Sterling Property Co. Ltd.
Residential
Unknown
RIBA Stage 3
(Spatial Coordination)
Studio KMA were asked to consider the conversion and refurbishment of two heritage assets and maximise development potential on the adjacent former car park.
The former pottery manufacturing buildings, whilst attractive in their own right, inhibited adjacent building height for the new build apartments. The site also sloped in two directions with changes in level over 2.5m north-south and east-west. The setting out of floor slabs and proving access at grade was a challenge for both vehicles and pedestrians.
We noted that the corner of the site presented a unique opportunity to increase height of the building, and this allowed Studio KMA to create a landmark/feature corner.
Duplex apartments within the roof helped create a subtle increase in height establishing a visual anchor in the townscape. This moment of hierarchy is not an arbitrary flourish but a considered response to urban geometry and civic importance.
The massing at the corner, augmented by the increased height and the placement of extended dormer windows, introduces a landmark condition that resonates with the scale of the park beyond. It is a confident move – assertive yet appropriate – contributing to a sense of identity and presence within the development as a whole.
Block A engages, converses, and complements. Rather than competing with Cleveland Works and Atlas Works, the new building defers to it respectfully, aligning with key horizontal lines, and adopting a tripartite language that both references and reinterprets the past.
The design of the building provides a positive pivotal urban junction at the corner of College Road and Lawrence Street with the additional height aiming to address the open expanse of Hanley Park opposite.
