Another new tower (80m in height) for Leeds has just surface on Skyscrapernews and this one is cylindrical! :cheers:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/466MakeSpiralOntoLeedsSkyline_pic1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/4303TheSpiracle_pic1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=466

A great design, I wonder what it will be clad in?

We have been discussing this here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=6031465&postcount=122)
From the model i can't see how it relates to the International Pool site, but that's where I 'm told it is.

on the second render isn't the building on the right the part of mayfair as if looking from the inner ringroad?

The facade reminds me of that wavy tower on the Gold Coast. Very nice :)

on the second render isn't the building on the right the part of mayfair as if looking from the inner ringroad?


That's what I was thinking, though that would mean the bridge/link is over the ringRoad and not the river/canal as the image suggests...at least it looks more like a waterway than a dual carriageway.

That next to Mayfair would look fantastic.
Bring it on.

if you look at the new renders of kite tower you can see the same building to the right, so i'm positive it must be the same site. it's a shame really, i do still prefer kite tower to this new spiracle tower. but i suppose both would be even better aslong as the developers of kite are still interesting in a site in leeds

Another new tower (80m in height) for Leeds has just surface on Skyscrapernews and this one is cylindrical! :cheers:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/466MakeSpiralOntoLeedsSkyline_pic1.jpg

if you look at this one, the flat low rise block in the top of the picture looks strangely like the YEP building. Add to that the building on the left of that with a vaulted roof could indeed be the Crown Plaza hotel - hence here we go, lets hope that this is the replacement project for the Kite Tower. Not as spectucular, but by god, its certainly a novel concept. Let's hope the Kite Tower gets another site.

Apparently the new International Pool site by the South Leeds Stadium is already under construction, so once that is opened in 2007, the old international pool should be shut, and this, if it gets planning permission, will be ready to roll. Huzzah!

if you look at this one, the flat low rise block in the top of the picture looks strangely like the YEP building. Add to that the building on the left of that with a vaulted roof could indeed be the Crown Plaza hotel - hence here we go, lets hope that this is the replacement project for the Kite Tower. Not as spectucular, but by god, its certainly a novel concept. Let's hope the Kite Tower gets another site.


Got to be International Pool site with the Inner ring Road next to it.

Love the look of it. 26 storeys is another biggie- that makes 15 towers of 80 metres or more proposed or being built in Leeds City Centre. Can't be many other cities with such a high number of proposals.

Makes up a little for bad news regarding Supertram

C'mon chaps, sorry to sound negative but surely this is just a vision from an architects site? It's more than likely one of the ideas that they came up with for the international pool site. This and the Kite are simply good ideas that will probably never see the light of day.

C'mon chaps, sorry to sound negative but surely this is just a vision from an architects site? It's more than likely one of the ideas that they came up with for the international pool site. This and the Kite are simply good ideas that will probably never see the light of day.

No harm in been positive about it, I don't think they would go to so much trouble if the scheme is just a vision.

No harm in been positive about it, I don't think they would go to so much trouble if the scheme is just a vision.


I only get really positive once the foundations start getting dug!

Looks like an interesting design, the jazzed up Bullring comes to Leeds!

Nice looking building (I'm with Simon22 - I am sure it has some connection with our very own Rotunda too) and very modern. It would be nice if this gets built!

One thing though - the name. A spiracle is the name for the tubes that run through an insect's body to enable it to breathe :lol:

is this the design that is going ahead? I it is, it's going to be certainly distinct! the pool site closes next year i think so i don't think we're likely to to a start before 2007.

I hope so, although not as good as kite tower, it's a good enough substitute, and will probabaly blow all the other under construction schemes out of the water.

Yes this is the tower (I think).
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/pressReleases/2005/month11/inter_A6FF62961FD7EF08802570B6005892D6_PR_1.pdf

PDF from Leeds City Council ^^^

-£160m redevelopment to be unveiled next week
-24 storey, heart of financial district
-4 new office blocks
-underground parking
-environmentally sustainable with possible wind turbine. Collecting and recycling rainwater for toilets.
-Work ongoing to provide a centrally located pool
-New public square with landscaped greenery designed to protect people from inner ring road.
-4 smaller buildings lower and to fit in with local area.
-Footbridge over the motorway.
-Expected start of March 2007 when the new Swimming and Diving centre opens. .

