The Ark Book 2011
ARK
is a chartered architectural practice with a clear objective: The delivery of design excellence through an intensive process of research and dialogue.
We have a design-led approach that focuses on our clients needs and aims to deliver innovative solutions within cost and time constraints, while simultaneously exceeding expectations. We recognise the importance of efficiency and design rational, while at the same time value the opportunity of every project and look to maximise its unique potential. Our work is supported by strong technical expertise that joins together traditional thinking with progressive research, as well as recognised industry standards, including the Code for sustainable homes, and Energy Assessor status. Energy performance calculations and assessments form an integral part of our design process and result in solutions with proven sustainable credentials. Our approach delivers a project specific and sustainable architecture that responds sensitively to its context and delivers for our clients.
Durham Street, Wigan Wigan and Leigh Housing 49 dwellings for Wigan and Leigh Housing, resurrecting council developed housing in the Wigan area, constructed on a challenging and sloping site. The scheme is derived from a modern appraisal of terraced housing, particularly in the Wigan area, heavily influencing the materiality and site strategies.
Crummock Road, Preston Community Gateway Association The concept was to create urban villas for this Community Gateway scheme, as part of which Crummock Road introduces the portico as a architectural statement to the housing, forming a covered canopy to the entrance of each of the dwellings.
Lord Street, Leigh The Richmond Fellowship On the site of a former nightclub in the centre of Leigh, Ark was commissioned to develop a flagship apartment building with secure communal areas and gardens. Using a blue brick, identified on the former railway arches within the town, the scheme is deeply rooted within its context, with a contemporary twist.
New Auditoria, Wigan Today’s Community Church The scheme for Today’s community church features a 1,000 seater auditorium with attached conferencing and amenities, on a former industrial site in Wigan. This features the sustainable re-cladding and re-use of the former factory unit, which is linked to the new auditorium facilities by bridge link.
Upper Aughton Road, Preston Community Gateway Association Upper Aughton Road is a landlocked site on brownfield land, formerly inhabited by an industrial factory unit. The site was afflicted by overlooking properties and covenants governing positioning of units and car parking. Embracing the industrial heritage of the site, Ark borrowed cladding technologies from commercial and industrial design and applied them to create a striking elevational treatment. Burton Place, Manchester Ark Design and Architecture Ltd. The home of Ark in Manchester is our first foray into office design, creating a flexible office and meeting space with the Urban Splash developed Moho building. The office features a sliding feature room, offering levels of privacy to the meeting and relaxation spaces.
Ashdown Close, Southport Adactus Housing Group 18no. Apartments with attached gardens in Southport, where the main concept was to develop light and open spaces which become desirable living spaces for social tenants. The key feature of the design is the louvered balconies, which provide generous external amenity to the apartments, whilst maintaining tenant privacy.
Howard Street, Salford Fresh Start Living Salford, the spiritual home of the Coronation street terraces, lends itself to the terraced typology, allowing Ark to develop a terrace typology with contemporary styling, and features. Each row is terminated with timber clad feature units to the corners which form an iconic identity for the street, and the area.
Broadbent House, Maghull Adactus Housing Group Maghull features many intricate design details, from the timber post roof structure to the stack bonded brick elevations which form the entrances to the development. A continuous decked balcony links the dwellings, and provides space for outdoor gathering and chat for the residents.
Warwick Close, Southport Adactus Housing Group Inspired by the timber decked pier of Southport promenade, Ark set about to blend a simple palette of cedar boarding, brick and render to create this subtle apartment scheme set within landscaped communal areas.
Atkinson Road, Urmston Adactus Housing Group The feature corner balconies draw the eye at the corner of these apartments, anchored to the ground by the imposing steel structural column, complemented by the timber soffits which accentuate all the openings into the building.
Holly House, Lowton Private Client Extending a grade two listed house required additional care in the design process, when creating a contemporary addition to the existing building. In addition to the heritage of the existing, the extension also had to accommodate a sharp change in level, which Ark negotiated by creating a feature, focal point staircase to transition from the old to the new.
