Planning Portfolio

Planning Portfolio

Jonathan Gomes Architecture and Planning (AP4) 12010141 1

CONTENTS

04 - 05

CITY ANALYSIS

15 - 24

SITE ANALYSIS

34 - 41

CONTEXT 06 - 07

CITY MASTERPLAN

25 - 27

SITE PLAN

42 - 45

COM ST USK WAY ANALYSIS

28 - 30

MASTERPLAN PHASING

46 - 49

CITY QUARTER MASTERPLAN

31 - 33

INTRODUCTION

SWOT

2

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

REGIONAL MASTERPLAN

09

10 - 13 14

DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT

BUILDING DESIGN PROCESS

50 - 69 USE 77 -78

PLANNING APP DRAWINGS

94 - 102

THE BUILDING

70 - 71 AMOUNT 79 - 81 REFERENCES

103

PLANNING POLICY STATEMENT 72 - 75 LAYOUT 82 - 83 BIBLIOGRAPHY

103

SCALE 84 - 85

LANDSCAPING

86 - 87

APPEARANCE

88 - 89

ACCESS 90 - 91

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INTRODUCTION

This portfolio is prepared on behalf of Newport in support of the development of the Maltings site at the bottom of the Usk Way as well as proposed changes across the city. These being focused mainly along the Usk Way and Commercial Street.

The aim of this development is to kick start an upward trend in industrial output in the city of Newport. This will be achieved by introducing the automotive industry into Newport. Specifically, the production of electric engines. Through implanting this industry into the city, it will allow the local economy to benefit from the emerging electric car industry. This industry will be vital in the future and since it is presently in its infancy, it would be perfect for Newport to become involved in. This, with changes to the University of South Wales and its course locations, will help the UK as a whole to transition from its current high volume of combustion engine output into production of electric engines before obsolescence causes the UK to lose a vital export.

Newport has always been regarded as an industrial city. But since the Thatcher era, the city has wilted and through this lost its sense of identity. These industries gave the city a sense of place and so the city became reliant on them. Newport cannot rejuvenate in a commercial way due to the economic powerhouses of Cardiff and Bristol. This means Newport has to differentiate itself from these cities by focusing on what it has always been good at, industry. By returning industry but with its modern improvements, Newport can regain its sense of place whilst maintaining a comfortable environment. A notable change to the filth Newport would have endured during the industrial revolution.

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5

Context

Newport is a coastal frontier town near the border between Wales and England. Situated to the east of Cardiff, it has all the infrastructural benefits of being located near a capital city. This close vicinity also brings problems as Cardiff acts as an economic sponge for investment, taking it away from other potential investment areas (such as Newport). Despite this, Newport has many resources future development can harness to bring the city back to its former standing (such as the strong University links with the University of South Wales).

Within its national context, Newport sits on the frontier of the UK automotive industry in which it currently takes no part in. Bringing this industry into the city will connect it to this vast network of innovation and manufacture whilst bringing the economic boom Newport so desperately needs.

Newport has been deeply rooted in industry since the industrial revolution and experienced vast growth during this time. This being most prominent during the years of the coal industry. With the closure of the coal industry and the current failing steel industry, Newport is quickly losing not only its viability, but its identity also. A city without identity cannot inspire social, and in turn, economic growth. This is Newport’s most pressing issue and its remedy is bringing in this new industry to latch onto whilst diversifying its main industries to maintain its stability.

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UK automotive industry

7

THE MASTERPLAN

8

SWOT Analysis

9

Industrial Context of the UK

UK economy 2013

Looking towards the possible candidates for a replacement industry in Newport, these are the exports currently from the UK. The largest export category in 2013 was machinery and electrical. This means that the UK specialises in mechanical and electrical products.

Looking deeper into this category, it shows that the three largest exports in this category are gas turbines, automatic data compilers, and compression ignition engines. Gas turbines and automatic data compilers are impractical for Newport as these industries are already saturated in the UK and so Newport would receive little economic benefit pursuing them.

The third industry provides promise as although the engine market is saturated at this point, the combustion engine as it stands is nearing obsolescence. This is quickly being replaced by electric engines as the world tries to move away from fossil fuels before their inevitable depletion.

(Harvard University, 2013)

Electric engines provide Newport with a great opportunity. Not only does it plug a gap in the UK export market, it will help propel Newport forwards with the rapidly increasing market for these engines.

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(Harvard University, 2013)

Looking at the graphs from 1995-2013. It is evident that the market for electric engines has been steadily growing for the past decade. Almost every continent has seen production rise over this time. Although this has happened, the market is still very small as it only reaches nearly 50 billion dollars globally. This is approximately 1/9th of the UK’s economic output for 2013.

This provides Newport the perfect opportunity to jump into this industry whilst it is in its infancy and leverage the current steel industry in the city to achieve faster and more efficient output than other cities in the UK and globally.

(Harvard University, 2013)

Extending on from this, Newport could even, using these electric engines, create its own electric vehicles for the global market. This would be beneficial as the market for transport in general in the UK has been steadily growing whilst other categories have stalled. Newport also has access to workers with the right skill sets, large amounts of cheap land, and the transport infrastructure to make this possible.

The University of South Wales also could provide the new skills required for some aspects of this industry through the campus in Ponty-Pridd.

Extending the engineering based courses to Newport would further this as well. This ties in to the region as a whole even more through the new development of the ‘Circuit for Wales’ that will be built in Blaenau Gwent, to the north of Newport. This will provide a breeding ground for technical innovation that will link perfectly to Newport and its new automotive industry.

(Harvard University, 2013)

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Region Infrastructure

Road Networks

Dock Exports

A Roads Caerleon Ponty-Pridd

SWANSEA Motorways

NEWPORT

Bridgend CARDIFF

The clustering of road networks around Bristol and Cardiff help benefit Newport due to its close proximity to both cities. This connectivity will allow an industrial boom in Newport to have the required infrastructure to function.

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BRISTOL

The export capabilities of these cities vary. Swansea and the dock near Bristol export the most in the region by sea and so would be the ones to directly compete with through this export method.

University Locations

Universities

The major cities in the region all have at least one university. This opens the ability for region wide university collaboration to focus around Newport.

Universities with Automotive Courses

The prominence of the universities of these cities educating in the automotive related industries are similar. Newport is the one major city in the area without a university campus that educates in this industry. This provides the opportunity to introduce one to compete and collaborate within the region and beyond.

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Regional Masterplan The master plan will link up the cities of Newport, Cardiff and Bristol through university and business collaboration that will help to strengthen the automotive industry and help it mature in Newport. This comes from the rich history of the automotive industry in the UK from places like Silverstone and the future of the industry through places such as the soon to be built Circuit of Wales in Blaenau Gwent. Newport will be able to collaborate with these and other areas of promising research and design to take the industry into the future and towards electric engine technologies. Newport will also seek to be the largest exporter by sea in the region through the automotive industry and similar industries that serve it (such as steel).

Circuit of Wales, Blaenau Gwent

University and Industry Collaboration

Caerleon Ponty-Pridd

Circuit of Wales SWANSEA Exports PONTY-PRIDD Bridgend Ford Factory

Bridgend

CARDIFF

NEWPORT University collaboration links BRISTOL

UK Automotive Industry BRISTOL

SWANSEA & CARDIFF Newport will aim to be the new industrial hub of the region and surpass all the docks in the area in terms of exports. Its new identity will be safeguarded by a restricted development zone between Cardiff and Newport and expansion will instead be allowed to the north and east.

The plan for the region is to move the automotive relevant courses in the main engineering campus of the University of South Wales in Ponty-Pridd to Newport. Doing this will allow the campus to directly link to the site as well as allow better infrastructural connections from the campus to all the important identified sites.

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Newport Location

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Newport Environmental Constraints

Newport is situated in the south of Wales to the east of Cardiff. It is a city constrained by the multiple SSSI areas throughout the county and effectively prevents expansion to the south towards the coast. This has meant the city expansion has spread along the tendrils of the roads leaving the city towards the north and east.

The only expansion options available for the city would be towards the north and east regions of the city due to these constraints. This is beneficial as it maintains the barrier between Cardiff and Newport and stops the capital city absorbing Newport.

The other implication these environmental constraints have is the clear divide between the east and west of the city due to the restricted development caused by the SSSI areas.

Protected environmental areas

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Current City Wide Proposals 2011 - 2026

The Local Development Plan provides set zones for redevelopment around Newport (the pink). These are mostly designated for the large brownfield sites freed up from old industrial processes and infrastructure. This provides a lot of opportunity for large housing developments that will help to satisfy the vast need for housing in Newport. The danger of these new housing developments is the situation in which Newport becomes a suburb of Cardiff and Bristol. Newport currently has the lowest house prices of any city in the area and so becomes a perfect place for commuters to live. This has the implication of causing the city to lose employment and internal infrastructure as the vast majority of the population would be working out of the city. Increasing internal employment would help to stem this movement of population out of the city.

