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Ten post-industrial structures from the Black Country
CategoriesArchitecture

Ten post-industrial structures from the Black Country

By Zarkon Group,

Artist Tom Hicks has spent the last six years documenting the built environment of the West Midlands. Here, he picks ten of his favourite photographs from his book Black Country Type exclusively for Dezeen.

From factories and warehouses to shop fronts and underpasses, Hicks explores the structures that make up the post-industrial landscape of the West Midlands region known as the Black Country.

Black Country Type book front cover
The photographs included in the book were taken between 2017 and 2023

“The Black Country is an area that has a strong tradition of manufacturing, particularly in terms of making things out of steel (known locally as metal bashing), and this has been in steady decline for years,” Hicks told Dezeen.

“The landscape I grew up in is human-made. I’m interested in conveying the changes in the region, largely brought on by deindustrialisation,” he added.

“Some parts of the Black Country feel like the land that planning forgot”

Taken while out cycling, many of Hicks’ photographs focus on signs and handmade lettering on buildings.

“The title of the book reflects the idea that the images are taken in The Black Country and originally featured typography,” Hicks explained. “Letterforms have the ability to locate a building in a certain time period”.

What the artist looks for in the built environment varies from time to time.

“Sometimes I focus on a building that was once grand but has fallen into disrepair,” he said. “Or I focus on a door that may seem like a minor detail, but that reflects the overall architectural style of the building – so it acts as shorthand for a time period and architectural genre.”

“Some parts of the Black Country feel like the land that planning forgot,” he added. “There are improvised and patched-up structures all over the region.”

“I rely on sunlight to illuminate the surfaces of the buildings”

As well as having an emphasis on typography, Hicks’ photographs are unified by a focus on bright colours and sharp lines, and the fact that they are always taken in direct sunlight.

“The vivid colours in the images are all as they appear. I rely on sunlight to illuminate the surfaces of the buildings,” Hicks continued. “Colour and surface material are key focuses for my work.”

“I love the contrast with the name of the region – The Black Country – and the colourful nature of the work,” he added. “Humour is an important part of the Black Country character and I try to convey that where possible.”

Read on for Hicks’ selection of ten photographs from Black Country Type:

Central Snooker Club exterior from Black Country Type

Central Snooker Club, Lye, 2019

I love the simplicity of the design of this building – not only in terms of the structure of the building but also the paint job. It took me a while to realise that the colours relate to the order in which you pot the balls in snooker.

This photograph is an example of how the project is documenting change in the Black Country; the building is now a warehouse and has been painted black.

Lollipop Oldbury from Black Country Type

Lollipop, Oldbury, 2021

For many, this conjures up the atmosphere of Miami. In actual fact, this is the side of the Mecca Bingo club in Oldbury, which is in the shadow of the M6 motorway.

When I was taking this photograph, I was stopped by the club’s security team, who informed me that the car park was for members only. My response was to join the Bingo club, and security let me finish the shoot. I still have my membership card.

SMO graffiti on building in Wolverhampton

Smile More Often, Wolverhampton, 2021

This building has now been demolished. It was empty for a long time but when I arrived the demolition crew was on site. For me, this image is tinged with regret, as the building was a sleek sixties design which spoke of the post-war ambition of the region.

SMO means Smile More Often and is the name of a local graffiti crew. I’m still trying to work out how they painted the letters on the building.

Yellow subway stairs against blue tiled wall Stourbridge

Subway, Stourbridge, 2021

Something about this image reminded me of a swimming pool. I gave it the alternative title ‘A Bigger Splash’ in a nod to Hockney.

I took this on a cold winter’s day. So cold in fact that I didn’t want to hang around for too long. I didn’t even dismount from my bicycle – I leaned against the tiled wall and took this before heading off.

Do Not Rush sign at railway station

Do Not Rush, Stourbridge, 2021

This ‘Do Not Rush’ sign is located at Stourbridge Junction Railway Station. When I saw it, it struck me as a quaint way to say ‘no running’.

For people who have bought this image as a print, it has become a kind of mantra – a reminder to slow down in life.

Adult Shop exterior from Black Country Type

Adult Shop, Cradley Heath, 2022

This shop is located in part of a now-derelict art deco cinema.

I love the font used on this – it seems more fitting for a balloon shop than an adult shop. Free customer parking seems like a polite touch.

