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HISTORY & HERITAGE

Store to resemble a bustling market

Architects behind Kendal's multi-million pound town centre redevelopment have pledged to deliver a fusion of traditional and cutting edge design. When the wraps come off the new Booths store off Stricklandgate in 2004, its creators hope it will capture the atmosphere of a bustling market hall of bygone days against a backdrop of contemporary 21st century design.

The Hills Erwin Partnership became involved in the venture in 2001 when it was charged with designing a re-development with-in Kendal's heartland. The scheme, centred on a new Booths supermarket, is being developed on The Westmorland Gazette land and neighbouring plots by Maple Grove Developments - part of the Eric Wright Group.

Yorkshire-based perspective artist Idris Walters, who has
worked on previous projects with Maple Grove Developments,
was behind the illustration of the scheme. The picture above
shows the new parade of shops.

"When we got involved, the principle of the development had been established although no design work had been done," explained Tony Hills, a director with the practice. "What struck us first when looking at the Gazette site was that it is in a huge dip," he recalled. However, this feature enabled the architects to create a storage area beneath the supermarket and lower parking deck by working with the site's natural contours. The supermarket will stand above this on the same level as Stricklandgate, along with a second parking deck. As there is no need for large columns to support roof storage space, a lightweight vaulted roof will cover the store, creating a light, spacious atmosphere.

Mr Hills said his practice had worked closely with the Booths team to come up with the plans. "It is very exciting working with Booths," he enthused. "Every Booths site is different and they are really interested in design. "They see themselves as the 21st century equivalent of a market hall. The property will be one of the biggest buildings, where people will be milling around, in the town centre. That was the reason for the big open space because we were seeing it as a cross between a market hall and super grocer." He added: "We were trying to get a blend of something contemporary and very much part of the 21st century with the idea of a traditional market hall."

Mr Hills said there had been few hurdles to overcome - rather the location behind The Westmorland Gazette offices meant certain features could be incorporated into the design which were not always feasible for a supermarket. Food stores have to be careful about letting too much sunlight in, but Mr Hills said the new Booths store's north-facing position meant a lot of glass could be used on that side of the building. "There was a great opportunity here for something that could be quite contemporary as a piece of architecture," he said. "We will be incorpor-ating as many features to make it sustainable so they can recycle energy," he added.

Part of the architect's brief was to create new purpose-built offices for The Westmorland Gazette above Lakeland. Once staff have relocated, contractors will move onto the rest of the site to start on Booths. "You get a real buzz out of seeing the work start - when they start clearing the site and begin building," said Mr Hills. He went on to explain that the architect's role was about understanding what the client wanted. "It is a two-way process. We have the technical knowledge but they know how supermarkets work. It is a very healthy dialogue. "All the Booths stores are different - they are a very high quality company and that goes right through to every part of the design."

Mr Hills also stressed the importance of working with the local planning authority. "We work very closely with the planners from the word go. We are non-aggressive architects - we like to work with people, not stamp out Hills Erwin-ness all over the place. Although it seems like that's stating the obvious, it's amazing how many architects think they know best."

The design work evolves as residents and interested groups air their views when the initial proposals go public, sending the architect back to the drawing board. "We saw the store from the outset as quite contemporary while we saw the link between the store and Stricklandgate as much more traditional," said Mr Hills. "But when we initially put in a planning application, we were criticised for the link being pastiche as if we were trying to mimic old Kendal. The Civic Society encouraged us to take a more contemporary design for the link." He added: "Now the shops along the link won't look like typical Kendal shops. They will be more modern but using traditional material - slate and stone. "The best design is blending the old and new. That's what we are hoping to achieve."

Some plans have been resubmitted to include the Daniel Gray property which will be refurbished to provide three new shops. The application also features the proposed new public piazza outside Booths store, overlooked by further shops and apartments. Mr Hills was confident members of the public would approve of the finished product. "I think it will be the quality of materials people appreciate. They like to see stone and nice detail and they can always tell if something is clean and looked after. Quality goes a long way."

Reproduced courtesy of The Westmorland Gazette,
'New Horizon', Friday, March 14, 2003

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