Thriving mixed use community on the harbourside

Finzels Reach Phase 1

Location Bristol
Client HDG Mansur
Awards BCO Regional Commercial Workplace Award 2013 for Bridgewater House/ Georges Square Building Design Award: Urban Regeneration - Architect of the Year 2004 / Bristol Civic Society Award: Environmental Regeneration 2004

Brief history

HDG Mansur renamed this former Courage Brewery site after Conrad Finzel, who refined sugar in Counterslip in the 19th century. The Finzels Reach development converts this redundant site into a new live/ work quarter in the Redcliff Conservation Area.

Vision

We wanted the waterfront elevations to respond to the historic dockside character of the site and to stitch together the historic buildings on Finzels Reach and Bath Street.

Design delivery

Appointed directly through traditional procurement by the client on this complex site, AWW acted as delivery architects from Stage 4.

Overcoming challenges

The project involved major structural refurbishment works, including the retention of existing façades, restoration of medieval walkways, and demolition and repair to the existing harbour walls. Floating pontoons were necessary to enable works to be carried out within this sensitive area.

Blending old and new

The architecture adopts a warehouse style and, through the use of brick, blends with the adjacent listed buildings.

Apartments

The existing heritage has been preserved and incorporated into the building creating an attractive blend of old and new.

The development creates a new dynamic city quarter with apartments set amongst offices, leisure uses and retail space. It is a new high quality destination within the centre of the historic and vibrant Bristol city centre.

Mark Alker Stone, Director

Public realm

Phase 1 was awarded the Bristol Civic Society Award for Environmental Regeneration.

A place to be

Permeability was at the heart of the design process, opening up a part of the historic Floating Harbour for everyone to enjoy.

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