A new proposed section of the M4 to the south of the city also threatens to make this outward flow of employment greater. On the other hand, the new section provides increased capacity to the M4 and so provides vital infrastructure for the industry of the city. Another downside to the proposed route is the introduction of a height restriction for ships to part of the Newport dock. This means that a new dock will need to be proposed if Newport is to continue its industrial output and grow in the future.

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City Scale

There is a clear divide between the industrial and residential areas in the city. This has the implication of making industry a secondary part of the city and diminishes its importance in the eyes of the public. Since Newport has historically gotten its sense of identity from its industrial processes, the city is shunning its own identity. This leads to the place feeling empty and without purpose.

Residential

Industrial

Residential and Industrial Zones

The city has a strong transport link (the M4) to the north of the city that allows for easier exporting and connections to the rest of the UK. This is beneficial for industry as it provides the required infrastructure to carry out business.

There is also a dock to the south of the city that will provide export infrastructure via the sea. This allows heavy materials that are uneconomical to transport by plane to be moved economically. This has implications for the current steel industry as raw material can be brought in by sea and the finished product can be shipped abroad if production allows.

Infrastructure 18

There are multiple barriers to the communities across Newport. This being mainly the rail line, river, and major roads. This has the implication of making walking within the city difficult and promoting car use and anti-social tendencies.

Movement Barriers

Using these barriers, this image highlights the residential areas and where permeating the fabric of the city is difficult or impossible. This difficulty is most prominent in the southern quarter of the city as difficult to cross roads cluster in this area. The city will need a tram network to knit the areas together and reduce traffic to make these difficult areas more easily passed.

Divided Communities 19

Transport

Bus

Rail

The bus network in the city is evenly spread between the east and west of the city. This is beneficial as it provides some of the transport needs the site will require. Some routes will need to be removed due to the closure of the Usk Way to traffic and so a tram network becomes the perfect solution.

The rail services in the city provide the perfect infrastructure for rail freight for the increased industrial output as a result of the masterplan.

This further demonstrates the high level of infrastructure available to industry in the city.

Cycle Paths

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Major Car Routes

The city as a whole is poorly serviced by cycle routes. The main connection points are from the centre and south of the city to the rest of the region. This has the implication of only bringing people from outside of Newport. Due to the distances involved, this is likely to be few. One benefit of the current network is that it connects the site to the centre of the city easily.

The major car routes divide the city into east and west. This prevents easy permeation between these two areas and so the Usk Way route poses a major problem. This will be remedied by pedestrianising this route and allowing traffic to flow around the city rather than through it. The southern route will also be reduced to two lanes for vehicular access from four and made a one way strip. This will make crossing this barrier easier and safer, especially for the site.

Local Economy

Initially, Newport’s industry was based around the exporting of coal. This provided the majority of the jobs for the city and so the city expanded during this time to accommodate the economic growth. With the closure of the coal mines, a large part of the city’s economy closed off with it. The steel industry being a later but still large part of the economy helped to keep the city afloat in the last century. Now the city faces the closure of its main industry again with pressure from cheap Chinese steel imports around the world. This lack of ability to compete will see the majority of the steel industry dry up in Newport and further eat into the economy of the city. This being clearly evident in the fact Newport has lost 4000 jobs between 2005-2009, even though this was a period of extreme economic growth.

The problems left from these factory closures will be;

- The unemployed skilled work force

- The raise in poverty levels

- Drop in city image and loss of identity

- Lack of funding to prevent flooding Newport has always been a manufacturing city and through this it has gained its identity. The loss of this industry has diminished the identity of the city and left it feeling hollow. This highlights the need for a progression from the steel industry as it is to a system that uses the output from this industry to fuel another more valuable industry. Such as the automotive industry. Such an industry would generate a demand for steel, which would help maintain current jobs, whilst creating a new industry that would generate more revenue and diversify Newport’s industry.

(Newport Book, 2015)

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Steel in Newport

1962 - Opening of Richard Thomas and Baldwin’s £150m spencer works at Llanwern, Newport.

1967 - Industry nationalised and Llanwern becomes part of the British Steel Corporation.

2001 - Corus announces 1,340 redundancies with the end of steel making at Llanwern.

2009 - Hot rolling mill shut down due to poor market conditions, many losing their jobs.

2011 - Tata Steel hot strip mill shut down again resulting in more job loses.

2012 - Hot mill reopens with 120 workers taken on.

2015 - Reports of 250 redundancies with part of the plant shut down again (Newport Book, 2015) Hot strip mill - Semi-finished slabs of steel are reheated to near melting point, rolled thinner and longer, and then sold as coils.

Tata Steel Production Line: CLOSING (Newport Book, 2015) Pickle line - Oxide scale, which forms when the steel is rolled, is removed. It is also rinsed and dried before finishing.

Tata Steel Production Line: One of two lines CLOSING

Cold strip mill - Steel is compressed at room temperature, reducing its thickness and improving its surface and strength.

Tata Steel Production Line: CLOSING

Galvanising line - A coating of zinc is applied to the steel. Mainly made for the car market and products ranging from washing machines to DVD players. Llanwern invested £3.6m on its Zodiac line a couple of years ago.

Tata Steel Production Line: OPEN

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“Some of the best steel in the world is made at Llanwern. Let us recognise that, champion Llanwern, and not stand aside and watch, jobs, investment and innovation go elsewhere.”

- Jessica Morden (Labour MP for Newport East)

Newport has an advantageous placement geographically as it has the benefits of the M4 linking it to Cardiff and London as well as a port to export heavy shipments across the world. Lighter shipments are also capable through Cardiff and Bristol International Airports.

These aspects, paired with the low land value of Newport, make it the perfect breeding ground for manufacture based industry where transport links and cheap land are vital.

It is evident that due to the large influx of steel from China, the steel industry of Newport can no longer compete and will eventually shut down almost entirely. This is with the exception of the galvanising line. This provides the opportunity to use this steel within Newport. The city could make its own vehicles and help bolster its steel industry itself whilst providing new jobs and opportunities for the skilled workers of the city.

(Newport Book, 2015)

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Education

Community Learning Centres

Residents Without Qualifications

(Newport Book, 2015)

(Newport Book, 2015)

There are three community learning centres in Newport which supply support services, courses and services for those with special needs. These are clustered around the city centre.

Residents without Qualifications. The intensity of the colour indicates the percentage of residents with no qualifications. The most severe averages at around 40% a ward.

This has the implication of drawing all social activities for young people towards the centre and leaves the rest of the city disused by this demographic group.

This means that a large percentage of population in Newport lack the qualifications to work in the higher tier jobs of industry. This means that some form of re-education will be required to bring this demographic into work.

Significant Unemployment Rates

Comparison Between Lack of Qualifications and Unemployment

(Newport Book, 2015) The above diagram maps the wards with the highest unemployment rate. This was compared with resident’s qualifications to see if there was any link between the two.

This further emphasises the need for re-education to integrate people into work (especially in industry).

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(Newport Book, 2015) Two of the wards indicated a link between unemployment and low qualifications.

This confirms the need for the development to have some form of educational spaces for all ages to help remove the current trend in these areas towards no qualifications whilst helping to reintegrate those who have fallen victim to this trend.

Speed Planning

The masterplanning process was started through a group speed planning session. This lead to some of the major ideas in the project such as the closure of the Usk Way and development restricted zones.

Group Masterplan This process was helpful as it allowed for the testing of ideas and provided the first step towards a masterplan approach. This manifested in a group masterplan.

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Progression of the Master Plan

The initial overarching idea for the master plan was the blending of residential with industrial zones. So much so that the actual buildings themselves become mixed use. This has the benefit of reducing travel times and increasing trust in industry as the processes are more transparent and friendlier to people.

This progressed to the idea of a set of centres across the city that are served by a cross city tram network to facilitate this growth in industry whilst connecting the city together more. This version of the master plan also had the introduction of restricted development zones around the perimeter of the city to restrict expansion and buffer Newport from Cardiff. This was later removed from the north and east as it was decided it was too restrictive of the city’s growth. The buffer zone to the west of Newport was maintained for the sole reason of keeping a physical barrier between the urban fabrics of Cardiff and Newport.

Further in the design process, the idea of industry permeating residential zones was taken further and pushed up into the centre of the city to attempt to apply a sense of identity that would be consistent in large parts of the city. The expansion of residential zones was also explored and projected large growth towards the east and north of the city. This was later reduced as it is over estimating the growth of the residential areas of the city.

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City Master Plan

The masterplan for the city proposes a set of mixed use zones extending into the centre of the city. These zones will relax planning regulation to allow the conversion of use classes A1 and C3 into B1 business. This allows for light industrial as well as R&D business to permeate into the centre of the city.

