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QUERKRAFT WINS ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION FOR WHARFINGERS COTTAGE, WALSALL WATERFRONT - 26 August '05
Award winning property developer, Urban Splash, has today announced Querkraft as the winner of its architecture competition to redesign Wharfingers Cottage at its Walsall Waterfront development.
Wharfingers Cottage is the first element to Walsall Waterfront – the 17 acre redevelopment site at the heart of the Black Country - driven by private and public sector partnership between Urban Splash, Advantage West Midlands, Walsall Regeneration Company and Walsall Council.
Urban Splash invited 11 firms to submit plans to redevelop the cottage building. Five entrants were shortlisted: FAT, Piercy Conner, Popular, Querkraft and Tonkin Liu.
Jonathan Falkingham, chief executive, Urban Splash said: “By holding a design competition and inviting a diverse range of emerging European architects, Wharfingers Cottage is guaranteed to be given a truly unique and ambitious transformation. All of the designs submitted were of the highest calibre, which is a great compliment to the Walsall Waterfront development.”
The appointment of Querkraft marks the first commission in the UK for the Austrian practice which won the Building Design Young Architect of the Year two years ago.
Jonathan added: “We chose Querkraft because of its imaginative response to the building. Its initial idea is to create a bar/restaurant space and marry the beauty of the original building within contemporary modern interventions.”
Querkraft is now working up its plans for Wharfingers Cottage and a planning application will be submitted by the end of the year.
Situated on the south side of the basin of the Walsall Town Arm, Wharfingers Cottage was built during Walsall’s industrial heyday in the mid 19th century. It was once part of the epicentre of Walsall’s canal network that spearheaded the town’s industrial growth by allowing for mass, cheap transportation of coal. The building’s unusual name, Wharfinger, translates to ‘the owner or manager of a wharf.’
Peter Cromar, chief executive, Walsall Regeneration Company said: “Querkraft’s proposals are very exciting and are exactly what is needed to ensure lift off for this transformational mixed use initiative.”
“Regeneration is more than building new homes or new offices; it’s about combing all the elements of residential, commercial, retail and leisure facilities, and providing the vital infrastructure to bind it all together.”
He added: “Querkraft’s plans for Wharfingers Cottage will play a pivotal role in the successful and sustainable regeneration of Walsall Waterfront. They will provide an impetus for our wider plans for Walsall where the regeneration company is placing a major emphasis on high quality design.”
Alsop Design Limited was selected as lead planner to work with developers Urban Splash and its partners Advantage West Midlands, Walsall Council and Walsall Regeneration Company.
Will Alsop said: “Things are starting to roll out at Walsall and Urban Splash has continued to apply its philosophy of great architecture and design. I am really looking forward to working closely with Querkraft. They will certainly bring an added dimension to the redesign of Wharfingers Cottage and give the redevelopment at Walsall Waterfront the best possible start”.
Alsop is now working up plans for the first new buildings for Walsall Waterfront development and a planning application will be submitted by the end of the year.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, cabinet member for regeneration said: “Walsall Council is working hard to boost the borough’s economy and to have two world-renowned architects working on Walsall Waterfront at this early stage is fantastic.
“As this ground-breaking project progresses, Waterfront will give us all even more reason to feel even more proud of our borough and this kind of development can raise the profile of Walsall to a completely new level, providing further encouragement for businesses to continue investing in Walsall – creating new jobs for local people.”
David Blake, director for the Black Country at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Transformation of urban areas into places where people want to live and work is a key priority of the Agency – and this first phase development is just the start of great things to come at Walsall Waterfront.
“This is a flagship project for Advantage West Midlands and every part of the development will carry the stamp of excellence, giving local communities a real opportunity to have pride in a thriving and modern town centre.”
Over the next few years, 17 acres of canal-side brownfield land near Walsall town centre will be transformed into a thriving, high-quality mixed use development.
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For further information contact:
Ben Kennedy, marketing assistant, Urban Splash on 0161 839 2999 or 07717 664430
Email: benkennedy@urbansplash.co.uk
Or Lisa Ashurst, communications manager, Urban Splash on 0161 839 2999
Email: lisaashurst@urbansplash.co.uk
Nigel Pipkin
Seal Communications
Tel: 0121 200 0780
Fax: 0121 200 0781
Email: nigelpipkin@sealcommunications.co.uk