The site of 0.44 HA is located on the south side of Pepper Street, containing a Habitat store and a furniture outlet occupying a former Methodist Chapel, now Grade II listed. The site offers the opportunity to both extend the retail success of the Grosvenor Centre on the opposite side of Pepper Street, and provide a new building that responds to the architectural character of Chester.
In association with Prof. Sir Colin Stansfield Smith, our design for the site incorporates four levels of retail centered on the retained Listed Chapel, to create a series of set-backs and ‘boxes within boxes’, that respect and add to the urban grain of Chester as they step back from Pepper Street and ascend to a rooftop restaurant. The façade onto Pepper Street provides a 21st century version of Chester’s timbered architectural heritage while the residential clustered tower adds another landmark to the city’s skyline.
