Yesterday we welcomed royalty at Fort Dunlop as Princess Anne visited the scheme.
She was there to officially launch the new offices of BPM (Media) - home to the Birmingham Post and Mail newspapers. They’re a great tenant and have added another dimension to the mix of people already working at the building. There are retailers, like home furnishing store Dwell, art gallery Snap and bars and restaurants such as the trendy Glass Lounge. There’s also office space fit for any sized business; BPM’s offices are fifty times the size of our smallest suites - that’s how diverse the offering is! Since the building’s completion in 2006 the building has been a great success, being more than 95% let since the day we completed.
Yesterday’s event tops off an exciting few months for us at the Fort where we’ve welcomed many a celebrity including popstar Jamelia (who was there to film an advert), Roy Wood from Slade (whose famous “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” track dominates the festive playlists every December), TV presenter Charlie Dimmock and Birmingham based Reggae legends UB40 who used the iconic Fort Dunlop for a photo shoot.
For more details and pics of Princess Anne’s visit, see the Birmingham Mail website.
A bit late I know, but I do hope you didn’t ask Roy Wood about his time with Slade. The Move, Wizard or ELO maybe. However it’s nice to see the building given a new lease of life.
Not that anyone needs an excuse to go to that marvel of modern buildings, the Barbican …but if you do, you have but a few days to catch the Le Corbusier exhibition before it disappears on May 24th.
This is a great little show that documents the pioneering designer-painter-grand architect’s rather prolific works from childhood through to his L’Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles. (Shouldn’t everyone have a two-way hatch where the baker and milkman can push their goods straight into your kitchen?)
The only disappointing thing about L’Unité d’Habitation is that there isn’t enough about it in the exhibition.
Indeed we pretty much have this 50s concrete masterpiece to thank for bringing Staying Cool and Urban Splash together four years ago. Arguably the original mixed use development - a term that seems to be applied willy nilly to all development schemes these days - some 50 years on, the building remains one of the most sought after residential addresses in Marseilles as well as a popular destination for tourists and a favourite with business people seeking somewhere stylish for a short stay. Do go if you’re down that way.
Serviced apartments, like some of those in L’Unité are a relatively new concept in Britain but are well established abroad. These are what we’ve been creating in partnership with Urban Splash - ever since we bought our first shell apartment in Manchester. Urban Splash design with Staying Cool style.
Our inspirational architect would surely approve of that. Non?
I came back from a bank holiday away to watch the Park Hill BBC2 “Romancing the Stone” documentary on iPlayer (I can’t believe I’ve started using the iPlayer, blogging and joining Twitter all in the same week – the 21st Century has finally has caught up with me!).
So what did I think..? No doubt it was good television. It certainly got a few laughs and raised the profile of Park Hill, giving the public a greater insight into what these projects involve! I’m not sure any of the protagonists came out particularly well – either from English Heritage or Urban Splash. And there was no mention of the people who really made this scheme happen, the HCA (maybe lucky for them!)
It’s disappointing that the programme stopped filming some weeks ago, before we finalised HCA funding and our development agreement, both of which have helped things really progress at Park Hill. It did, however, clearly illustrate the challenges and problems that beset a massive project like this. They’re never easy to deliver, even harder in today’s economic environment, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try!
Someone once told me that the definition of success is the difference between expectation and delivery… This Park Hill programme has undoubtedly done an excellent job for us in managing people’s expectations! More importantly though, it’s made me even more committed to ensuring that we deliver our vision for Park Hill.
Having lived on Park Hill flats as a child, good and bad was experianced by everyone. However, I think the flats should have been demolished a long time ago. A lot of money has gone into these flats, and in my opinon there will always be a stigma around them from when they were left to rot. Maybe Urban Splash may succeed where others have failed.
Two of the portraits are of my brother and myself, We were part of the migration from the poverty and poor housing of Pitsmoor in the late 1950s .The images that Gary Hindley used were from a BBC documentary Women And Children First broadcast in the early 1960s. Over the years clips from this program have been used in many programs involving Park Hill Flats and recently just after the death of my younger brother I made contact with English Heritage and a lovely person called Mellisa went out of her way to get me of a copy of the original documentary. In the program my family featured in a short clip in which my father spoke about his feelings about the flats as did my younger brother. Unfortunately both are no longer alive, but the video and Gary Hindleys portraits are a great comfort to my family and have given us something to remember them by.The lady in curlers? After speaking to some of the older residents that are still around It seems there are two names been suggested for this lady. I am trying to find out who she was and I am expecting more information this week in fact. I have every confidence in UrbanSplash delivering the finished article and once again the Park Hill Flats will be the outstanding building that it once was. The passion and understanding shown by Lee the site manager on the Park Hill Flats was amazing and comforting to hear, he is to be commended for his dedecation in making the Park Hill Flats once again a secure, comfortable place for many to live in. Good luck to UrbanSplash and the future of PARK HILL FLATS .
The paintings are the work of Gary Hindely, a local artist who has begun painting some faces of Park Hill. We’re going to be putting a new painting up every week so keep your eye out for new ones – some are of people who featured in the 1960’s archive footage of Park Hill who we don’t know the names of, so maybe you can help us identify them?