Also I think this will go ahead because they have done this and in it sounded quite excited about it, and if they are looking for a new site for a city centre pool then are there any major reasons why it shouldn't go ahead?

Yes this is the tower (I think).
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/pressReleases/2005/month11/inter_A6FF62961FD7EF08802570B6005892D6_PR_1.pdf

PDF from Leeds City Council ^^^

-£160m redevelopment to be unveiled next week
-24 storey, heart of financial district
-4 new office blocks
-underground parking
-environmentally sustainable with possible wind turbine. Collecting and recycling rainwater for toilets.
-Work ongoing to provide a centrally located pool
-New public square with landscaped greenery designed to protect people from inner ring road.
-4 smaller buildings lower and to fit in with local area.
-Footbridge over the motorway.
-Expected start of March 2007 when the new Swimming and Diving centre opens. .

well done No.1. Great find there, and yes I agree, it has to be the Spiracle Tower. I presume the Kite Tower was designed for the site by Make, but for another developer. HBG / Barratt have also gone with Make and the Spiracle resi tower mixed in with new offices blocks is obviously the desired choice I'd guess primarily because the council are trying to encourage mixed use schemes to better integrate the residential and commercial fabric of the city. Still don't fancy living in an apartment over looking the inner ring road. The council should be further commended for ensuring a new pedestrian bridge is integrated to allow better access to the developments (TGIs/Travelodge/IBIS, Unite + Protodale student flats) along Kirkstall Road.

I read in Contract Journal that the new International Pool is now under construction next to the South Leeds Stadium (being built by St Robert McAlpine) and will open in early 2007. Hence the old pool closes and the bulldozers move in.

Yes this is the tower (I think).
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/pressReleases/2005/month11/inter_A6FF62961FD7EF08802570B6005892D6_PR_1.pdf

PDF from Leeds City Council ^^^

-£160m redevelopment to be unveiled next week
-24 storey, heart of financial district
-4 new office blocks
-underground parking
-environmentally sustainable with possible wind turbine. Collecting and recycling rainwater for toilets.
-Work ongoing to provide a centrally located pool
-New public square with landscaped greenery designed to protect people from inner ring road.
-4 smaller buildings lower and to fit in with local area.
-Footbridge over the motorway.
-Expected start of March 2007 when the new Swimming and Diving centre opens. .

Excellent work, Lno.1, and such a relief that the site won't be dominated by pan- tiled mid-rise blocks.

Well I love on a main road (admittedley not as busy as the Inner Ring Road) and until recently the A1 cut straight through Ferrybridge and Brotherton and all those areas- people get used to the noise. The design sounds ike it will try and reduce the effects of the inner ring road as much as possible. But schemes on busy roads such as the inner ring road are going to be a bit cheaper than other apartments, so it probably gives a better starting point for people wanting to live in the city centre.

And the people 80m in the air probably won't hear a thing.

Yes this is the tower (I think).
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/pressReleases/2005/month11/inter_A6FF62961FD7EF08802570B6005892D6_PR_1.pdf

PDF from Leeds City Council ^^^

-£160m redevelopment to be unveiled next week
-24 storey, heart of financial district
-4 new office blocks
-underground parking
-environmentally sustainable with possible wind turbine. Collecting and recycling rainwater for toilets.
-Work ongoing to provide a centrally located pool
-New public square with landscaped greenery designed to protect people from inner ring road.
-4 smaller buildings lower and to fit in with local area.
-Footbridge over the motorway.
-Expected start of March 2007 when the new Swimming and Diving centre opens. .


Thought the tower was to be 26 storeys high?

Well that's a bit of splendid news and no mistake. That was a good find, Leeds No 1.

Well its not 26, its 24. It will make little difference...

not enough parking though....

26 floors can be 24 storeys. storeys excludes the ground floor and any plant floor on the top.

