, these spaces would be relatively easy to bring back into use. Some might require conversion to make them self-contained. Others might need work to make new separate entrances to the street. Many would be on major roads with heavy traffic. They would need sound reduction meas- ures, including secondary glazing and artificial ventilation, to make them into good-quality homes.
A third way in which shopping centres could help to meet housing need is by making better use of the airspace above. Many modern stores and supermarkets built in high streets are of only one or two storeys while the surrounding buildings might be several storeys higher. Recent research for the Housing Corporation has shown that extending upwards over exist- ing large stores could provide 10 000 new homes. Many more could be provided if housing was designed into new shopping developments.15 Additional housing in shopping centres is unlikely to be suitable for families – there would generally be a lack of outdoor space and a safe residential environment. But it could be developed as small flats which would be highly suitable for young single people and childless couples.
This is one of the largest categories of new household formation and an area of strongly growing demand. Such residents are among those most likely to benefit from city-centre living. Their introduction into town centres would help to bring life and activity after dark. In many places this is serious lacking. More residents in commercial areas would help to make them safer, more vital and more pleasant to visit.
KEY POINTS
Wholesale redevelopment destroys communities and familiar envir- onments. The physical fabric and the social and economic life of urban neighbourhoods develop slowly over time. Successful regen- eration means building on what is already there.
The adaptation and re-use of existing buildings preserves some of the energy embodied in them. This is equivalent to a minimum of 20 per cent of the construction cost and, in most cases, consider- ably more. There are also savings in time and finance costs.
It is a high priority to make existing houses more energy efficient. In older housing this can be difficult as full-scale improvement might compromise use and architectural quality. Generally a pragmatic approach is required, implementing the easiest improvements and focusing on the greatest areas of heat loss.
Large older houses have been successfully modernised and subdivided to form self-contained flats. Tenement blocks can also be successfully converted, often by combining small dwellings horizontally and ver- tically to make flats and maisonettes of good space standards.
Modern multi-storey estates often present serious technical and management problems. Demolishing them may destroy commu- nities and remove buildings that can be remodelled successfully.
Contemporary approaches favour selective renewal and the cre- ation of mixed communities.
Many urban building types can be successfully converted to housing.
This is particularly true of older industrial buildings. Many have been converted to make generous-scale apartments, often as loft developments.
There is scope for using space over shops as housing – partly by converting unused and redundant space; partly by using the air space over large stores. Such housing properly designed would be very suitable for small households and would help to revitalise town centres.
THE IMAGE OF THE HOUSE
It is a foremost priority that the design of any building should ensure that it is soundly constructed and that it works well. But its visual qual- ity is also important. On the whole, people cannot influence the design and appearance of the buildings they use. Most buildings are designed by architects and developers without reference to the people who will