Project: Middlehaven regeneration plan
Place: Middlehaven
Subject: Collective identity and creating places
Middlehaven was Victorian England’s fastest growing town, largely due to its steel production and heavy industries. However in the 1980’s heavy industry receded and Middlehaven’s docks closed. There are now regeneration plans to bring about a change or “rebirth” (to use a Tees Valley regeneration term) to the town of Middlehaven. The town has recently acquired a £300 million deal with BioRegional Quintain, one of the UK’s biggest developers. They are working with Architect Will Alsop on a plan intended to ‘reposition the town on a global stage and bring about a step change in its self-belief and economic and social structure’. The plans are ambitious and the contemporary architecture will transform the currently redundant waterfront. Sugar cubes, Jenga, Kerplunk, wine racks and toasters are used in reference to the design of the new Middlehaven. It will be the biggest carbon neutral development in the UK. The project is estimated to create 750 new homes and 1000 new jobs, and is set to bring £200m of investment to Middlesbrough.
“Imagine the different perception of Middlesbrough visitors will take away. The panoramic views filmed and beamed across the world from the Riverside Stadium will speak volumes about an area in ascent and a town brave enough to take huge steps into the future. I’m sure that over the coming months and years, we will see Middlehaven transformed from baron wasteland into a thriving leisure, residential and business development at the cutting edge of urban design - a real hub of the community."
For more information on the redevelopment go to http://www.teesvalleyregeneration.co.uk/news/story/storyid=76
This is a place of massive post-war redevelopment, huge flyovers and gigantic industrial structures; apparently it inspired Ridley Scott to design the Blade Runner set. I confess to being a die-hard fan of Alsop, but the questions that I would like to ask him after seeing the site are as follows: (please feel free to reply Will or anyone else for that matter).
Can so many iconic buildings sit so near each other and create a harmonious living/working environment, or will it feel like living in a world fair?
The planning scheme is very large, if we accept that there are always blind spots in our thinking/designing, how are you avoiding amplifying these as you work on this scale?
What is the difference between generating demand and meeting demand, and which is most relevant to this situation?
The scheme seems to be akin to a kind of new town; do you think that because of the level of investment there is a danger of isolation or ill feeling building up when contrasted with the older, less developed parts of the city?