Lichen covered rooftop Stourbridge

Yellow Roof, Stourbridge, 2022

I’ve always been struck by the vivid yellow of this building in Stourbridge. It’s the main structure of what remains of the Scala Theatre. The unusual yellow roof gets its colour from lichen, which covers the entire surface.

This was a difficult building to photograph as from ground level you can’t see the roof in full. I shot this while travelling on the escalator in Tesco, which overlooks the building!

Industrial Unit Bilston

Industrial Unit Bilston, Wolverhampton, 2022

The building in this image is typical of large swathes of industrial buildings in the Black Country – cheap to construct and functional in nature.

This image represents the more minimal vein of my practice and shows the value of timing. For me, the shadow on the small wall behind the safety rails makes the image. If I’d arrived an hour later, it may not have been there.

Newly built warehouse in Oldbury from Black Country Type

Cloud Storage, Oldbury, 2023

Not all my images are of derelict or decaying buildings. I took this image of a newly-built warehouse in Oldbury in the same week it had been completed. The concrete was untouched by delivery trucks.

The cloud that we see in the reflection was in the sky behind me. When I reviewed the image, it appeared to me that the cloud was inside the building – hence the title.

Pies sign Tipton photographed by Tom Hicks

PIES, Tipton, 2023

This image is taken in the beer garden of the wonderfully named ‘Mad O’Rourke’s Pie Factory, which is in Tipton – considered by many as the heart of the Black Country.

The photography is by Tom Hicks.



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Bend, Curl, Twist and Turn: 7 Steel Structures Establishing New Frontiers for Building Envelopes
CategoriesArchitecture

Bend, Curl, Twist and Turn: 7 Steel Structures Establishing New Frontiers for Building Envelopes

By Zarkon Group,

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter. 

Steel is a rather overlooked material when it comes to building facades. Most commonly used for structural purposes, its function is often limited to framing systems and building foundations. What happens when we bring steel to the forefront of a building’s design? Can these shifts tease out the material’s ‘hidden’ properties? These projects reveal different approaches to manipulating steel as an intricate façade element, revelling in its flexibility as a malleable cladding material. In these projects, steel takes the form of fins, perforated meshes, orthogonal steel patios and even metallic spider legs.

Barceloneta

By MiAS Arquitectes, Barcelona, Spain

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The Barceloneta Market project celebrates the local character and unique qualities of the Barceloneta neighborhood, currently one of the most popular destinations within Barcelona. Inspired by the work of Spanish artist César Manrique’s fantastic fish, MiAS Arquitects designed a series of steel beams that closely resembled fragments of fish bones. These were later attached on the existing market steel façade, creating a floating roof that playfully curls and uncurls over the market square.

The malleability of steel-constructed “fish bones” allowed MiAS Arquitects to capture the liveliness and enthusiasm of César Manrique’s art as well as the social ambiance of a coastal, local food market and expanding it towards the rest of the city.

The Spider’s Thread

By Hideo Horikawa Architect & Associates, Waco, Saitama

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Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

By Gehry Partners, Las Vegas, NV, United States

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When thinking of “dancing steel façades” a specific architect comes to mind: Frank Gehry. The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is a research facility in Las Vegas that aims at curing Alzheimer’s disease. Gehry’s intent was to design a building that served both as a statement to the facility’s ambition as well as a distinctive place for both researchers and patients to inhabit. A steel trellis skin wraps around two distinctive building blocks. In addition, by echoing the Las Vegas architectural typology, this flexible, freestanding structure creates a grand cathedral-like event space. This “dancing assembly” becomes a smart marketing gesture, whose aim is to bring the desirable attention to the foundation.

Augmented Structures

By Alper Derinboğaz, Salon, İstanbul, Turkey

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Argul Weave

By BINAA I Building INnovation Arts Architecture, Bursa, Turkey

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The Argul Weave building literally “threaded” its program on its façade. This new textiles hub is located in Bursa, home to Turkey’s historic textile industry. Meanwhile, inspired by the district’s manufacturing traditions, BINAA wrapped the building’s façade with interweaving, giant, white looms. Using digital fabrication tools, mathematical equations and detailed construction practices, a team of designers, architects and researchers developed a flexible steel structure that effectively generated “thread geometries” that enveloped the building. Through original steel fabrication practices the Argul Weave project materialised a symbolic façade that instigated the regeneration of Bursa’s industrial urban fabric.

