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CZWG completes new residential complex in Leeds city centre
The design of Waterman’s Place has been based upon a careful analysis of the site, which was
carried out at the inception of the project in order to explore the context of the site, its
location and connectivity. Waterman’s Place is sited at Granary Wharf in the heart of Leeds city
centre to the south of Leeds City railway station along side the canal and the river Aire. From
the east, this new quarter is now accessed via a replacement footbridge spanning the river
where it emerges from the vaults beneath City railway station. Raised above a publicly
permeable ground floor of commercial units, is CZWG’s apartment building. Like an eroded
geological mass surmounted by a ‘hill town’ of stepping blocks, and riven by a seam of polished
copper, it’s a rigorously planned assembly of forms governed by its own architectural logic, but
which is responsive to its canal-side location: indigenous brick walls deeply punctured by
repetitive windows, and timber cladding which will weather to a warm beige-grey.
Waterman’s Place represents economic diversity and independence; it contains 122
apartments of varying sizes including a percentage of affordable flats which will contribute to
the diversity of its residents. The building’s ground floor will be occupied by a number of
commercial units to ensure that Waterman’s Place contributes to the new liveable
neighbourhood. An energy strategy was devised which at practical completion achieved an
Ecohomes ‘Very Good’ Rating, containing a district heating system for all apartments with
white goods all certified A rated. All materials have come from sustainable sources, and are
recyclable. All insulation materials are HCFC free, all timber is FSC Certified and all brick and
stone is locally sourced. Sustainability has also been enhanced by the deployment of modern
methods of construction (MMC). MMC included off site prefabricated bathrooms,
prefabricated balconies and off-site joinery, the carbon footprint of these elements being
significantly reduced, cutting down journeys to site for both materials and labour. In the spirit
of journey reduction, an otter tunnel has been installed beneath the Waterman’s Place to allow
them to traverse between the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
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