The inevitable residential expansion of the city is zoned to the west of the city to allow for unobstructed growth and prevents Newport and Cardiff merging together.

New restricted development areas are designated for the west and north west of the city. This helps to preserve rural communities in these locations and keep a physical barrier between Cardiff and Newport.

A new dock will be built to replace the lost capacity due to the new M4 relief road dividing the dock. It will be situated on the site of a current energy facility which will close within 10 years due to it being a coal-fired, aging plant.

The final proposal in the plan is for a cross city tram network that will help to knit together the inner city, suburbs and more rural out skirt communities. There is also an express tram line between the proposed development site, and the Newport and Caerleon campuses of the University of South Wales. This link will provide quick connections between the campuses and with some reorganisation of course locations for the university, the site will provide invaluable learning experience through its teaching facilities.

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CONTEXT

Newport is a city on the South-East coast of Wales. It is a frontier town between Wales and England with it’s own unique identity. Architecturally and spatially the city is Victorian. This being due to the explosive growth the city experienced during this time due to the coal industry. This means the inner fabric of the city was never designed for the car and so the city is difficult to permeate by vehicle. Not only this but when the coal industry left Newport, a large part of its purpose and identity left with it. Now the areas that were once hotspots for activity such as the Pill, are run down and dilapidated. Along the Usk Way and Commercial Street there are gaps forming in the urban fabric where buildings that have fallen into disrepair through lack of investment and maintenance. This can be remedied by pushing new industry into these gaps as they form along these streets and help drive industry into the centre of the city. This would help return Newport’s industrial identity and promote further investment.

The city, like most, harbours activities at all times of the day and night.

This 24 hour movement around the city provides the spaces within the city with life. Despite this 24 hour nature of the city, during night hours the major areas for activity (such as Commercial St) tend to be mostly void of people as these spaces have no night time use (apart from the occasional sleeping person). This lack of night use in the city’s major areas will need to be remedied with the introduction of industry in the city centre as some will need to process day and night. This will make Newport truly a 24 hour city.

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Examples of abandoned buildings on Commercial St

Commercial Street and Usk Way Area

The residential areas (pink) are entirely separate from the industrial (purple). The industrial acts as a large impermeable wall between the Usk Way and the south of Commercial Street. This has the implication of dividing communities and causing a lack of social interaction between the spaces.

This will be remedied by the mixing of residential and industrial uses to allow people to permeate industry more easily.

The current access across this area is predominantly for the car (red). There is pedestrian access (black) along the riverbank and partially in the centre but there is no easy connection between these two routes. This disconnect makes movement between south and north difficult on foot and as such prevents some from accessing the centre almost entirely. Pedestrianisation of the Usk Way and Commercial Street will help to remove this disconnect and knit together the inner city.

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River Tide and Flooding

High and Low Tide from the Site

14th October 2013 Floods

The River Usk has some unique qualities;

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- Second highest tidal rise and fall of any river in the world.

- Every spring tide, some 70,000 tons of silt are carried in on the tide and then out again.

- Flow of water can vary from 10 cubic metres per second to 1000 cubic metres per second.

- Largest tidal range known for Newport is 13.45m.

These qualities have the implication of making the river extremely prone to bursting its banks. This means either vast amounts of land need to be set aside for flooding, or the river bank needs increasing in height through the use of flood walls or dykes.

The River Usk has flooded repeatedly in recent history. These floods have disproportionately affected the east of the city. This shows the urgent need for strengthening of the east bank flood defences. Despite this, the west bank of the river also needs some strengthening as it has started to fail and flooded some of the low laying areas of the city. The proposed development is situated in one of these flood-able zones. This means that increased flood defences would be needed to protect the site as well as the current development in the area by creating a continuous defence.

Some flood-able land to the east may be necessary to alleviate the flooding on the east bank. This would be best located to the north outside of the city. This would mean the water would be caught in a flood plain before it has a chance to reach the city. Unfortunately, flood plains are fairly land intensive and so may not be economically viable.

Industrial Push and Flood Defence

The proposal for the Commercial St and Usk Way portion of the city is for the introduction of the designated zones that will allow the change of use classes A1 and C3 into B1 business. This is proposed to help reintroduce the manufacturing and, by extension, designing into the city. This is aimed at restoring the identity of the city, help attract further investment, and give the city 24 hour activity.

A number of derelict sites have been identified along the Usk Way that would be ideal for mixed use developments between these use classes. This mixing of uses will help people living in the area to become more involved and trusting in the industrial and design processes. This will inspire pride in the community as they will feel a part of the city and its processes.

Looking at Commercial St, there are a number of buildings in poor condition and unused that would be perfect seeds for investment into the area by demonstrating to potential investors the benefits of small industrial and design businesses and what they can contribute as a whole to a company.

The final proposal for this area would be the redevelopment of the river bank area of the site and beyond. These areas can be prone to flooding so flood defences along this portion will be implemented. This will protect the Pill area from the increased frequency of floods expected due to climate change.

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Access

Commercial St and Usk Way will be almost entirely pedestrianised to allow for a more pedestrian friendly connection through the proposed areas of use class changes. Pedestrianised streets have also been proposed between these two streets to make direct connections from both streets to the new Friars Walk shopping centre development. These connections will make the both roads become one area rather than the two clearly different spaces they currently are.

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The proposed access changes to this area are the introduction of the tram network across the city and the express line running through to the site which was referred to in the city wide proposal.

The final proposal is for a new pedestrian bridge towards the bottom of the Usk Way area. This is connected straight through to Commercial St and helps to knit together the populations in Pill and the east side of the river bank. This is important because the majority of the bridges crossing the river Usk in the city give priority to the car. This makes the bridge feel less safe and people will be less inclined to walk across it.

City Quarter

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Site

The site for the proposed development is in the south of the city at the junction point between the residential areas and the industry to the far south. The proposed site consists of a grade II listed malt house and a partially landscaped site. It is currently grassed over with a tarmacked route running along the south river bank. The listed Maltings building is currently inaccessible due to fire damage and its closure for safety reasons.

The site is surrounded by warehouse based industry and a scrap yard to the east. To the south there is the River Usk and beyond that a large assembly factory. To the north there is new housing development consisting mostly of multi storey apartment blocks.

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Pedestrian Access

Residential and Industrial

Matching the residential and industrial make up of the site and surrounding area with the movement barriers demonstrates the massive disconnect in the area. Not only are the industrial areas entirely impermeable, access on the site is blocked to the west. A perimeter around the existing Maltings building also currently exists which further restricts access on the site.

Access Barriers

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The Maltings Building

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Art installation to the west of the site

Old lock to the west of the site

View of road from site

Example of industry along the Usk Way

Scrap yard to the west of the site

Spatial

Section 2

Section 1

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Section 1

Spatially, the site is very flat and is dominated only by the Maltings building. It is by far the tallest man-made object on the site and one of the tallest in the surrounding area (only passed by an apartment block and the bridge. This makes the site very exposed but provides a lot of potential for design freedom.

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Section 2

Views

The Transporter Bridge

The Maltings Building

The A48 Bridge

The major views within the site and surroundings are the transporter bridge, the Maltings building itself, and the bridge crossing the river.

These views are important as they are the highest objects in the area and so act as position markers in the city to help people to orientate themselves as well as contribute to the overall skyline.

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Local Climate

Highest Recent Flood Event

Local Sun Path

The local climate is one of the warmest and sunniest in the UK due to the shielding and warming effect from the gulf stream. This makes schemes designed around harnessing solar gain perfect for Newport.

The Maltings building is an important structure on the site and so how the sun shadows this building is important. In the summer the sun hits every face of the building and due to the exposed nature of the site, the sun path is unobstructed. In the winter the northern faces are cast in shadow for the entire day. This provides a refuge from the direct sun in the winter months.

Recent flooding shows the entire site is currently at risk. A flooding intervention would be needed to be implemented to make the site usable and protect the areas beyond that would be flooded in the future as sea levels rise.

Local Wind Directions

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Summer Shadows

Winter Shadows

Maltings Building and Site History

1880

1900

(DIGIMAP, 2016)

(DIGIMAP, 2016) In the 1880s the current Malting building didn’t exist and the site was dominated with industrial buildings relating to the iron foundry to the north-east of the site. These were all serviced by rail and the freight was carried to the dock and beyond.

In the 1900s the Maltings building came into existence and began operations. This was serviced by the existing rail infrastructure and allowed the output from the building to be transported across the country.

1950

1970

(DIGIMAP, 2016)

(DIGIMAP, 2016) In the 1950s, the output from the Maltings was exported via rail only as the old dock had closed and the Wharfs that lined the river bank had been decommissioned. The iron foundry to the north-east of the site was expanded during this time and continued exporting via rail.

