The electricity substation is not meant as an event in its own right but as part of a number of buildings that form the fabric of the site itself; having permanency, weight and dignity.
The brickwork is continuous, sculptural and monolithic in its presence. This sculptural wrapping of one material is a reference to the panoramic of the site and the sense that you are surrounded by a continuous industrial landscape. The change of detailing of the brickwork where it is stretched across the façade forming an open pattern to allow for ventilation through and across the cooling towers breaks down the mass and offers the potential for illumination at night.
The construction of the substation reused crushed materials from the demolition of the former Kings Yard buildings. This material is incorporated in the building’s ‘brown roof’ which will allow species to colonise naturally. The weight of this roof supplements a blast protection strategy, one of many technically demanding aspects of a challenging brief.