To clarify this, Emporis give the following definition -

'A floor (synonymous with a story) in a multi-story building is defined as a horizontal open and occupiable space divided from other such spaces within the building by horizontal plates. The floor count shall be defined by determining the highest and lowest above-ground floors and counting all storeys from one to the other.'

This the basis I use for floor counts !

They go into more detail on plant room floors, and sloping split ground floors etc. on this page -

http://www.emporis.com/en/ab/ds/sg/ra/bu/td/fl/

BBC News, 16th November 2005

City ready for pool site plunge

The international pool at Westgate is in a state of disrepair
A striking design for a 24-storey building to be built on the site of the international pool in Leeds will be considered by councillors on Wednesday.
If given the go-ahead, the £160m redevelopment of the area will see a huge residential tower in the heart of the city's financial district.

The city's executive board members are expected to view the plans and consider whether the scheme should go ahead.

Work will not start until a new pool has been opened in the city.

Circular design

Building has already started on a swimming pool at the South Leeds Stadium and council officers are looking for a city centre site for a second pool.

They are understood to have recommended the board accept the preferred developer HBG Properties and agree the design of the new building.

A new footpath bridge would be built over the inner ring road providing a link between the development and the Kirkstall area of the city.

The new development would consist of five new buildings, the 24-storey tower in a circular design and four new office blocks with an underground 100-space car park.

As long as HBG commit to building this project, it would be more than foolish for the City not to grant planning approval for the this scheme. The area behind the tax office needs tarting up. i fear a lot more underground parking is required though, but that is costly.
If it does come into fruition, it is still a long way off :o(

The latest Leeds Economy Bulletin has an article entitled Renaissance Leeds. In it, there's this intriguing paragraph:

"The long anticipated development for the former International Pool site is progressing into detailed design and planning stages. The £160 million scheme includes a 24-storey environmentally sustainable tower of circular design, and four new office buildings. The scheme also includes a public space, pedestrian bridge across the adjacent urban motorway and an underground car park providing over a hundred spaces."

This site's been quiet for so long, I think we'd all forgotten about it so it's good to see movement at last. The new pool complex at the South Leeds Stadium is due to open next summer, so I suppose this latest development makes sense.

Still not enough parking - there will be less once completed than there is currently!

Still not enough parking - there will be less once completed than there is currently!

he's back! How's the Western Australia sunshine cobber?

boo, lost 500 posts - what the hell is going on with SSC at the moment. Less reliable than Aeroflot.

anyhoo - The Spiracle Tower development has shown us some interesting concept designs but no real detailed renders yet. Demolition of the International Pool is going to be reet epic I shouldn't wonder. With regard to the developers, HBG seem to be baring their teeth down the road at Whitehall Road, and I think that they are certainly strong enough and confident enough to make a start. As I remember Barratt are doing the resi element, but unlike the identikit Brewery Wharf, this scheme guarantees that they won't get away with beige brick tripe (he hopes).

Ken Shuttleworth and MAKE make their Leeds debut. That sounds good to me!

I have seen the images for the tower and the architecture is indeed fantastic but unfortunately hugely expensive and currently does not stack.

HBG a little at sea with what to do with the site. Originally 4 big office blocks and a tower over a single level basement. Now one office is planned to convert to a multistorey car park and basement to be ditched. Another office converting to a hotel and the tower in jeopardy.

Needs a major re-think I feel.

I have seen the images for the tower and the architecture is indeed fantastic but unfortunately hugely expensive and currently does not stack.

HBG a little at sea with what to do with the site. Originally 4 big office blocks and a tower over a single level basement. Now one office is planned to convert to a multistorey car park and basement to be ditched. Another office converting to a hotel and the tower in jeopardy.

Needs a major re-think I feel.

you really are a bringer of bad news this evening sport! The office element i can give or take, but an MSCP is clearly not a good use of the site, and surely giving the wrong impression re: dynamics of the city centre. The tower is the core facet of the scheme - if this bites the dust, might as well go back to square 1. Or maybe the Kite Tower!?!

I'm sensing more cancelled projects. How depressing.

I know you won't say who you are or who you work for, but clearly you're a man in the know Mr Insider. I think the only good news you've given us is with regard to Lumiere and maybe Monksbridge Forge. Keep posting - perhaps we need a dose of reality after all these proposals over the last year or so.

