Unlocking a post-industrial brownfield site, 1 The Island Quarter by Jestico + Whiles forms the gateway to a major new cultural hub. Forming part of The Island Quarter, a £1.4bn mixed-use development - the canalside building houses a 2,000 sqm flexible events space, a bar, and a restaurant within a form that draws on the site’s heritage and context, evoking the warehouses and factories of Nottingham’s industrial past.
Located to the southeast of Nottingham city centre, 1 The Island Quarter occupies a prominent site less than 500 metres from the main train station. Highly visible from London Road and Station Street, the main building is part of a wider plan to draw pedestrians towards the city’s eastern fringe. Within the plot, Jestico + Whiles has introduced a sculptural outdoor stage within a new landscaped public plaza, which will host concerts and open-air markets as part of a programme of year-round events. The plaza smooths the transition from the newly built elements to the canalside, providing a step-free, accessible route down to the towpath.
Jestico + Whiles’ design draws on local architectural heritage, especially the historic Lace Market and Nottingham Railway Station designed in the mid-19th century by renowned local architect Thomas Chambers Hine. The lower parts of the main building and the shaft of the stair tower are comprised of a robust, red brick from the Nottingham Patent Brick Company, while the upper levels of the main building incorporate a textured cladding that adds further warmth and tactility. Facades have a clear visual hierarchy, communicated through clarity of massing, consistent materiality, and strong relationships between different compositional elements. Arches are a repeated motif across the façade forming window openings and a colonnade which runs adjacent to the urban plaza.
Tying the site to its industrial past, the listed 18th-century canal turnover stairway has been resurfaced for improved accessibility and refurbished with new railings linking into the existing cast iron railing at the northern edge of the footbridge.
Originally home to the Boots central factory, the wider 36-acre site has been derelict for 30 years. Beginning with 1 The Island Quarter, the site and the wider area will be transformed into a 15-minute walkable neighbourhood over the next decade. Jestico + Whiles’ work on 1 The Island Quarter establishes a sense of place and civic character for the area, reinvigorating the historic canals and waterways and attracting footfall through key routes for the city.
Jestico + Whiles’ involvement in The Island Quarter extends to the design of the next phases, which include phase 1B, the UK’s first cohesive-use scheme, blending different uses into one flowing space which will feature 3,000 sqm of flexible co-working space, 247 apartments, 223-room hotel, and a 100-metre ground floor forum for restaurants and bars. This landmark tower building received planning approval in May 2022 with work due to start in 2023. Jestico + Whiles has also worked on ambitious designs for the restoration of three Victorian warehouses on the site, including the Grade II listed Great Northern Warehouse and the James Alexander warehouse, to create a set of culture and creative venues for Nottingham. The Conygar Investment Company PLC, developer of The Island Quarter, is awaiting the result of a £17 million Levelling Up Funding application to assist with the development of these heritage buildings.
Team:
Designers: Jestico + Whiles
Photographer: Christopher Terry
