Following a competition, RRP worked with Southampton City Council to develop a planning brief for the redevelopment and to provide a masterplan that includes residential, retail, leisure and employment uses. In developing the architectural approach, particular emphasis has been given to innovation in design and environmental sustainability, providing a substantial number of new homes, together with wider regeneration benefits. These include the provision of new employment opportunities and the revitalisation of the district centre of Woolston enabling public access to the waterfront and new public spaces.
The masterplan is organised around its two principle uses, in direct relation to the varying conditions along the river. To the north, the masterplan provides an area for employment with a new ship building and boat repair facilities with direct access to an area of deep water. To the south is a residential area along the protected shoreline. In between these two main uses, Woolston High Street will be diverted and extended down to the waterfront where a new square will create a focus for community life.
This central space acts as a fulcrum for the design, with a unique fan form organisation spreading outwards from the square via a network of public routes running north and south along the river, and east and west into the surrounding community.
Along these routes, the buildings open up to the view south along the river and the special riverside protection area.
All but one of the existing industrial buildings on the site will be demolished to facilitate the redevelopment which will take advantage of good solar orientation from the south and west. The masterplan is organised to maximise sunlight and daylight penetration and to mitigate the effects of the south-west prevailing wind. The strategy for the environmental sustainability of the site may include wind and solar technology, while natural ventilation is proposed for the majority of the development to minimise energy consumption. The river itself will be will be safeguarded and enhanced as part of the proposal, encouraging wildlife and diverse micro-climates to flourish.
Facts:
The Woolston Shipyard development is located in Southampton, on the eastside of the River Itchen, on a 12 hectare brownfield site previously used as a ship building yard. The site was purchased by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), a government funded agency responsible for economic and social development in the region. The surrounding area of Woolston, a run down part of the city, is a predominantly suburban district, with a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached two-storey dwellings that will significantly benefit from the regeneration of the shipyards.
