TDO has been appointed by the Low Line steering group to develop and implement creative solutions for the adaptive reuse of railway arches along the Low Line in Southwark, London.
The project will adapt four empty arches on three sites: Ewer Street, Redcross Way and St James’s Road.
These sites have been selected as ‘test bed’ arches in Bankside and Bermondsey for a range of uses.
The Low Line is a network of creative and cultural nodes that follows the Victorian railway viaducts running through Bankside, London Bridge and Bermondsey.
Steered by a group of partners – Better Bankside, Team London Bridge, Blue Bermondsey, Southwark Council and The Arch Company – who are reimagining the uses of the railway viaduct in partnership with local stakeholders, the Low Line will ensure that investment in the arches and adjacent sites contributes positively to the neighbourhoods and communities it spans.
The Low Line is supported with £1 million funding from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund to diversify the occupier mix in the arches, connect local communities and contribute to a greener, resilient city.
The design for the three locations needed to be able to accommodate either internal divisions to achieve distinct accommodation zones (workspaces, meeting rooms, catering or washrooms), or voids to host a variety of uses (including theatre, film, dance, exercise).
We responded to the brief with a design concept which explores the powerful sense of ‘remaining space’ under the Victorian viaducts.
Rather than fill the envelope of the arch with a fit-out, the design creates discrete spaces within spaces by placing prefabricated galvanised steel Nissen sheds in the volumes under the arches.
Utilising pre-existing technology and a single material will unify the arches and allow for adaptation to different requirements. The sheds are demountable and transferable, cost- efficient and recyclable.
Nissen sheds were borne out of demand for accommodation during World War I, and have also been used for industry and agriculture, attesting to their flexibility and economy.
The prefabricated sheds will arrive as a series of components, ensuring they can be assembled in the arches while maintaining as much off-site manufacture as possible, reducing programme time and disruption to occupants and neighbours.
The sheds will sit on precast concrete footings designed to be relocatable. Galvanised steel will also be used for secondary elements such as entry doors, glazing surrounds and exposed services, harmonising the spaces.
The geometry of the sheds reflects the form of the arches, creating dynamic curving voids between them, which can be used for lighting, services distribution, ventilation and circulation.
The arches at Ewer Street will house Better Bankside functions and a community space.
The Better Bankside cleaning team and their vehicles will be based here alongside a new Green Logistics Centre, which allows local businesses to reduce deliveries and therefore vehicle journeys in the area by placing fewer, larger orders for goods, which are held in the arch and distributed by the team in electric vehicles as and when they are required.
A bike hub and flexible community space will also be housed in the arch.
The Ewer Street site demonstrates the flexibility and variety demanded by the brief, and has proven a good test of the concept.
At Redcross Way the brief called for a singular cultural hub, which could accommodate functions varying from performances, exhibitions, and educational space.
The proposal differed from the solution at Ewer Street by introducing a single, large enclosure with the ancillary services (lighting, ventilation) surrounding it and suspended in the curved void between arch and shed.
An external shed signifies entrance from the public space, and mirrors the form of the arches. It acts as a ticket booth and entry foyer.
The brief at St James’s Road is to provide flexible workspace for local micro enterprises and SMEs.
In this case the sheds provide distinct enclosures for the businesses who then benefit from their own front door: a personal and dedicated shed within the wider arch.
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