Friar Gate Square chief defends design of office block as firms look to move in
WORK on Derby's first new major office block in 20 years is due to finish this month with two firms interested in taking over the entire building.
And now the company managing the Friar Gate Square scheme says it wants, by summer, to start on "phase two" of the work to build a neighbouring larger office site.
The first block is 32,000 square feet of office space and will provide enough room for up to 300 employees, while phase two would have 42,000 square feet, with space for up to 500.
Maxwell Craven, one of Derby Civic Society's vice-presidents, has used the group's newsletter to call the completed first building "a harsh 1960s-expression machine derivative".
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Mr Craven added that the "scheme was far too large for its position in such a sensitive (heritage) conservation area".
He also queried whether the building would be "fully let".
But John Needleman, of Jensco Properties, which is managing the project on behalf of developer Lowbridge, said two firms were interested in taking up the space and that other businesses had enquired about part-letting.
He said confidence in the success of the first block had lead to the developer wanting to make a revised detailed planning application for phase two to the city council by April.
The revision is needed because some of the space for phase two had been taken up by an external car park for the first.
Mr Needleman said: "We would like to have it built by June 2014. We are very positive about Derby and very positive about the city council which is forward thinking and forward looking."
Lowbridge was granted an undisclosed amount of cash for the first block from the city council's £10 million Regeneration Fund, set up to stimulate city centre office developments. Mr Needleman said Jensco would look for help with phase two.
In response to Mr Craven's comment, Mr Needleman said 98% of the people who had spoken to him about the development "absolutely adore it".
He said: "It's a building you would typically see in London, Manchester or Birmingham. We are outside of the nearby conservation area but I think the building enhances it with a pleasing contrast."
Friar Gate Square is a rarity in the current financial climate as it is being built speculatively, meaning a tenant was not lined up to occupy the development before building work began.
Weakened business confidence has meant that fewer firms are relocating and the spectre of paying rates on empty commercial buildings, has deterred developers from doing this.
3 Comments
by Derby_born
Monday, February 25 2013, 12:01PM
“Here is the BBC2 programme "The Planners", which looks at a development in Chester, involving a grade II* listed building.
The architects come across as arrogant baffoons with absolutely no concept of conservation as they insist on building something that will cause the worst reaction. The Civic Society say this will be a burden for their community to carr, the architects do not live in the area so will not have to look at their monstrous creation, day after day.
This programme does show that the architects have an obsession with metal clad boxes, they seem to be totally unaware that their design simply does not belong in a conservation area.
Here is the programme on BBCiplayer, it expires in 31 days:
http://tinyurl.com/9wpz5w2”
by SarahL123
Monday, February 25 2013, 11:12AM
“Totally agree derby_born...you only have to look at some of the monstrosities the 70's gave us! It would help if planners considered the longevity of a building in terms of aesthetics...no-one wants something that will stand for 50 years if in 15 years time it will be seen as unfashionable and dated, to be torn down and replaced with something else.”
by Derby_born
Monday, February 25 2013, 10:44AM
“An interesting programme on the television last week about Planners. It was amazing to see how architects are more concerned about creating a public reaction with their building designs than creating something that is pleasing to the eye.
The main item in the programme was about a shot tower and 18th century industrial buildings, all grade II* listed.
The programme looked at other projects the architects had designed and every one of them was a harsh, angular design clad in some form of metal. This was repeated in the design for the heritage site by using dark grey alluminium cladding on a couple of boxes.
The plan was brejected, but the architects came back with a more expensive zinc cladding, in a light grey colour.
The local civic society objected but the planners gave in. The architects were bragging about "making a statement" and causing a public reaction, even if it is a negative reaction, in fact a negatve reaction is preferred.
Looking at Derby's latest offerijgs, it looks as though architects have a one track, metal clad obsession with shocking the public and wrecking the built environment.”