P.E.M Vitré

By Tetrarc Architectes, Vitré, France

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Apart from shaping organic forms, steel can also be used to design intricate cladding patterns. P.E.M Vitré is a mixed-use planning and landscape project located in Vitré Station, France. It consists of an intricately designed footbridge and a much plainer underground car park. Still, Tetrarc Architectes designed the car park’s facade with a twist. Perforated steel cladding dresses its exterior elevation with an intricate pattern. Evidently, what could easily have been a blunt parking lot facade is now transformed into a playful pattern that interacts with the passing cars and pedestrians. The perforated pattern copies the footbridge’s linear form and creates a semitransparent visual threshold into the city.

Valby Machinery Halls – Assembly Hall

By C.F. Møller Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark

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This last project successfully uses steel both as a structural as well as a cladding material. Valby Machinery Hall is an old industrial, listed building that has transformed into Multi-Housing units and commercial spaces. Red-lead steel grating structure is the protagonist of the building’s façade. Consequently, C.F. Møller Architects followed this characteristic industrial motif through to the new building additions. The same rhythmic cadence clads the new residential halls, while serving as a structure for external balconies. This hybrid use of steel reveals the dual properties of the overlooked material and showcases new approaches to more sustainable and waste-less material practices.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter. 

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Eleven upcoming buildings with mass-timber structures
CategoriesSustainable News

Eleven upcoming buildings with mass-timber structures

By Zarkon Group,

A stadium by Zaha Hadid Architects and housing by Adjaye Associates feature in this roundup of upcoming wooden buildings, curated as part of our Timber Revolution series.

Also featured on the list are towers, university buildings and an airport terminal, illustrating mass timber’s potential for use in a variety of architectural projects.

Mass-timber products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam), are growing in popularity in architecture as they can offer a low-carbon alternative to commonplace materials including steel and concrete.

They also help to bring a natural aesthetic to buildings, supporting the principles of biophilia that can boost occupant wellbeing.

Read on for 11 upcoming buildings with mass-timber structures:

Render of Forest Green Rovers mass-timber stadium by Zaha Hadid Architects
Image by Negativ

Eco Park, UK, by Zaha Hadid Architects

Set to become the world’s first timber football stadium, Eco Park by Zaha Hadid Architects will be built in England as the home of Forest Green Rovers football club.

According to the studio, the 5,000-seat venue will be built almost entirely from wood – including its overhanging roof, structure and cladding.

It is also expected to be powered by sustainable energy sources, reflecting the values of the team, which FIFA named the world’s greenest football club.

Find out more about Eco Park ›

Render of the 32 storey tall Rocket&Tigerli in Switzerland
Image courtesy of Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Rocket&Tigerli, Switzerland, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

In Switzerland, the world’s tallest wooden building, designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, is currently under development. The 100-metre-tall tower will have a timber core and load-bearing structure.

Slated for completion in 2026, it will be clad in terracotta and sit alongside three other blocks. Together, these will form a complex containing everything from housing to shops.

Find out more about Rocket&Tigerli ›

Render of the exterior of the World of Volvo
Image courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects

World of Volvo, Sweden, by Henning Larsen Architects

This mass-timber building will house an experience centre and meeting place for the car manufacturer Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Its structural columns and beams will all be constructed from glulam while the floor slabs will be constructed from CLT.

According to the designer Henning Larsen Architects, the project is hoped to “set a new standard for the many ways we can use timber in architecture”.

Find out more about World of Volvo ›

Render of Timber House by Adjaye Associates
Image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto

Timber House, Canada, by Adjaye Associates

Timber House by Adjaye Associates is expected to become one of the largest residential mass-timber structures in Canada.

Once complete, it will combine affordable housing units with residences for senior citizens, enclosed by a distinctive gridded facade with planted balconies.

The design forms part of the wider Quayside development in Toronto, which will also feature buildings by Alison Brooks Architects and Henning Larsen Architects and is hoped to become “the first all-electric, zero-carbon community at this scale”.

Find out more about Timber House ›

Mass-timber interior of BIG's Dock A at Zurich Airport
Image courtesy of BIG

Dock A, Switzerland, BIG and HOK

Timber sourced locally in Switzerland will be used to construct Dock A, the mass-timber terminal that BIG and HOK are developing for Zurich airport.