In the 1970s the Maltings building was decommissioned and left derelict for 35 years until the building succumbed to an arson attack in 2005. It has been left in ruins ever since. The remaining industry on the site has diminished over the coming decades and now the site is entirely industry free with some light landscaping to allow people to access the site.

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Site Design Process

The initial iteration of the design involved the factory being places to the east of the Maltings building. The blocks around the square were designated mixed use between industrial B1 uses and residential C3 uses.

There was also a focus on the permeability of the site and connections were made to the north, east, and west. This was all eventually redesigned due to the further refinement of the factory conflicting with the designed urban fabric.

The design progressed to the factory reforming again to be more rectilinear and fit the form of the Maltings building more closely. The urban fabric was reconfigured to fit this new design and again focused around the square.

The process moved on from this to a new urban fabric around the site and with a focus towards the new location of the square. The factory was refined more and extended entirely towards the lock. A new tram station was also added to the north west of the site.

The design was further refined in the next iteration with new proposed residential, industrial, and mixed use blocks. The urban fabric was also refined to have less focus on the square in the site and allowed some exploration of the site. This was decided against as it made the urban fabric confusing to navigate and took away from the exhibition of the factory process.

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This iteration realigned the urban fabric to be more rectilinear and returned the focus of the site to the square by the lock. This design was then further refined in the next iteration and new blocks were added to the south of the square to reduce exposure. This iteration was almost entirely scrapped as the funding wasn’t there for the majority of the urban fabric designed and the factory needed to be redesigned and scaled down.

This iteration looked at encasing the Maltings building, and fully occupying it and its surroundings. The urban fabric around the building was greatly reduced due to funding and placed to the south and east of the site. This also helped to preserve certain view channels to the transporter bridge from various locations in the site and surroundings. Through further refinement the block of industry to the south was removed.

In the final iteration of the site, the removed industrial block was replaced with an interactive learning area tied to the factory. This was decided on due to the learning orientated nature of the building. The industrial zone to the east was refined into two distinct mixed use blocks to help compliment the inclusion of people into the industrial process that would exist on the site. A new dyke style flood defence was also proposed to alleviate the flood risk of the site and protect the new as well as the current developments behind. This defence would carry on along the river bank to the north and west of the site to continue the defence all along the river and remove any chance of flooding.

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Site Tarmac will be used as the surface across the site to continue the current use of materials across the site whilst providing a hard wearing material that will be easily maintained The trees on the site will be moved into this new position and more local tree species will be planted in this location. They will be used as a visual and acoustic screen to the turning circle for deliveries.

The site itself proposes a large electric assembly plant and teaching space around the current Maltings building. A large steel structure will then span over the listed building and be covered in ETFE to maintain the view of the building. The building as a whole will be glazed to allow for views of the Maltings building and the processes going on throughout the factory and teaching spaces.

A new bridge will be provided across the old lock to help better connect the site to its surroundings and make the lock less of a connection barrier to entering the site. The new bridge will also serve as a way to view the mudflats from above to observe the wildlife that interacts with it.

Outside of the building is a ‘Techniquest’ styled interactive play space that allows school children to engage with the process and learn about electric engines safely and simply. The glazed building will allow direct views from this space inside so the children can see what they have learned being applied.

The interactive play space will be surfaced with tarmac, the same as the rest of the site. This will be broken up though with patches of wild bushes to create small paths and spaces. These spaces will then house the play equipment.

Small one meter dykes border the flood able area of the site to prevent water completely flooding the site. These dykes are cut into with stone walls similar to those that currently exist on the site. This is to give a sense of continuity across the site as well as add a bit of old local vernacular back. Benches are then attached to this wall at regular intervals to allow for resting places for the elderly and disabled.

Connections

Wild bushes help to slightly reduce the strain on the river capacity during high rainfall events by drawing in some of the water. The wild bushes also cause a natural barrier to prevent anyone falling onto the mudflats or into the river, improving the safety of the site.

The old lock will be cleared of the plant life that currently exists there to allow for the mudflats to come back. This will provide more habitat for local wildlife and enable a viewing area of this wildlife within the site.

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Rough patches of daffodils are planted around the site to introduce some colour into the predominantly grassed areas.

This vibrant yellow also ties into the bright factory machinery colours to create an overall aesthetically pleasing environment with welsh plant life bringing character to the place.

Site Design

Enric Miralles uses straight paths to dictate the flow of people through the site. Usually people would rebel against such order and would take unintended short cuts. This is remedied through the use of rounded corners between these straight elements. This gives a much softer form and more flexibility to movement across the site.

Using this approach, the design of the site consists of straight elements with rounded corners to give a less dictated route whilst maintaining an order within the site. The curved routes also serve to draw people through the site as long straight paths tend to deter people and make a site less interesting to move through.

Enric Miralles - Olympic Archery Range 45

Phase 1

Masterplan Phasing Policy Change Use classes A1 and C3 allowed to change into B1 business within the designated zones.

New bridge implemented

Infrastructure Changes Pedestrianisation of the Usk Way and Commercial St. Implementation of the tram lines and tram stations Conversion of the A48 road into a two lane, one way street.

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-

2016 - 2020

Phase 2

-

2021 - 2024

Landscaping and Flood Defences Planting of wild bush along the river bank Patches of daffodils spread throughout the site randomly to give a wild aesthetic Path changes Dyke with walls implemented

New park space ready for building completion New bridge over the old lock Trees planted to mask areas from the road

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Phase 1

-

2025 - 2027

The Building Trees implemented to mask lorry noise Front car park and lorry turning circle completed The building is completed The interactive play space is fitted with the learning equipment

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Phase 2

-

2028 - 2040

Industrial Expansion Policy change causes expansion of industry into the centre of the city Mixed use blocks are built

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THE BUILDING

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Programme Specifications

UQM Factory Precedent

The electric engine assembly plant with teaching space lends itself perfectly to Newport because of the economic climate it exists in. It sits between the service economy of Cardiff and the arts and service economy of Bristol. The only way to diversify the economy of Newport is to play on its strengths and pursue its industrial history. The current industries it is home to are failing due to the global market but the automotive industry provides promise. With the advent of electric engines, Newport can jump on this industry in its infancy and leverage its resources of strong infrastructure, workforce, and large amounts of cheap land. This combination will allow this industry to take root in the city and be fed regionally and locally by the network of universities across the region.

The industry will function much like the German automotive industry where instead of having one extremely large plant, you have hundreds of smaller units that each make something distinct. This collaborative method of manufacture will help to involve the whole city, rather than the limited area a large plant would affect.

The building itself will make electric engines for the automotive industry and teach students of the University of South Wales, and local people, how the engines work and how to make them. This will give them the skills to push this industry in Newport and bring up the local skill base and employment rates.

An example of a factory that makes the type of electric engine Newport will make is the UQM factory in Colorado, USA. This type of electric engine is highly durable and can be used in all forms of road vehicle. The factory itself is semi-automated. This means that the engines are partially assembled by machine and partially by hand. This approach would likely carry into the future and so will be the approach of the factory in the design. This means that the factory will be able to employ locals in Newport and teach them new skills rather than be entirely driven by profit.

Power inverter and controller

Electric Motor

(UQM, 2016)

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Scale Tests

Tesla Factory - California, USA

(Tesla Motor Club, 2012)

The Tesla factory is a famous example of an electric car plant that makes their own electric engines. The factory is enormous and in terms of scale, takes up a space the size of the Usk Way quarter of the city. This plant broken down into its parts though can easily fit in the brownfield sites across the southern portion of the city. This gives the opportunity for the electric engine assembly plant to feed other automotive buildings to create an entire vehicle.

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McLaren Production Centre by Foster & Partners, London

UQM Technologies Scale Test

The McLaren factory is an example of an combustion engine car factory.

The scale of this building fits within the site and has to house entire cars.

This demonstrates the outer limits of space needed for engine assembly.

The UQM factory implanted into the site is even smaller and shows a similar scale to what is required from the building in Newport. This being the factory most similar to the aim of the building, this scale has served as the reference for the requirements of the building.

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Environmental Moderator

The environmental moderator task was useful as it allowed for the testing of approaches of manipulating the environment. In this case, light and views. The main approach learned from this project involved manipulating the light through elements to change the quality of light in the space.

The project also served as a test for approaches that in the end didn’t work. This was mostly based around the treatment of materials in the design. The specified material didn’t have the required durability for the site and in the end wouldn’t have worked.

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Design Iteration 1

The initial design iteration involved testing the possibilities of the site.

The process started with filling the site entirely and breaking it down into spaces gradually until arriving at the T-shapped building. This form lent it self to the industrial process as industrial buildings are often long forms to maximise the linear process from raw material to final product.

The secondary function of the building originally was to create an art space for scrap materials but this wasn’t carried on to the next iteration due to the nature of the low waste from assembly plants.

