{"id":749560,"date":"2024-07-25T08:55:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T07:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=749560"},"modified":"2024-07-26T08:19:20","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T07:19:20","slug":"a-is-for_-qa-folkestone-has-become-the-focus-of-our-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/a-is-for_-qa-folkestone-has-become-the-focus-of-our-practice","title":{"rendered":"A is For_ Q&A: \u2018Folkestone has become the focus of our practice\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

If approved, the 4.4ha scheme will transform a seafront carpark into a new residential community with leisure and commercial uses, providing 405 homes and 7,501m\u00b2 of commercial space for Folkestone Harbour Seafront Development Company.<\/p>\n

A is For_ director and former ACME associate Duarte Lobo Antunes told the AJ that the harbour site is both a ‘counterpoint’ to the already completed plots of a Farrells masterplan while complementing the local architecture. However, the project has not been without controversy and a petition against a brighter version of the scheme attracted more than 8,000 signatures.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the AJ Lobo Antunes says the Kent seaside town has become the focus of the practice since it was appointed by billionaire property developer and one-time Saga owner Roger De Haan to draw up the regeneration scheme.<\/p>\n

\"\"

An early version of A is For__’s Folkestone Harbour scheme<\/p>\n\t

Source:A is For__<\/p><\/div>\n

As the final piece of the Farrells masterplan, how important is getting this scheme right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both the Farrells and the ACME masterplans thought of the Harbour as a relatively dense cluster of taller buildings and a counterpoint to the lower buildings and more expansive views of the beach plots, but without really giving much consideration to its unique characteristics.<\/p>\n

The Harbour will be the heart of this new community, where most of the services, amenities, commercial and leisure facilities will be located, and an important new neighbourhood that will complement the town centre and the Creative Quarter. Because it is the final piece of the puzzle, we\u2019ve been able to consider how it will complement the rest of the masterplan.<\/p>\n

Explain your architectural approach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though the Harbour consists of only three plots we developed the project as a joined-up plan within the larger scheme, so we followed a masterplanning process. We looked at the existing meanwhile uses and how they could fit in the final scheme, we considered how people would walk, what they would see as they moved through the space and how the whole thing would form a cohesive neighbourhood. Only then did we start thinking about the buildings.<\/p>\n

We were very influenced by the early wind flow analysis we did in-house, and we tried to make sure that streets, balconies and terraces were well protected from the harsh marine environment. This influenced the design of the balustrades and windbreaks and was also a key ingredient in the landscape design.<\/p>\n

The result is something that is necessarily original but that is very much rooted in its place<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The other key aspect was developing an architectural language that reinterpreted and celebrated the heritage of the harbour through a formal lexicon derived from the shapes and patterns of the structures already onsite.<\/p>\n

Two special buildings look out to sea, with a freestanding building acting as a pivot point for the masterplan. The result is something that is necessarily original but that is very much rooted in its place.<\/p>\n

How has pre-app discussion and public consultation changed the scheme?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the very beginning we recognised the importance, and the transformational aspects of the Harbour Plan so there was a long and thorough process of engagement with the local authority, stakeholders and civic societies, local traders, and the public at large \u2013 quite unusual for a reserved matters application within an outline consent. However, this allowed us to keep refining and adapting the design. We never saw it as a confrontational process.<\/p>\n

\"A

A is For__’s submitted Folkestone Harbour scheme (2024)<\/p>\n\t

Source:XAOS Collective<\/p><\/div>\n

Schemes like this take time to mature and there are moments when we must invite the public\u2019s reactions. But it\u2019s true that a lot of people simply don\u2019t know what the local plan is, what is outline consent and what is the purpose of a reserved matters application and thought we were consulting on whether one should build on this site.<\/p>\n

The truth is that the parameters related to height, density and amount of development, as well as the planning obligations and developer contributions have been set since the original Farrells plans almost 10 years ago. We think this points to a basic flaw in the planning process for large-scale developments, which is the mismanagement of expectations.<\/p>\n

When schemes take this long to develop through a series of reserved matters applications, by the end the community is either suffering from \u2018consultation fatigue\u2019 or feels blindsided by the process and doesn\u2019t really understand the connection between what was agreed a decade ago and what is being done now.<\/p>\n

We never saw this as a confrontational process<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The other unusual aspect of the seafront masterplan has been the effort in improving the landscape, the biodiversity and public realm way in advance of any buildings actually being built. This understandably also generates feelings of protection of what was always meant to be temporaryWhat were the major challenges and opportunities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from the environmental challenges related to the wind and the site\u2019s location on the English Channel, the main challenge was to see this area not as another residential plot with buildings atop a private podium but to create a new urban quarter, with equal parts consistency and variety that people will want to live and hang out in, where pedestrians and cyclists dominate.<\/p>\n

This required a careful balance in the urban grain that considered desire lines, views, the natural flow of people from the town to the Harbour Arm, but also introduced smaller lanes and passages east to west for more meandering routes.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A is For__’s submitted Folkestone Harbour scheme (2024)<\/p>\n\t