Its main structure will be formed of V-shaped timber columns, giving the building a natural material palette that nods to the long-standing tradition of wood construction in the country.

“The visually calm material palette, natural light, and biophilia help redefine passenger expectations of the typical airport experience,” said BIG partner Martin Voelkle.

Find out more about Dock A ›

Tilburg University Lecture Hall by Powerhouse Company in the Netherlands
Image courtesy of Powerhouse Architects

Tilburg University Lecture Hall, Netherlands, by Powerhouse Company

Creating a circular building that eliminates waste and pollution is the aim of the Tilburg University Lecture Hall, which Powerhouse Company is designing in the Netherlands.

The square-shaped building will be built with demountable and recyclable components, including 4.6 kilometres-worth of structural timber beams and hung limestone facade panels.

Find out more about Tilburg University Lecture Hall ›

A render of a mass timber building in Iceland
Image courtesy of Jakob+MacFarlane

Living Landscape, Iceland, by Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark

Scheduled for completion in 2026, Living Landscape is a mixed-use building designed to transform a landfill site in Reykjavík.

According to its architects, Jakob+MacFarlane and T.ark, it will become the “largest wooden building in Iceland” upon completion thanks to its CLT structure.

The studio is also aiming for the building to achieve net-zero lifetime carbon emissions, which will be achieved in part through the use of timber but also through renewable energy.

Find out more about Living Landscape ›

Construction of Naples Central Underground Station
Image by Paolo Fassoli

Naples Underground Central Station, Italy, by EMBT

Large, undulating sections of glulam are being used to create the sculptural Naples Underground Central Station, which is currently under construction in Italy.

Barcelona studio EMBT said that the use of wood is intended to “introduce a piece of nature” to Centro Direzionale, the surrounding 1970s district designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.

Find out more about Naples Underground Central Station ›

Mass timber interior of Homerton College entrance foyer
Image by Filippo Bolognese Images

Homerton College, UK, by Alison Brooks Architects

Another education building on the list is a student hub designed by Alison Brooks Architects for the University of Cambridge. It will have an expressed CLT and glulam structure, concealed externally by copper cladding.

The studio said the timber’s sequestered carbon “will more than offset the emissions from regulated carbon emissions produced from building services installations and unregulated carbon emissions from day-to-day building use”.

Find out more about Homerton College ›

Render of Dublin's Dock Mill by Urban Agency
Image courtesy of Urban Agency

Dock Mill, Ireland, by Urban Agency

One of the more unusual projects on the list is a mass-timber extension to an existing mill in Dublin, which will be one of the tallest timber buildings in Europe when it completes.

Named Dock Mill, the project by Urban Agency will use CLT to ease and quicken construction on the restricted waterside site.

A double-skin glass facade will wrap the timber structure of the new extension, which the studio envisions as a “modern take on the glasshouse”.

Find out more about Dock Mill ›

The Pirelli 39 development by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Stefano Boeri Architetti
Image courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Stefano Boeri Architetti

Pirelli 39, Italy, by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Stefano Boeri Architetti

In Milan, a green-walled tower with a mass-timber structure is set to be built alongside the 1950s Pirellino office skyscraper.

Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Stefano Boeri Architetti, it forms part of a wider renovation project of the existing Gio Ponti-designed building, to which it will be linked by a multi-storey glass bridge.

Its timber structure will be complemented by 1,700 square meters of green walls that will change colour with the seasons.

Find out more about Pirelli 39 ›

Timber Revolution logo
Illustration by Yo Hosoyamada

Timber Revolution
This article is part of Dezeen’s Timber Revolution series, which explores the potential of mass timber and asks whether going back to wood as our primary construction material can lead the world to a more sustainable future.

Reference

8 Stunning Structures Shaped By Their Sloping Sites
CategoriesArchitecture

8 Stunning Structures Shaped By Their Sloping Sites

By Zarkon Group,

 Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.    

Despite technical complications involved in construction, inclined sites can invoke inspiring new architectural possibilities that just aren’t possible on flat sites. Better views, unique spatial design, creation of privacy using a variety of levels, and much more. Floating buildings can be constructed on slopes either by using a taller foundation or supports. On the other hand, architects have also created buildings that follow the incline or are even partially or fully buried into the slope. Below are a few ways in which architects have made the most of sloped sites to create unique homes and public buildings.