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Design Iteration 2

The T shape of the building morphed into an L shape and gained a second floor. The secondary function had changed from exhibition to teaching. These uses were carried through the rest of the year as they provided the opportunity for the building to become an important part of the masterplan.

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Winch process for the engine

Visibility into the building

Education Industry

The main aspect of this design was the eight pods that the engine would be winched into and assembled. This would have been done in front of a glazed wall to show off the assembly process to the public. This approach was adjusted in the next iteration to just show off the process of assembly and allowed a more flexible layout for the factory space.

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Design Iteration 3

This design iteration took the Maltings building that exists on the site and began to occupy the space. The design changed a lot during this process but the final positioning of the building was to the left of the Maltings building and within it.

The idea behind the design was to create a continuous building with the Maltings that reflected the form of it but gave a more contemporary design solution with modern materials.

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The relationship between the building and the site changed from the previous iteration and now the building became a barrier protecting the rest of the site from the noise of the road. The continuous flow of the building as well as the overarching structure created a barrier that was permeable for people but opaque to noise.

Treatment of the site lead to a formalised and structured urban fabric that was designed towards drawing people towards the public square created by the building. This would have provided the perfect observational space for people of the assembly factory within.

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Visibility into the building

Cafe & outdoor space Education Industry

Elevational building sections

Schedual of Accomodation Plant Vehicle Storage Loading Storage Quality Control Reception Office Classrooms (x2) Teaching Space Toilets (x3 Pairs) Kitchen Canteen Open Space

Total M2 576 240 180 504 196 30 60 200 240 168 128 180 912

The building was formed of three floors. The industrial processes occurred on the ground floor, the educational spaces on the first floor, and the meeting spaces were on the roof. This lead to a design that flipped the traditional model of a building and put the public space on the roof.

The bottom floors then became inaccessible to the public, apart from the reception and stair cores leading to the roof.

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Interim model

View from the A48

The design was dropped and the building was formed again from scratch.

The method of extending the old Maltings building was unconvincing and lead to issues of material junctions between the old and new buildings.

Looking at the history of the building, it was also decided that trusting the structural integrity of the Maltings building entirely would have been problematic due to the fire damage it had sustained previously. This lead to the approach of the final design of encasing the building and occupying it independent of the fabric of the Maltings.

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Final Design Iteration (Post Interim Review)

Breaking down the building into components, the process for this iteration began with piecing these together into different forms. It was based around the cyclical process from storage of raw material, through the assembly process, and then back into the storage area. From here the finished engines would be exported.

This cyclical process provided the perfect system to be observed and so the entire building was designed around viewing into this space.

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The site itself needed an entire redesign from the previous iteration due to the new form of the building. Looking at the flooding analysis, it was evident that a highly built up site would be impractical and in fact large parts of the site would end up flooding in the future as sea levels rose and the river burst its banks more frequently. This led to parts of the site being designed to flood during these times so that the river had increased capacity and allowed the water to flow into safe places rather than into the surrounding area, causing substantial damage.

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Nagasaki Prefectural Museum Kengo Kuma

The above model was eventually settled on as the beginnings of the final design. Taking inspiration from the Nagasaki Museum, the new portion of the building that wraps around the Maltings building is entirely transparent with a louvre system to alleviate the solar gain typical for entirely glazed buildings.

The height of the building also served to inspire the final iteration as the scale of the building was perfect for the site as it would be fairly low compared to the Maltings building, maintaining view paths to it.

(Architecture Week, 2009) Louvre walls letting views through and blocking sunlight

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The transparency of the building allows for view channels into the building and to the Maltings building. The entire approach of transparency was decided on to demonstrate a sensitivity to the local context and set back the new development whilst clearly exhibiting the industrial process within the building. This visual interaction helps to break the monolithic nature of industrial buildings and create a building that can engage the community whilst serving its use.

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Views through the building

The elevational treatment at this stage in the process involved the teaching space being entirely louvred and protected from solar gain. This light mediation was only used on the teaching space and the factory was left entirely unobstructed glazing. This had the benefit of allowing entirely clear views into the building but was impractical due to the controlled light necessary in a factory space.

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Development of the teaching space

Originally the teaching space was designed to contain two lecture theatres, three classrooms, toilets and a safety orientation room. The classrooms were later reduced to two and the lecture theatres were merged to make one large theatre.

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East elevation

Horizontal louvre diagram

Rear elevation

The final iteration comprised of a distinct assembly plant, a separate teaching space, and garden space within the old Maltings building. Looking at the reason for the abandonment of the Maltings building, it was deemed the structure would be too damaged by fire to be trustworthy to fully occupy. Instead it was decided a garden space would be much more beneficial to the local community and allowed local people to experience the building comfortably. The space is covered by a large ETFE enclosure that keeps the space dry and semi-ambient. The plant itself is wrapped around the back of the Maltings building to preserve as much of the view of the building from the road as possible. This recessed back approach is also evident in the location of the teaching space and the overall design of the site. The teaching space comprises of two floors. The ground floor contains the plant room, toilets, two classrooms, and a double height lecture theatre. The first floor is accessible via the stairs, the lecture theatre, or the lift. The first floor is comprised of the exit to the lecture theatre, the staff room, the staff office, and the health and safety orientation room.

This then leads on to a steel gantry that overlooks the whole assembly plant space. The whole building is glazed and the quality of light is moderated via a series of louvres and slats. This iteration was finally decided on and developed further due to its sensitivity to the local context by preserving the views of the Maltings building, and its transparency to the outside. This allows local people to learn about the process, and engage with the industrial system. This helps people to trust industry more and become a part of it. This will inspire community pride.

Ground floor plan

First floor plan

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The Final Building

The building is an electric engine assembly plant with teaching facilities.

The current grade II listed Malting building is spanned across by a large corten steel frame filled in with ETFE to create a covered space. The building will be occupied by storage to the west, and the centre and east portions of the building will be garden space to aid with social cohesion and ventilation into the building. There are also two small buildings placed within the garden space, the factory engineer’s office and the collaborative classroom. These buildings help to connect all the spaces together. The back portion of the building is the factory space with the teaching facilities connecting through from the east portion of the building. The services are then placed between these two spaces to allow isolated access from both sides. The ground floor of the teaching space is comprised of two classrooms and one lecture theatre.

The entire building is glazed to allow the building’s internal activities to be transparent to the people using the site. This helps to build trust with the local community by involving them in the process by observing it.

Ground Floor 70

The first floor involves the teaching and factory spaces. The teaching space houses mostly staff uses on this floor but does contain the safety orientation room which students may enter. Through this they can access the steel gantry and the factory space below with supervision. The other spaces on this floor involve the exit to the lecture theatre, the staff room, and the staff office.

First Floor 71

PLANNING POLICY

Planning Policy Wales

This policy guidance for LPAs in Wales identifies in paragraph 9.2.9 the need to encourage co-location between uses where this would benefit a low carbon economy (p.144, 2016). This development would follow this by locating residential within B1 class industrial zones to minimise the travel distances between locations.

The policy guidance also identifies, in the paragraphs of 4.13, the welsh language and culture as important aspects of new development which work collectively towards the goal of a “Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh Language� (p.77, 2016). This is complied with within this development by the addition of Welsh spoken classes within the teaching space of the building. This further complies with policy through the preservation and conservation of heritage by occupying and maintaining the old Maltings building whilst introducing local plant life to flourish within the space.

Finally, paragraph 4.7.4 of the policy guidance advises strong links to public transport to increase development sustainability (p.68, 2016). This is complied with through the provision of a tram network throughout Newport to connect all areas of the city to the site as well as other important centres.

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Wales Spatial Plan (2008 Update)

Technical Advice Notes

Tan 12 Design

Tan 18 Transport

Tan 23 Economic Develop ment

This policy provides some weight to the planning process as it holds some relevance to how Newport should organise itself in the national context, but it should also be acknowledged that the research for the policy would be based on even older information. It would also omit the important event of the 2008 global recession that would affect viability drastically. The policy plans the connecting of the surrounding areas of Newport to itself and beyond (p.29, 2008). This is where the age of the document is most evident. Newport is considered as part of the ‘capital area’ rather than having an individual identity in its own right. Since 2008 it has become more important that individual cities be able to provide for themselves due to the lacking economy. The approach considered for this development is a network of connected settlements such as Ponty Pridd to Newport and Cardiff whilst maintaining the physical boundaries of Cardiff and Newport as two separate urban areas. This has the benefit of providing character to Newport that would be lost if growth of Cardiff to the east was left unrestricted.

