NORTHWICH CULTURAL CENTRE
- Year: 2009
- Location: Northwich UK
-
Partner: Leo de Jong
(1st phase),
Dooley Associates, Manchester (2nd phase) -
Structures: ARUP,
Amsterdam – London - Status: Competition finalist
The project starts from building a dike. While shielding the lower parts of the building from the troubled waters the dike also allows for active use. The grand stair and tribunes connect to the quay of the Weaver; the Japanese garden slopes down to the office area; and the wooden deck on top of the dike makes an open terrace for the restaurant. As the new Center could be used even when flooded the dike stands for a positive attitude of the city towards the water.
The main level is at the top of the dike. All of the public programs of the Cultural Centre have their address in a large open lobby. The horizontal continuity of the lobby together with its programmatic richness embrace both unity and diversity. The lobby brings forward a sense of togetherness that is essential for the community. It is truly a new living room of the city.
The white Origami roof (un)folds over the building, the dike and the entrance square touching the water of the river.
With its generous scale the Origami Roof becomes a new symbol of the public life in the provincial city. Making a large canopy it binds the Centre, the urban context and the river into one coherent whole.
