Spanish City in Whitley Bay was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Despina Katsikakis, Heather Topel, Asif Din, Amin Taha, Farshid Moussavi, Matt Kennedy, and Chair Lee Mallett. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.
The triple-height space below the dome has been opened up for the first time in almost a century. Credit: Andrew Heptinstall
Conceived as a seaside pleasure complex, Whitley Bay’s Spanish City (1910) had stood derelict and empty for 20 years before ADP’s sensitive restoration and regeneration scheme was completed in 2018. The main interventions include opening up the previously infilled Grade II-listed dome, implementing a robust accessibility strategy, enclosing the loggias with structural glazing to extend their functionality and environmental performance, improving airtightness and insulation throughout, and relocating services to the periphery of the building in sympathetically designed, copper-clad enclosures.
The local icon has been restored to its former glory. Credit: Andrew Heptinstall
The retro-fit approach adopted by the design team has resulted in huge embodied carbon benefits. We had to secure the future of the building financially, while addressing shortfalls in building performance, explains the architect. The strategy therefore improved energy performance and delivered an excellent indoor environment, while also being sympathetic to the heritage aspects.
Since the project completed, it has received overwhelming support from the local community, council, visitors, staff and national commentators. It has also helped to regenerate an area with an Index of Multiple Deprivation Decile of 2, and supported numerous local businesses – the local Chamber of Trade has since grown from single figures to more than 200.
ADP’s POE revealed that there could have been a greater focus on environmental sustainability during the design stages, even accounting for the obvious challenges of working with a historic building. Many of the lessons learned were positive, says the architect, and the project demonstrates how regeneration of a key historic landmark in a deprived area can become a catalyst for wider change, and bolster communities.