The design process for this development adhered to this TAN closely due to its large policy weighting coming from its very recent adoption compared to other TAN documents. The policy talks about the methods of ‘good design’. Planning Policy Wales defines good design as going beyond “aesthetics and includes the social, environmental and economic aspects of the development, including its construction, operation and management, and its relationship to its surroundings” (p.6, 2016). As seen in the good design wheel, good design involves engaging with the issues of access, movement, character, community safety and environmental sustainability. The proposed development engages with all of these through careful design of lighting and ventilation of the building, unobstructed movement of people through the site, equal access for everyone, well lit areas, and the use of long lasting, sustainable materials.

Section 7 of the TAN advises the use of public transport as a method of reducing car dependency. The document advices all transport requirements are put in place before the occupation of any new development (p.3, 2007). This proposal would adhere to this and provide the tram stop required for the site first before any other substantial development is concluded.

The TAN states “market forces do not respect local authority boundaries and the planning system should steer development to the most efficient and sustainable locations. This means that strategic planning, larger than individual local planning authorities, for economic development is essential” (p.6, 2014). This means considering economic policy in a national, and sometimes international, context is vital to make policy that is relevant to current market trends. The design process for the building was begun at the national level to follow this TAN and provide the basis for the assumed future conditions projected from current trends. Doing this has made a design that is geared towards the present and the future.

TAN12 Good Design Wheel (p.9, 2016)

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Newport Local Development Plan 2011 - 2026 (Adopted Plan)

The document has a considerable amount of policy weight as the adopted version of the plan is only a year old. Despite this, it is worth noting the beginning date of the plan is 2011 and that the research the plan is based on will be much older. The vision of the document is to reform Newport;

“As a gateway to Wales, Newport will be a centre of regeneration that celebrates its culture and heritage, while being a focus for varied economic growth that will strengthen its contribution to the region. It will be a place that people recognise as a lively, dynamic, growing City, with communities living in harmony in a unique natural environment” (p.4, 2015).

Using the general approach of this document, the proposed development will stimulate Newport’s economy by utilising the current skills available in the city whist teaching new ones to help not only bolster the current industries (such as steel), but create new ones that add to the identity and economic strength of Newport. This will be helped by the positive approach of the local authority “This is an exciting time for Newport, which is truly a City on the rise” (p.4, 2015).

Current Site Proposal

Key Issues Identified in the LDP and Policy Links

Flood risk

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Economic decline

The site is currently designated to be left as it currently stands. This being likely due to a combination of the constraints of the TAN 15 (flooding) designations of C3 and B currently on the site and the listed status of the Maltings building.

The LDP states that “sustainable solutions to manage flood risk should be prioritised.” (p.19, 2015) Referring to TAN 12 on design, The proposed development has been informed by the constraints of the site and taken the context greatly into account when locating the building within the site. Improvement of the current flood defences on the site has also been proposed in the development to adhere to the principle of community safety as the site is currently a gap in the flood defence for the Pill area.

The development includes a proposed dyke flood defence across the whole site as well as possible extensions to the north and west of the site.

These improvements will help to defend current development, as required by TAN15, from future increased flooding that is anticipated for the whole of Wales in the Planning Policy Wales guidance (Sec 4.3, 2016).

One policy in the LDP states that “these issues are likely to revolve around the need to continue recent trends of diversification of the Newport economy”. This is conformed to with the proposed development by using the upcoming industry of electrical engines, and the inevitable migration of the UK economy from producing large volumes of combustion engines to electrical engines to address the change in the market. TAN23 insists on this national consideration of the economic environment to create an economic environment that doesn’t stifle growth. The development will help bring new business investment in the form of B1 industry through the central parts of the city and C3 towards the south whilst acting as a hinging point between the two use zones.

Paragraph 4.7.6 of Planning Policy Wales reinforces this approach by advocating the mixed use of town centres to encourage social inclusion and reduce travel requirements (p.68, 2016).

Redundant sites

The LDP identifies the abundance of brownfield land as a resource to be tapped into for sustainable growth and development by calling for “concentrating development in sustainable locations on brownfield land within the settlement boundary”(p.16, 2015). The Maltings site has been mostly unused since the devastating fire that damaged the viability of the site. The development will address this key issue by bringing use back whilst helping the local community engage with the site and promote it as a tourist trail as is identified in the LDP.

Lack of affordable housing

The document identifies policy to supply affordable housing “the affordable housing target for the plan period is set at 2,061 units” (p.25, 2015).

Introducing this mostly hinges on the financial restrictions currently in place due to the recent recession. The way to remedy this constraint without directly funding social housing is to create a housing surplus to drive down prices further. This is carried out through the mixed use buildings proposed as possible additions to the site and surrounding areas. These will consist of mostly affordable housing as it will be much more active with the industrial processes of the area. The development would also help to achieve one of the council’s corporate objectives to create a healthier city. This being through the locating of workers close to their place of work.

Protection of heritage

The Local Development Plan calls for Newport’s heritage to be conserved, used and promoted in the policy “conservation, enhancement and management of recognised sites within the natural, historic and built environment will be sought in all proposals” (p.25, 2015). The development will conserve the Maltings building as it is as far as it is viably possible whilst providing it not only a use, but a use that maintains, increases and promotes community engagement with the building. Planning Policy Wales further promotes this point as it calls for the protection of the welsh language and culture (p.25, 2015). Part of this culture derives from this type of heritage.

Section 106 Agreements I would expect the following Section 106 agreements;

CIL

- -

-

-

Contributions or full payment of the tram station on the site.

Contributions or full payment towards the building of mixed use units on and around the site.

Full implementation of flood defences and landscaping (With maintenance included for post occupancy).

Maintenance of the All Wales Coastal Path and the long distance cycle/ walkway currently on the site.

Potential CIL rate payable from site to be determined once rates confirmed after Summer 2016 according to Newport City Council.

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DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT

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TAN12 Good Design Wheel (p.9, 2016)

USE

The development consists of a mixed use building between the use classes of B2 and D1, an interactive play space with the use class of sui generis, and proposed mixed use blocks to the east of the main building with the use classes of C3 and B1.

The aim of the development is to be a hinge point between the residential areas to the north of the site and the industrial areas to the south-west.

Through the masterplan, the C3 and B1 use classes will extend into the centre of the city. This change of use will be triggered by change of policy and the nature of the use patterns on the site.

The decision to mix the two use classes of C3 and B1 was informed by the use classes that currently exist around the site but integrate together poorly. The aim of the development initially is the help to break the barrier between the uses and help them mix together. This satisfies the character aspect of the TAN 12 good design wheel as it helps to bring character and identity into the residential areas of the city.

The uses will work well together through firstly, the decision to restrict the industrial that is mixing with residential to only B1 industries to allow for as little impact as possible through noise pollution etc. The close proximity of the use classes is also beneficial as it states in paragraph 4.7.6 of Planning Policy Wales that mixed use should be encouraged in town centres and other appropriate places to reduce travel times, improve safety, and increase sustainability as a whole (p.65, 2016).

The uses will also work well together with the variety of uses around the site. Through the intention of making the site a connection point between the industrial and residential parts of the city and the catalyst for change of uses, the whole area will knit together more successfully. People in residence around the site can be employed on site and the people in residence on the site can be employed around the site and into the city via the tram network proposed in the master plan.

The clear divide between the use classes is clear in this diagram. There is a clear industrial zone to the left of the Usk Way and a residential zone to the right of it. This has the effect of causing an impermeable wall of industry which makes the area inhospitable and unwelcoming. On the other side, the housing becomes monotonous and lacks activity due to the lack of mixed uses. The site is perfectly positioned to join these use classes together and help to knit the south of the city together in a more sustainable way.

The provision of the D1 teaching space within the main building will help to strengthen the ties between the industrial and residential uses in the area by introducing and teaching local people and university students the processes involved in making electric engines. This will not only improve the skills of local people, it will help to make the local community become more involved in the industries of the area and inspire community pride through interaction.

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Commercial St example of C3 use class

B1 use class towards Commercial St

Commercial St example of D1, A3, and A1 use classes

C3 use classes opposite the site

Art installation on site with use class Sui Generis

Usk Way example of B8 use class

AMOUNT

The development will cover an area of 3570m2 (including internal and external walls) over the shell of the old Maltings building. This is small compared to the size of the 27172.5m2 site. This is mostly due to the potential for the site to flood during excessive rain events. By setting aside land that is able to flood, this will help alleviate flooding issues downstream in the city. A small scale factory is what is appropriate for the site in this case. The unusable space within the building is 265m2 which makes this about 7% the total floor space. This low wasted floor space is due to the accessibility of almost all of the building.

Another reason its size is appropriate is that part of the reason for the development is to occupy and preserve the Maltings building. The building would be much smaller if this wasn’t the case. This means the building is just small enough to allow the site to flood as it needs but is also big enough to preserve the Maltings building from the weather. The building size is also similar to the UQM factory referred to in the analysis and so the designed floor space is the appropriate size for all spaces. The teaching spaces in particular were designed in reference to standard classroom and lecture theatre sizes for the amount of students expected to occupy the building.

