30 June 2022 · By Rob Wilson, photography by Ed Reeve

The retrofit project creates a community space and sustainability hub, using prefabricated galvanised steel Nissen sheds placed in two redundant railway arches

The arches, one on Ewer Street and one on Redcross Way, form part of Bankside’s Low Line – ‘a network of creative and cultural nodes' under the Victorian railway viaducts running through Bankside, London Bridge and Bermondsey.

The hub features secure cycle parking and a last-mile consolidation centre – which aims to reduce carbon emissions for the final stage of goods deliveries – supporting a cycle courier service and operations base for cleaning and waste recycling

TDO’s design, commissioned by Better Bankside, creates discrete spaces-within-spaces using the prefabricated sheds placed in the volumes under the two arches, sitting on relocatable precast concrete footings.

The sheds were chosen for being demountable, cost-efficient and recyclable. They arrived as components, assembled off-site as much as possible, before being assembled fully in the arches – which reduced the programme time and disruption to occupants and neighbours.

Galvanised steel was also used for secondary elements such as entry doors, glazing surrounds and exposed services. The geometry of the sheds reflects the form of the arches, creating curving voids between them used for lighting, services distribution, ventilation and circulation.

The project also involved exposing and cleaning as much of the original brickwork as possible.

The spaces are intended to be a benchmark for the regeneration of other arches, and can accommodate workspaces, meeting rooms, catering facilities and washrooms or be left as voids to host a variety of uses, such as performances and exhibition space.

The Ewer Street arch is now in use by Better Bankside while the Redcross Way arch offers flexible space for event hire. TDO also designed a third as-yet-unrealised project that creates workspaces for local micro-enterprises priced out of commercial lets.

The Low Line is a partnership between Better Bankside, Team London Bridge, Blue Bermondsey, Southwark Council and The Arch Company and is supported with £1 million funding from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund.

The unique qualities of railway viaducts and the generous volumes of the arches underneath have fascinated us since the early days of TDO when we converted a vacant arch in Southwark into our studio. Thousands of railway arches are vacant across the country and present a significant retrofit opportunity. The project has allowed us and the Low Line partners to explore our shared interests in social and environmental sustainability, and the power of face-finished materials and simple forms. Tom Lewith, founding director, TDO

Today, more than ever, we need imaginative and practical design in our cities and communities. The Low Line has the potential to provide flexible and safe places where people will be able to socialise and develop much-needed new innovative businesses. Donald Hyslop, chair, Better Bankside and the Low Line Steering Group

I would like to congratulate TDO on its innovative approach to repurposing these two arches. Bankside is home to many small businesses and the creation of new secure cycle parking and a last-mile consolidation centre will be a welcome addition for those businesses and their employees. The arches themselves are home to many fantastic small businesses and our investment in the area, as part of our Project 1000 initiative, is helping to create new spaces, boost enterprise and support job creation. Craig McWilliam, CEO, The Arch Company

Start on site March 2021 (Ewer Street, Redcross Way) Completion date December 2021 (Ewer Street), April 2022 (Redcross Way) Gross internal floor area 487m2 (Ewer Street), 181m2 (Redcross Way) Form of contract or procurement route Design and build Construction cost £460,000 (Ewer Street), £340,000 (Redcross Way) Construction cost per m2£945 (Ewer Street), £1,880 (Redcross Way) Architect TDO Client Low Line partners: Better Bankside, Team London Bridge, Blue Bermondsey, Southwark Council, The Arch Company Structural engineer Lyons O’Neill (Stage 0-3) ITC Stage 3 onwards M&E consultant Pinnacle ESP Quantity surveyor AMR Consult Project manager AMR Consult Principal designer AMR Consult Approved building inspector The Building Inspectors Main contractor ITC CAD software used AutoCAD

Tags Adaptive reuse cycle store Railway arches Retrofit TDO

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