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Jason Eccles has submitted the work below which
he produced for his Bachelor of Architecture Stage 6 at The University of
Newcastle. If you would like to contact Jason about his work, he can be
contacted at the.north@btclick.com Bachelor of Architecture Stage 6, The University of Newcastle Design Thesis Project Outline Jason Eccles Project: Wakefield Boatyard The aim of this project was to investigate how urban regeneration can be achieved in one of Yorkshire Forward’s renaissance towns or cities, specifically dealing with the kind of architectural response most appropriate in such a context. The larger conurbation’s of the north have generally undergone successful regeneration in the last ten years but how can their lesser known neighbours follow suit? Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is my chosen city for this thesis project. Situated on the River Calder and connected by the canal network it was once one of the most important cities in the region. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution Wakefield soon became a highly prosperous and vibrant town. Its location between the textile industry in the Pennines and the coalfield production in Yorkshire meant the waterfront was to become the prime location for trade and industry. However with the introduction of the railway the role of canal transportation diminished leaving Wakefield with a collection of half empty warehouses and mills on a potentially beautiful site. It is this area of Wakefield that the council have earmarked for regeneration, with the intention of making it the city’s cultural quarter, combing creative industries with leisure and tourism. This thesis project outlines an overall masterplan for the waterfront which retains the stock of warehouses, now listed, whilst introducing new build elements. Within this masterplan the chosen detailed design is that of a new working boatyard sited alongside the canal with a river frontage. This will be overlooked by artist studios housing local artists as a way of fully embracing the ambitions of the council in encouraging the creative, industrious elements of the cultural quarter. Consequently the public attraction comes in the form of small gallery spaces for the artwork and the main centrepiece of the building, an exhibition space for canal narrowboats. The idea of a process of change drives the functioning of the building whilst an overhead crane able to move across each of the spaces is the driving force behind the structure. Firstly, repair and maintenance of these narrowboats occurs in the boatyard before decoration in the painting and joinery workshop. Finally the boat is carried by the crane into the exhibition space above the galleries. Consequently the architecture celebrates the river and canal by utilising the boatyard to play an integral role in the whole building. The main public route that runs across the waterfront area passes through the building making the structure a symbolic and physical gateway to the new quarter. This enables the public to fully engage with the water and it’s industry helping to restore its role in the vibrancy of Wakefield.
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