The site was previously a derelict car park surrounded by five buildings of varying ages and histories. We refurbished these buildings for new uses, and transformed the car park into a new courtyard, connected to the local streets with a network of new passageways. Our interventions centred on the experience at ground floor: visitors are led through the scheme by a unifying ‘carpet’ of concrete paving, while new shopfronts have been added to the surrounding buildings, activating the perimeter of the previously dormant site.
Life at the Yards revolves around this central courtyard, which is both an anteroom to the buildings around it and a place in itself. We envisaged it as a blank canvas which could be co-opted by its user: it now hosts pop-up screenings, food festivals and sporting events, while local artists have taken occupation of the space by painting murals around its walls.