Howarth Road, Preston Community Gateway Association At Howarth road, we had an overriding vernacular of post-war style 1940’s/1950’s housing, within which we were required to site new, yet complimentary housing. Through intensive research, we reviewed the post war style and then redefined it with contemporary moves to enhance the merits of the style, juxtaposing this with key contemporary moves. Cotswold House, Wigan Adactus Housing Group This was a scheme for a hostel with associated restaurant and reception areas, for one of our social housing clients. The key drive was to generate a sense of ownership by giving generous sized apartment space to all occupants, each of which was accessed by a glazed winter garden atrium space.
Captains Green, Bootle Adactus Housing Group Captains Green offered a number of interesting design challenges, with the creation of two almost identical blocks at either end of a public green space, the challenge was to create light living spaces, without compromising on occupant privacy. The project team developed an innovative raised lounge area, to overcome these issues, allowing pedestrian traffic past the unit without affecting occupant comfort.
Wigan Pier, Wigan Spark Developments Ark took the former Wigan Pier museum, and developed it into commercial and leisure space with offices, an art gallery and a restaurant unit by the Leeds Liverpool Canal in Wigan. The key with this landlocked site was to create a open destination building. The ambition was to revitalise the existing building, maximising on the industrial heritage of the spaces throughout. The Laurels, Bolton Seddon Homes The Laurels is a luxury housing development for Seddon Homes set within the grounds of the listed house of the same name. Large master bedrooms open into adjacent suites and dressing areas. Double height dining areas are tailored for entertainment, opening onto large private courtyard spaces. Each of the homes is set off a tree lined private driveway, offering the ultimate in luxury living. Truro Place, Preston Community Gateway Association This is an infill scheme within a housing estate in Preston for eighteen new dwellings, which draw on the local vernacular of red brick and render, which is then complemented by sleek modernist principles applied to the roof line. The width of the street is accentuated, by introducing permeable boundaries to the footpath edge, which assists in re-inforcing a sense of place to the development.
Bridgewater Street, Hindley Adactus Housing Group Adactus commissioned Ark to create a development of six apartments within a quiet residential area of Wigan. The onus for the development was to provide secure support units for vulnerable tenants. Here we utilised quality materials using steel rainwater goods to accentuate the corner of the building, and to contrast the timber boarding and sandstone cills. Mixed use development, Wigan Gray Land and Property On an arterial road in the centre of Wigan, we were challenged to create an apartment development with associated retail on the ground floor and car parking. Ark generated a number of design options at feasibility stage, exploring many options for the client. It was important to create a landmark building using a tight budget, hence the use of colour to highlight the windows. Clement Court, Openshaw Adactus Housing Group Clement Court was the first of a new wave of interior design projects for Ark, as we continue to diversify our service offering. We took a typical retirement lounge area, and proposed it be opened into a light coffee bar style space, with a island bar/ kitchen, with low level seating to meet Disability requirements of the client. A new threshold to the lounge was created by incorporating a timber wrap over feature.
Ellesmere Road, Monton Private Client Out clients purchased their neighbouring house with a view to remodelling the Victorian dwelling completely. Ark were approached to not only alter the existing house, but to create additional space within a new contemporary extension to the side of the existing house. We also unlocked the potential of the basement area, opening this up to create additional recreational facilities. Palmyra Square Warrington Private Client The scheme for Palmyra Square was for a number of apartments sited in place of an existing council building overlooking a green public square. As the buildings bounding the square were predominantly red brick, the strategy for the new intervention was to create a floating brick facade, framing the colours of the main building cladding behind. Knutsford Road Warrington Peel Holdings A Challenging site on the boundary of Warrington town centre, which required a considered design approach to avoid overlooking issues from the raised roadway. The iconic roof-form was developed as a contemporary response to the local pitched roof vernacular of the surrounding buildings.
ARK DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE LTD. 4 Burton Place, Castlefield, Manchester M15 4PT T: 0161 819 5090 W: www.arkitecture.co.uk E: ideas@arkitecture.co.uk