The unit of measurement used to describe this development is m2 and so describes floor space. This was decided as the best method for measuring the building as the volume became an irrelevant factor when considering the majority of the volume of the building would be used up sheltering the Maltings building. Floor space was a much more appropriate and informative measurement to take and helped to demonstrate the efficient use of floorspace in the building.

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The footfall for areas around the site will increase mostly around the proposed new development to the left of the site, the restaurant across from the site, and along the river bank going towards the north of the city. This will mostly be due to the increased footfall to the site from members of the local community and students. There will also be increased footfall around the proposed tram station as people can arrive and depart the site from this location. The trams will arrive every ten minutes on site to provide a prompt service across the city. The interactive park space on the site will attract classes of school children for school trips and so will accommodate classes of up to 30 children. The expected frequency of these visits will be up to 5 visits per week for classes of 30 children. The remainder of the time this will be much less as local people pass freely through the site. Increased footfall around the site will also come from the surge in student use of the site. The building has a capacity of teaching up to 166 students at any one time but this will more often than not be much less as the large lecture theatre is designed for large night classes for local people in mind, rather than the smaller quantity of students during the day.

The relatively small amount of development on the site will help the local community by creating more structure to the urban fabric in the area, but the large areas of the site set aside for flooding will protect the local area from flooding. There will also be a tram stop added to the top of the site to connect the site and surrounding area to the cross city tram network proposed in the masterplan. The road running along the north of the site will be divided into two with trams running on the lane closest to the site and the other lane being for one way traffic running west to east.

The Usk Way will also be pedestrianised and only the tram network will be able to run on it. These will be the initial changes but with change of policy, the area will see an increase in light industrial mixed with residential in mixed use blocks and mixed use areas.

The car park will be designed to hold 30 cars (enough for each of the staff members). This capacity will likely never be completely filled due to the easy connectivity of the transport to the site.

Footfall across the site and surrounding areas

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Building Occupancy

Staff Students General public

Day Use

The occupancy levels of the building itself will be around 268 people during its peak as local people are able to freely come and go within the Maltings building space to observe the factory process and enjoy the garden spaces. This will be mostly comprised of local people and students during the day. The occupancy during the evening will be the same as during the day but locals will be able to attend night classes in place of the students (although they will have no access to the factory due to safety reasons). At night, the occupancy levels of the building will fall to just 27 staff members for the factory itself as it will run 24 hours a day to maintain a constant output.

A single delivery lorry will arrive at 8am in the morning and again at 8pm in the evening. This 12 hour cycle will keep parts stocked and exports regular. A single waste disposal lorry will arrive at 7am.

Night Use

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LAYOUT

The building is orientated facing north west. This orientation was chosen because it matched the orientation of the Maltings building and ran parallel to the old lock. This is the best orientation option as keeping with this orientation allowed for a building with minimal visual impact on the site from the road but still allowed great flexibility towards the rear. The rest of the site follows the same orientation to maintain the order and spatial configuration of the site as a whole. This also helps to promote natural surveillance and safety as there are clear views across the site.

The entrance of the building is towards the road for ease of access for the local community and deliveries. The car park of the building is in front of the building for the same reason and allows people to park in the site whilst restricting car use in the site to a distinct area to maintain safety.

The interactive play space to the rear of the building is located there because it is in direct view of the factory. The interactive learning tools in the space allow for children to learn about the process of making electric engines and how they work whilst watching this knowledge being applied in practise by observing the factory. This location also keeps the children far away from the road and again promotes safety on the site.

This is further iterated through TAN12 “Security through natural surveillance� (p.23, 2016).

The orientation of the building has proved problematic with issues of solar gain and general sun orientation. This was remedied by the implementation of vertical louvre walls along both sides of the rear portion of the building and horizontal louvres on the rear face of the building. This normally would block the transparency of the building but the design of the louvres took into account the locations people would gather on site and standard views of the building. This means the building remains transparent in the important areas on site but blocks the sun in a successful way to allow factory regulated conditions within the building.

The solar gain is also harnessed by the ETFE shelter over the Maltings building and used for heating the rest of the building during the winter months. This helps to reduce the environmental impact of the building.

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The tram station was best located where it is because it allows visibility from most directions around the site and from the building itself. It is also placed along the proposed tram line lane, before the vehicle access to the site. This allows for deliveries and visitors to access the site without interrupting the tram service drastically.

Placement of the mixed use blocks was dictated by the preservation of the view channel to the transporter bridge to the south-west. This is an important view in the area as so keeping it mostly in line with the engine factory reduces the visual impact of the development. The restricted amount of land due to the flood plain is another factor.

Placement of the buildings on the site were predominantly determined by view channels. Other areas of the site were tested but they encroached on areas available for flood plains and so were deemed inappropriate.

The flood able area allows for increased river capacity during high volume rain events that is able to be used during normal weather conditions. This risk of flooding constrained the site and restricted development along the river bank.

The whole site has been designed so that it is all the same level to ease access for all groups of people. The only interruption comes from the dyke styled flood defence that borders the flooding zone. This small 1m high dyke is ramped at specific important access points to allow for permeation of the site and access for all.

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SCALE

The building is very large compared to the buildings immediately surrounding the site. The reason for this is to be able to cover the entire Maltings building comfortably. Although the building is the largest building in the area, its use of materials reduces the visual impact by being mostly transparent. This reduction of visual impact was a key issue in the design of the building and is the reason why the parts of the building not sheltering the listed building are recessed from the road.

The building being large is also appropriate for the site as being the site is very open and exposed, the building helps to reduce this exposure.

The nature of the use of the building demands a certain scale also as the building represents learning and industry. This building is sensitive to the context of the area and the site but is a prominent building in its own right because the site requires it.

The scale of the factory and teaching spaces in comparison to the ETFE shelter is important in the design. Everything that isn’t the shelter is scaled down and much lower than the shelter. This is to allow at least partial view of the Maltings building from any angle on the site. This ties back to the need for the reduction of visual impact on the site whilst preserving the Maltings building. These two distinct areas of scale are also reflected in the fixtures and fittings of the design. The shelter uses huge openings to the scale of the current opening at the front of the Maltings building. This is to reflect the scale of the listed building and emphasises the difference between the new and the old. This difference in scale is further shown through the planting of trees within the building to prove the scale.

The scale of the factory and teaching spaces themselves are much more modest. The fixings and fixtures within this portion of the building are much more human scaled although they are in no way domestic. The fact this is a factory is still evident by the large floor to ceiling heights and double height spaces. The scale helps to show that although the building is incredibly important to the area, it still serves, learns from, and enhances the historic context. Through this it services the identity of Newport.

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North to South Long Section

East Elevation in Context East-West North-South

The frontage to the building is marginally higher that the existing frontage of the Maltings building. This doesn’t affect the scale of the building in any negative way and in fact helps to formalise the scale of the old building by giving it a roof. The large scale of the building becomes evident towards the peak of the ETFE shelter. The impact of this is alleviated by the pitched roof and makes the building seem lower.

Building Scales

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LANDSCAPING

Example of the current grass and tree species on the site.

The landscape treatment of the site will take inspiration from what currently exists on the site and extend this vernacular to give the site more structure and character.

To improve safety on the site, the area will be constantly lit during the night and will undergo passive surveillance from the factory, play space and surrounding areas due to the open nature of the site along the flood able area.

The maintenance required across the site would entail mowing the grass to maintain a length that allows the space to be usable. The other maintenance required would be repairs to any elements on the site that break due to wear and tear and possible vandalism. Flooding of the flood able area may require repairs to fixtures and fittings depending on the length of time and frequency of the flooding. The use of the hard wearing materials on the site was designed to adhere to TAN 12 “sustainability measures to reduce the environmental impact associated with buildings...� (p.24, 2016).

Example of the wall and bench systems currently on the site

Example from a play space on Commercial St of the aesthetic treatment proposed in the interactive play space

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The interactive play space will be tarmacked like the rest of the site but will be broken up with bushed areas to create small spaces with the learning equipment within these spaces.

Tarmac will be used as the surface across the site to continue the current use of materials across the site whilst providing a hard wearing material that will be easily maintained The trees on the site will be moved into this new position to act as a acoustic screen to the turning circle of the lorries.

A new bridge will be provided across the old lock to help better connect the site to its surroundings and make the lock less of a connection barrier to entering the site. The new bridge will also serve as a way to view the mudflats from above to observe the wildlife that interacts with it.

Small one meter dykes border the flood able area of the site to prevent water completely flooding the site. These dykes are cut into with stone walls similar to those that currently exist of the site. This is to give a sense of continuity across the site as well as add a bit of old local vernacular back. Benches are then attached to this wall at regular intervals to allow for resting places for the elderly and disabled.