Source:XAOS Collective<\/p><\/div>\n

Explain the public realm benefits and improvements to sea defences<\/strong><\/p>\n

The different aspects of the public realm and how they come together as a whole were the driver of the whole scheme. From the very beginning we developed the design together with Landscape Architects Spacehub, with whom we\u2019ve collaborated closely for many years.<\/p>\n

Even though the harbour used to be a bustling transport hub, except for the upper level of the Harbour Arm in calm days, it was never a particularly inviting or public space. When Sir Roger De Haan bought the Harbour the whole area had been closed and derelict for a long time.<\/p>\n

The Harbour needs an upgrade to its sea and flood defences that will make it resilient for the next generations<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With rising sea levels and increasingly severe weather events the Harbour needs an upgrade to its sea and flood defences that will make it resilient for the next generations. This includes raising the levels of harbour by an average of 1.2m and creating a new revetment and wave wall to the east, which gave us the opportunity to introduce a new seafront park on the reclaimed land.<\/p>\n

How have you built on lessons learnt elsewhere?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Britain has a bit of a ‘coastal paradox’. You would expect that an island\u2019s coast is where wealth and opportunity accumulate, but with the decline in naval industries and transport and the opening up of sunnier holiday destinations afforded by cheap air travel, the coast has been left empty and depressed.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A is For__’s submitted Folkestone Harbour scheme (2024)<\/p>\n\t

Source:A is For__<\/p><\/div>\n

Seaside towns have always had to reinvent themselves, all over the world, and Britain is no exception. For a lot of people this transformation is shocking and unwelcome, but it is inevitable. It\u2019s crucial to preserve and celebrate the heritage of coastal towns to draw creative energy from but expecting that the same sectors and industries that once fed coastal towns will miraculously come back is not helpful. That might be the case for some towns, but not for most of them.<\/p>\n

Every seaside town is different, but in a way, they are also quite similar. Folkestone has benefited immensely from HS1 and the fact that it is now 50 minutes away from central London. Seaside towns have a lot of potential to develop into great places to live with great benefits for physical and mental health. We saw this happening in places like Hamburg and Aarhus, where harbour areas were transformed into very successful residential neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

For a lot of people this transformation is shocking and unwelcome, but it is inevitable<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They also present unique challenges to developers as the best sites require significant investment and upgrades to make them suitable as mixed-use sites and local authorities perhaps don\u2019t always understand this.<\/p>\n

Folkestone of course is unique in that much of its regeneration was kick-started by one individual, but it can definitely be an example of how an initial investment in culture, sport, education and public realm can make a town attractive and development more feasible.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A is For__’s submitted Folkestone Harbour scheme (2024)<\/p>\n\t

Source:XAOS Collective<\/p><\/div>\n

What does this scheme mean to your practice and to the town?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Folkestone has had a long history, from a small fishing harbour that was also used to smuggle goods to a fashionable Victorian seaside resort to later being a strategic departure point for troops in two world wars. Its fate, like that of so many British coastal towns, changed with the advent of cheap air travel and the loss of the passenger ferry link. By the 1960s tourism was in steep decline. When Sir Roger De Haan bought the derelict harbour and the former amusement park site in the early 2000s, Folkestone was truly on its knees.<\/p>\n

Since then, through a mix of charitable works like the Creative Foundation, the Three Hills Sports Park, The F51 Multi-Storey Skatepark, the Folkestone Academy and the early implementation of placemaking elements and meanwhile uses on the seafront, the fortunes of the town have drastically changed.<\/p>\n

The Seafront Masterplan was from the beginning a very unusual commission<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Seafront Masterplan was from the beginning a very unusual commission, because of its location \u2013 right on the water\u2019s edge, because of its scale, and because the client was driven by a long-term vision for the town, rather than immediate returns.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been involved in the scheme since 2016, first at ACME working on the changes to the original masterplan by Farrells and, since 2021, taking on a number of plots and smaller interventions as well as the later phases on the Harbour which together represent more than half of the development planned for this area.<\/p>\n

For a small and young practice taking on these large-scale projects it has been a chance to immerse ourselves in the history and the social fabric of the town in a complex and long process. Folkestone \u2013 and coastal regeneration in general \u2013 has become the focus of our practice.<\/p>\n

Will A is For_continue its relationship with Folkestone beyond this scheme?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The final phases of the masterplan represent more than half of the total amount of homes and large majority of affordable homes as well as almost all the commercial and community uses, therefore it is crucial that it is delivered and phased properly.<\/p>\n

The experience we\u2019ve gathered and the relationship with local stakeholders and community groups means that we are in a privileged position to continue contributing to the town. We\u2019ve already started expanding our commissions beyond the Harbour, always with a focus on regeneration and public realm.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A is For__’s submitted Folkestone Harbour scheme (2024)<\/p>\n\t

Source:PixelFlakes<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If approved, the 4.4ha scheme will transform a seafront carpark into a new residential community with leisure and commercial uses, providing 405 homes and 7,501m\u00b2 of commercial space for Folkestone Harbour Seafront Development Company. 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