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The Pod. How a democratic process lead to Nottingham’s most exciting new building.
by Jonathan Casciani
The Pod is one of the most exciting new buildings in Nottingham. The building was procured through a democratic competition process that looks after the interests on the city as well as the developer.
The Pod development on the edge of the Lace Market in Nottingham is a clean, sharp piece of contemporary architecture surrounded by historical nineteenth century listed buildings. Here at The Broadsheet we think The Pod development is great example of how contemporary architecture can really work when it presents a stark contrast with the surrounding buildings.
Local land owners the Akins family has owned this site (on the corner of Bottle Lane and Fletchergate in the Lace Market, Nottingham) for over 15 years.
The site is now home to a £25m scheme known as The Pod’s whose 108,000 sq ft will house three levels of large retail space, the upper floors accommodates a 142 bedroom hotel let to Accor for their IBIS brand plus a roof top bar / restaurant.
Local developers Bildurn Properties invested £150,000 in prize money in a bid to bring the very best quality of design to Nottingham, delivered by architects of international acclaim. Bildurn’s aim was to address head on the calls for quality design within the city and to engender committed positive involvement from the local planning authority.
What makes this project different from many private developments is how the developer has procured the architectural solution. The usual process is where a developer calls their favourite architect and employs them to design the building, regardless of their knowledge of the city and context.
The Pod was procured as part of an architectural competition. This is where the developer pays several architectural practices to tender for the project. The best building proposal is then selected by a panel of experts that represent the interests of the city as a whole. This means the building works for the developer but also works in the interests of local people and fits with national expectations.
This is relatively normal approach for a high profile public building such as Art Gallery but is not so common on private developments such as The Pod.
What is so exciting about the The Pod project is that it proves that we don’t have to create modern interpretations of old buildings for a new development to work in a historical location.
Winning architects Benson+Forsyth (selected from a shortlist of five) were chosen as they have a solid reputation for introducing contemporary buildings harmoniously into urban and historical environments.
Benson+Forsyth are best known for designing the stunning Museum of Scotland, close to a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Edinburgh’s old town. A building that is widely regarded as significantly to the Edinburgh cityscape. Other Benson+Forsyth designs include the Royal College of Surgeons, again in Edinburgh, the National Galley of Ireland and Dublin and the Central Building at the University of Sydney, Australia.
The competition route is clearly a more democratic way of procuring a building that will have big impact on a public space, but what is so exciting about The Pod is it sets a new standard for Nottingham.
The Pod proves that we don’t need to have buildings that ape traditional styles to fit in to our cities historical landscapes. We cannot recreate nineteenth century buildings, so we shouldn’t try and copy them.
What it also proves is democracy in design when managed appropriately can lead to more exciting results. This leads to design that is not just functional but exciting and inspiring. Vote for good design!
Q&A with Bildurn Director Sean Akins
The competition process and how it differs from the usual procurement methods.
“The process of site, design, planning and building procurement will vary according to the particular circumstances of any one scheme. In this instance, the starting circumstances were: the property was owned freehold with equity funds available; the site was likely to be of particular ‘political’ sensitivity due to its high profile location and history – and this would major mainly on architectural design quality; and there were a number of uses which would suit the location and likely scale of development, but subject to timing.
Having been convinced of the pros and cons of a competition route – specifically the benefits of a political ‘buy-in’ the scheme’s design and planning development set against the cost – and compromises – of running it, Bildurn first appointed a competition architect to lead it – a ‘master of ceremony. He established the competition structures – rules, panel, timetable, financial; the enabling work – the developer’s brief, urban design analysis, and planning documents – necessary to form the information pack; evoked expressions of interest form architects; and finally steered the short-listing, competition operation and selection of the winning scheme.
Key to the successful operation of this competition was the willingness of the Development Control to engage and take a stake in it and, in particular, to have an open mind to design solutions that emerged.
This process differed principally in 3 ways to orthodox approaches: i) design, planning and contract procurement overlapped and ran in parallel rather than in sequence ii) More than 1 architect and 1 contractor were involved to a more advanced stage of design development and iii) the LDA was involved in a more active role in design development”
Bottle Lane is the first building of it’s kind in the city centre, do you see it as start of a new architectural style for the city?
No. However, Development Control is keen to communicate the lessons learn from competitions that have taken place in Nottingham to encourage better quality, and varied architecture.
The building is a stark contrast to the style of buildings in the surrounding area, what was the thinking behind this?
The winning architects have a modernist ‘bent’; as their submission emerged, it became clear that it was build-able and flexible, and in addition, that all those with an interest in these scheme were leaning towards a striking architectural design.
What are the most significant challenges that a developer faces in trying to build contemporary Architecture in Nottingham?
Feasibility. The financial capitols are replete with the best in architecture because the underlying rents and capital values justify it. The challenge in lesser provincial cities is to produce variety and originality within a more constrained set of financial parameters.
Developers outside of the built environment sector aren’t viewed as being particularly creative; do you think that’s a fair perception?
No, not as a generalization. The reality is that the role of the developer is to marshall risk: even slight set-backs, changes & miscalculations in all aspects of occupational & investment markets and design, planning and construction procurement can have catastrophic effects on scheme viability and, ultimately, the developer’s financial predicament. They act within tight time and financial constraints: this does not often afford great scope for ‘creativity’.
How do you think developers can make the public less sceptical of new developments?
More public engagement with localities on a scheme by scheme basis. This is something that the government is looking to encourage.
Is there a significant difference in profit from developing a building like bottle lane compared with the bland modern architecture we are used to seeing?
In this instance that is hard to judge because a) it is unlikely that the scheme would have been consented to the scale and to the timetable achieved b) though unlikely to change the rental tone (drive by location & supply/ demand), we believe the property is more lettable than it might otherwise have been.
If so, how can developers make it work as a sound investment?
….and therefore it is difficult to draw a general rule. It will depend on the particular circumstance relating to a certain scheme.
We’re seeing large architectural change in the city centre; do you think it will continue to spread the suburbs?
Not on the same scale.
What in your opinion are the most exciting development opportunities in the UK at present?
Large scale regeneration projects: the breath of challenges that they are faced with, and the impact they can have.
Do you think developers like Urban Splash have been truly influential in the regeneration of Manchester?
Yes
If so, do you see yourself as playing a similar role in Nottingham?
They are in a completely different league.
Are there going to be more Bottle Lane style developments from Bildurn?
Wait and see!
http://www.bildurnproperties.co.uk
Posted in Architecture | Jonathan Casciani | October 1st 2007 Comments so far (1)
Agree? Disagree? Have an opinion? Join the debate and let us know below.
I love the style of this building. I agree the city needs more imaginatively designed buildings and less retro stuff - though obviously they need to be built in a sympathetic environment. Regarding the moniker "The Pod". It sounds naff.
posted by alanhabito@yahoo.com on December 12th 2007 at 08:49 PM