Wild bushes help to slightly reduce the strain on the river capacity during high rainfall events by drawing in some of the water. The wild bushes also cause a natural barrier to prevent anyone falling onto the mudflats or into the river, improving the safety of the site.

The old lock will be cleared of the plant life that currently exists there to allow for the mudflats to come back. This will provide more habitat for local wildlife and enable a viewing area of this wildlife within the site.

Rough patches of daffodils are planted around the site to introduce some colour into the predominantly grassed areas.

This vibrant yellow also ties into the bright factory machinery colours to create an overall aesthetically pleasing environment with welsh plant life bringing character to the place.

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APPEARANCE

The rationale behind the design has been to frame the Maltings building in a sensitive way whilst introducing a use back to the building. This framing of the listed building is further helped by the fact that the rest of the building is set back from the road to allow for the current view channels from around the site to be maintained.

The predominant materials in use in the building are glass, zinc roofing, ETFE, and two types of steel (one pre-rusted corten steel, the other zinc coated). The ETFE and glass was decided upon due to the transparent nature of these materials and the ETFE in particular because it allows 99% of light through to allow for an internal garden space. The corten and polished concrete were chosen due to their high durability and the corten in particular due to it matching the aesthetic of the Maltings building.

Finally, The zinc roofing and zinc coated steel were chosen because they were durable and modestly coloured which would allow attention to be directed towards the Maltings building and the building’s internal uses.

These are all very robust materials and will see little change aesthetically over the years. The corten steel itself is pre rusted and so will not only remain aesthetically the same, it will resist corrosion and last longer as a result. These are all long lasting sustainable materials that will benefit the local community aesthetically and environmentally. These materials will follow TAN12 by “sustaining or enhancing local character.� (p.21, 2016)

An example of the aesthetic qualities of the interactive play space

The materials of the building that will not vary greatly with varying levels of light and weather are the zinc coated steel and zinc roofing. This is due to the dark colour of the materials in all qualities of light. The rest of the materials will experience visual change depending on the quality of light.

The ETFE and glass will appear more opaque during high levels of light but when the light levels dip, especially when the internal lights are on, the materials will become entirely transparent and show off the activities within the building. The corten steel will be dull during low levels of light but with high levels of light and even direct light, the orange of the rust will be vibrant and easily seen from multiple angles on site during a sunny day.

An example of the material use and aesthetic qualities on the site

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The set back nature of the new portion of the building maintains view channels to the Maltings building to reduce visual impact of the new development.

The scale of the shelter demonstrates the two different scales between the Maltings building and the new building. The material use on the shelter compared to the new building also helps to show this contrast so that the new building and the old building can be easily differentiated from each other

The horizontal louvres on the rear facade of the building help to control solar gain and like the vertical louvre walls, allow certain view angles from outside. In this case, the louvres are angled to allow easy views inside from the interactive play space.

The louvred walls to the sides of the building moderate the solar gain for the interior spaces but are orientated to allow clear visual channels inside so the building remains transparent to the outside.

The large ETFE shelter over the building helps to frame the old Maltings building and provide it shelter from the elements so this piece of heritage can be enjoyed for longer.

The low height of the new portion of the building in comparison to the shelter is designed to allow at least partial view of the Maltings building from any angle on the site and surroundings.

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ACCESS Tram Access (Light Blue With Dots)

Road Access

Car Access (Light Blue)

Trams are able to be accessed by all and cater to the disabled and the elderly by allowing them to cross the city quickly and with ease.

The road has been divided into two and the lane closest to the site has been devoted to tram use only. The remaining lane has been turned into a one way lane running east to west to allow traffic to flow in one direction and make crossing safer.

Cars can enter and exit to the north of the site but are restricted to that area.

This tram station is intended as the main transport node to the site as they will arrive every ten minutes between 8am and 10pm and so car access is given second priority. This is to reduce the reliance on the car during the times the building is open to the public

Cars can also pass through to the mixed use blocks to allow residents to own cars.

Industrial Vehicle Access (Purple) Industrial vehicles can also enter only through the north of the site.

Lorries are restricted to direct in and out access without access to the mixed use blocks and smaller vehicles are allowed to pass through to service the mixed use blocks.

Destinations These are the site destinations by vehicular access

Deliveries and waste disposal will access the building and site in the same way as all the other vehicles on site.

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TAN12 aims for development to provide “the potential to cycle, walk and use public transport safely, and reducing the reliance on the car.” (p.26, 2016). This is complied with by the provision of public transport and cyclable routes.

Vehicular Access

Access across the site is suitable for all groups of people including the elderly and the disabled. This is due to the whole site being one level. The one change of level and the flood defences slopes up slowly to allow easy access over the dyke.

Within the building there are two floors. The top floor can be accessed via a lift for these vulnerable groups and there are no steps or change in levels that would encumber their movement anywhere else.

Bicycle access is available across the entire site as the site has been catered towards wheel chair access. Fast cycling would not be recommended on the site due to the elderly, disabled, and children occupying areas throughout. The single level of the site though would help any cyclists to see any potential hazards long before they reached them so safety will not be affected.

The Public (Blue) The public have access to all areas on the site.

The building itself allows access into the garden space and along the circulation space looking into the factory.

Students (Green) Students from the University of South Wales have access to all areas of the site. Their access within the building is allowed everywhere apart from the factory space. The factory space is accessible through the health and safety orientation room on the first floor of the teaching space. They will then be accompanied along the gantry and into the factory space Local people can have access to the teaching space with the same conditions as students during night classes which are aimed at improving local skills.

Staff (Red) Staff have access to all areas of the building and site at any time day or night (depending on if it is during their shift or not).

Destinations

During the event of a fire, people will congregate in the car park and await the emergency services.

Emergency access is available through the same entrance to the site other vehicles use but they are able to follow the pedestrian route all throughout the site as provision has been made to make the paths wide enough for ambulance access.

These are destinations for the people entering the site. Their colour designates the group the area is most likely to be used by.

Pedestrian Access

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THE BUILDING

PLANNING APPLICATION DRAWINGS

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Ground Floor 1:500 95

First Floor 1:500

First Floor 1:500 96

Front Elevation 1:200

Front Section 1:200 97

East Elevation 1:200

Rear Elevation 1:200 98

West Elevation 1:200

West Section 1:200 99

Site Plan 1:1000 100

Block Plan 1:2000 101

Location Plan 1:5000 102

REFERENCES Newport City Council. (2015) The Local Development Plan [online]. Newport. [Accessed 30 March 2016].

Harvard University (2013) The Atlas of Economic Complexity [online]. Available from: http://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/explore/tree_map/export/gbr/all/show/2013/?prod_class=hs4&details_treemap=2&disable_widgets=false&disable_search=false&node_size=none&queryActivated=true&highlight= [Accessed 10 October 2015].

DIGIMAP (2016) Ancient Roam [online]. Available from: http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/roam/historic [Accessed 15 November 2015] Newport Book (2015) City Analysis. Bristol: UWE UQM (2016) UQM Technologies [online]. Available from: https://uqm.com/ [Accessed 21 October 2015] bmek (2012) Fremont Factory Delivery [online]. Available from: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/fremont-factory-delivery.10762/ [Accessed 29 October 2015] Architecture Week (2009) Nagasaki Art Museum [online]. Available from: http://www.architectureweek.com/2009/1014/today.html [Accessed 24 November 2015] The Welsh Government (2016) TAN12 [online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan12/?lang=en [Accessed 3 January 2015] The Welsh Government (2007) TAN18 [online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan18/?lang=en [Accessed 24 March 2015] The Welsh Government (2014) TAN23 [online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan23/?lang=en [Accessed 25 February 2015] The Welsh Government (2016) Planning Policy Wales [online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/planning/policy/ppw/?lang=en [Accessed 10 February 2015] The Welsh Government (2008) Wales Spatial Plan [online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/planning/development-plans/wales-spatial-plan/?lang=en [Accessed 11 February 2015]

BIBLIOGRAPHY Taylor, N. (1998) Urban planning theory since 1945. London: SAGE. Barrett, S. & Fudge, C. (1981) Policy and action: essays on the implementation of public policy. London: Methuen.

Dorey, P. (2005) Policy making in Britain: an introduction [online]. Available from: https://www.dawsonera.com/abstract/9781848605022 [Accessed 28 March 2016].

Newport City Council (2015) LDP Constraints [online]. Available from: http://www.newport.gov.uk/ [Accessed 28 October 2015].

Newport City Council (2015) LDP Proposals [online]. Available from: http://www.newport.gov.uk/ [Accessed 28 October 2015].

Newport City Council (2015) CIL Preliminary Charging Schedual [online]. Available from: http://www.newport.gov.uk/ [Accessed 28 February 2016].

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