Villa Vals by SeARCH, Vals, Switzerland

SeARCH took the idea of a mountain house one step further by building a home that is concealed within the slope rather than on top of it. Given its proximity to the bath of Vals, the team wanted to create a home without disrupting the snowy inclines. A circular cavity into the mountain becomes the entrance as well as a patio. The rooms are placed around this central opening, ensuring that all the windows reach the surface. And while it may look small, appearances can be deceiving, and the inside of the home feels spacious, bright and airy. Meanwhile, the use of materials like stone, wood and concrete helps unify the design with the terrain around.

Khyber Ridge by Studio NMinusOne, Whistler, Canada

This home is broken up into five levels that adapt to the changing slope. The arrangement of the volumes is based on the unique function and views that each space requires. The topmost level contains the bedrooms as well as a large balcony for residents to take in the nature around. Part of it is embedded into the rock to create a sense of intimacy and privacy. The level below cantilevers out of the rock and houses the common areas, making it seem like it is floating within the trees. Below the mid-level entrance lies the guest room, which is completely sunken into the mountain slope for privacy. Some of the natural rock surfaces were in the interior spaces remains exposed, amplifying the alpine atmosphere.

Images by Benedikt Markel

Krkonose Mountains Centre for Environmental Education by Petr Hajek Architekti, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic

Inspired by the geometry of the Krkonose Mountains, this new building blends into the landscape (almost completely!) when seen from certain angles. The roof is covered with vegetation to reinforce this illusion. While mostly underground, a part of the structure rises above the terrain and features a glass wall that invites passersby to peek into the building and observe the activity taking place inside. Concrete is used to create the interior volumes that are then divided using plywood partitions. The furniture within is made using the leftover plywood from the bigger partitions to reduce waste.

House D by PAUHOF Architekten, Austria

Connected volumes, natural finishes, spacious interiors and stunning views make up this home. One the one hand, this is a four-story structure with stacked volumes that follow the contours of the site. On the other hand, the structure’s rounded corners are governed by the property line. The windows are placed in a way that the residents can overlook the mountains while also preventing their neighbors from being able to peek in. It follows a spiral circulation with a floating roof on the upper level. The home comprises a studio gallery, library, multiple bedrooms, baths, a family room as well as other utilities.

Sheltered Villas by A&M Architects, Karpathos, Greece

This multi-level structure creates a strong relationship between the exterior and the interior. The different volumes that make up the three villas are partially nestled into the slope of the site. The retaining walls holding up the structure extrude from the ground and are painted in white to help them stand out in the landscape. The inner volumes feature clean lines, simple geometry and black accents for the minimal aesthetic and help the view of the Aegean Sea become the hero of the experience.

Ebenezer Chapel by Vilalta Studio, Raleigh, North Carolina

Building on the increase of architecture that challenges the perception of what religious buildings should look like, Vilalta Studio presents a conceptual underground chapel. Dug into the sloped terrain near Richland Creek, the granite structure is imagined to stretch about 50 feet deep into the ground. Visitors would enter the chapel through a downward ramp that leads to an underground chamber and creates a contemplative space before entering the main gathering area. A large tower, the only element that visibly extends out of the site, brings light and air into the building. The chapel, which can accommodate 250 people, also has a skylight above for light and ventilation.

House in Chihuahua by Productora, Chihuahua, Mexico

In addition to adapting to the site, this home’s form is designed with the area’s extreme climatic conditions in mind. The temperature in the northern region of Mexico can go below freezing point in the winter and turn to scorching heat in the summer. And there are drastic temperature differences between day and night as well. Having part of the house underground helps regulate the temperature within by using the soil’s thermal mass. There are multiple roof openings and patios that not only bring in light but also create breakout spaces for the residents.

Åre Solbringen by Waldemarson Berglund, Åre, Sweden

The project includes three inclined homes on the Åreskutan mountain in Sweden. Most houses in this region are built in a way that results in one habitable floor. The architects cultivated a diagonal typology that allows them to create five usable levels that all get abundant light. The unit lies entirely along the slope. The different levels within are connected by a long flight of stairs on one side. Starting with the living room and the kitchen at the bottom, the stairs lead to the bedrooms, hall, bathroom and sauna on the upper floors. It is constructed using brick slabs, timber structural elements, a metal sheet roof and white plasterboard. Unlike the bright interiors, the wooden panels used on the exterior surfaces will age with and time and turn grey.

 Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.    

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