Hi, in the office where I work we are watching the progress of the renovations with interest and are at the moment very curious about the paintings that have appeared in the facade of the first block to be renovated. Who is the artist? Why are they there? Is the subject the same in both?????
Just watched the programme on IPlayer (worth the licence fee on its own !!)
As I’ve just returned from a hard days shopping (and drinking) in Sheffield I had the chance to speak to a lot of people about Park Hill and your project.
Almost all seemed supportive and are glad it hasn’t been a victim of the downturn and left as a shell.
However people did comment on the decision to ‘barrier’ the railway station effectively cutting off Park Hill from the city centre - any ideas what will be done about this ?
Did you get the chance to comment on this before the decision was taken as people were saying why didn’t you try to stop this happening ?
If you think you have problems in Sheffield try to be a developer in York - everyone has an opinion on what goes up (or not) in the city centre !!
Please keep going at Park Hill as I’m sure a lot of people are waiting for you to fail but this will be a prototype for other similar buildings all over the country - better to reuse them rather than knock them down and build something ‘better’ in its place.
I thought that the programme was the BBC at its Best. It left a profound mark on me - not much TV does that.
I studied Park Hill as a teenager at school for my Geography O’level. I remember it fancinated me then. It is very easy to belittle a project of this nature. The English Heritage series on the Park Hill Estate captured the essence of Britain in 2009, perfectly.
A Bold and forward thinking 1960’s design, revamped by a group (who had an inner reluntance to carry the idea forward) It at times seemed they were acting the part of Captain Blackadder in Blackadder 4 - those above know best.
Little was said, but the programme oozed the real lack of direction as a society/community that people now experience and the disparaging gaps between groups within our society. The hardest part to watch is how projects on this scale are compromised from the original design, to a point which bold becomes bland and pointless. Where fundamentals are forgotten, practical liveability issues become side issues for sake of money/position and status.
I loved the programme about Park Hill and was sad to see the project hitting hard times at the end of the programme, so I was really pleased to read that you are back on site. I went to Chimney Pot Park (ostensibly to see the Velfac windows) about 18 months ago and was amazed by what you are doing there. I just think that what you are doing is great and it is such a pity you weren’t in business when Leeds was pulling down one of its few great masterpieces, Quarry Hill Flats. And look what they have put up in its place - curse the DHSS. Yours, Liz from Leeds (sadly)
It did make good TV, such a change from the usual dull property related offerings. I am amazed that Urbansplash would involve themselves in any project where English Heritage also have an interest. ‘Very brave’ is the euphemism that comes to mind.
I do hope you make a financial success of the project - hate to see you brought to your knees by this one.
I live near the flats and chose to invest in the area due to it’s proximity to the city and the plans for the flats. As asked by James, are there plans to invest in the surrounding streets? If not, it’s hard to see how spanking new flats would sit well and sell. That said, I haven’t seen evidence of this in the publIshed plans other than plans for the hill.
Also, as the station has now been closed as a link from the flats to the city, are there plans to work around this?
Naturally I have high hopes for the renovation and hope the build can progress to the plan and vision.
Thought it was a great documentary. The Urban Splash construction guy dealing with Tim Nice but Dim was great! You just know he spends time labelling things as spades. I have mixed views about this project, as I hate to see wasteful demolitions, but think more could be done with the immediate surrounding land to create a sense of community, than what was in the design plans.
So Google StreetView has launched. I wonder if there’ll be a surge to the confessional? Come on, I know you’ve been peaking in your neighbour’s windows…
You might have guessed that we like restoring things. We like taking old, run-down buildings and turning them into new homes. Proper homes. And proper communities. We believe that a marriage between modern design and traditional architecture really works and now, it seems, so do other people!
The Prime Minister has appointed our very own Tom Bloxham MBE as a Tate Trustee for four years from 23 February 2009.
This post is in addition to Tom’s other extra-curricular roles of Chairman of Centre for Cities and of Manchester International Festival, Trustee of the Manchester United FC Foundation, and Chancellor of the University of Manchester.
Other posts Tom’s held previously include:
Board Member of Liverpool Capital of Culture from 2004 to 2008
Member of Arts Council England from 2002 to 2008
Chair of the North West Arts Board
Member of the Tate Liverpool Advisory Board
Served on Urban Sounding Board and Property Advisory Group from 2000 to 2004
I follow US closely and admire what you’ve achieved. How are you surviving in the new economic world, and does your business model and admirable ethics stand up to the test of a down market?
We’re really chuffed that Mind the Gap has just installed itself in one of our commercial spaces at Lister Mills, Bradford. Mind the Gap is a professional theatre company that helps people with learning disabilities become professional actors, and helps actors with learning disabilities achieve their potential. We can’t wait to see their next performance!
Anyone passing Ancoats over the last few days and weeks will have noticed that Chips has been a hive of activity. Our very own Will Alsop building - his first ever residential project - is nearing completion, and our customers will soon be moving in.
Our vision for New Islington is taking shape… although with funding hard to come-by, we’re working closely with the government to make sure that the next phases move forward as quickly as possible.
Our show apartment will be opening later in March… call our sales team to arrange a viewing - customers get priority!
A bit late I know, but I do hope you didn’t ask Roy Wood about his time with Slade. The Move, Wizard or ELO maybe. However it’s nice to see the building given a new lease of life.