BACKGROUND

OOBE was commissioned by the joint venture between Richardson and Ask Real Estate who are developing the site in partnership with Homes England. The brief was to develop a high quality public realm for the sustainable mixeduse development providing a high-quality living and working environment.

THE CONCEPT

Located within the Holbeck Conservation Area, the 1.17 hectare former industrial site on the Leeds-Liverpool canal forms a key part of the Leeds Southbank Development area. The design concept is to celebrate the existing heritage of the site by framing the proposed buildings and public open spaces around the grade II listed towers, within a contemporary & sustainable setting.

DEVELOPMENT

The landscape proposals were developed to respond to the historic featuresof the site. To that end, a generous civic square was proposed at the heart of the development which responds to the Giotto Tower, the Verona Tower and the Engine House, all key elements within the setting of the square. Elsewhere within the scheme, the proposed new buildings created a series of smaller, intimate spaces developed to mimic the courtyards and found spaces typical of the industrial urban grain of this area of Leeds. Active frontages to the ground floor will animate these spaces and connections through the site.

RESULTS

The public realm for this mixed-use scheme successfully combines amenity spaces for residents with a variety of habitats for wildlife with a network of pedestrian routes that permeate through the development and connect with the wider context of Leeds.