I know this sounds probably insane but couldn't the International Pool if this development proposal goes through the floor be instead be refurbished and hey presto be turned into a convention centre, theatre, concert hall or arena. What does anyone think of that? Not a fan of the International Pool personally but would such a conversion be possible be in what is clearly one of Leeds's Marmite buildings (you either love it or hate it)?

http://www.leodis.org/imagesLeodis/screen/37/2006116_160337.jpg

The International Pool is so ugly it used to make me cry. The only downside to its demolition is the loss of somewhere to swim in central Leeds - your scheme would lose the pool and keep the carbuncle!

http://www.leodis.org/imagesLeodis/screen/37/2006116_160337.jpg

Well it certainly looks erm.....symetrical

Its a real shame the way the International Pool has been let go. It could be a really intresting and smart building if it had a bit of money spent on it. Lanscaping the area around it would be a huge inprovement for example, as it has been left as a bit of a wasteland after the ring road was built.

Apparently it used to have much better facilities which have all been closed down too, to name a couple Turkish baths and cafe... The new pool at John Charles looks to be coming on well, even if it is impossible to access other than by car. We might be lucky and get a new build 25m pool and sports centre elsewhere in town somewhere?...

Why limit ourselves with another 25m pool - surely we have to have a 50m pool! Even for swimming for fitness 25m just isn't long enough...

Found this on the dla site

OLYMPIC POOL SITE
LOCATION: Leeds
SECTOR: SPATIAL PLANNING / Sports & Leisure / Lifestyle

A short-listed competition scheme for the Olympic Pool site, the proposals offer a range of new uses centred around high quality public realm. Key to the design concept is the network of connections to the surrounding historical, physical and visual urban fabric.

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/1746/5454adbu5.jpg

wow great find Jebus. they've got rid of the spiracle tower which is a shame but the building look really good and the tower looks like it could be 30+ stories which would be really good as the Kite towere which couldn't fit in the site was 40 stories.

dla didnt win the design scheme i thought it was make and carey jones who had won the design contest for the pool site with the spirical tower design, correct me if im wrong not sure as there has been no news on this development which is a shame, this development could really improve this area of town IMO

dla didnt win the design scheme i thought it was make and carey jones who had won the design contest for the pool site with the spirical tower design

Correct as far as Im aware

A short-listed competition scheme for the Olympic Pool site, the proposals offer a range of new uses centred around high quality public realm. Key to the design concept is the network of connections to the surrounding historical, physical and visual urban fabric.

I really like that, even more than the spiracle actually.

So do I actually

I also prefer this scheme, all the buildings seem to be well designed and something different. With the spiracle scheme the only thing its got going for it is the actual tower, the rest doesn't seem anything too special

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/466MakeSpiralOntoLeedsSkyline_pic1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/4303TheSpiracle_pic1.jpg

I like them both, but the "not Spiracle" design thats just been posted is more original and interesting. Looks really good.

Just found this, its the same as the spiricle scheme render but with the Kite tower. Was the Kite tower ever proposed?

http://members.lycos.co.uk/skyfitsleeds/hpbimg/kite1.jpg

Was the Kite tower ever proposed?

http://members.lycos.co.uk/skyfitsleeds/hpbimg/kite1.jpg

Yep, it was Make's other entry.
Boo hiss, they chose the least impressive design imo.

I have to agree are those new renders the most up to date plans then or are they just an alternative scheme for this site? Prefer that to the Spiricle which whilst it looks good does look rather like the Rotunda in Birmingham (which is not a bad thing of course but would be better to be more unique as opposed to imitating other towers). When is this scheme due to start and when is the international pool due to be demolished?

I have to agree are those new renders the most up to date plans then or are they just an alternative scheme for this site?

Jebus found a render of one of the old competition entries for the site. Spiracle was the entry that was selected.

Is Spiracle actually approved for that site then, or is it a vision?

Subliving.

Is Spiracle actually approved for that site then, or is it a vision?

Subliving.

It won the competition but the last we heard was from insider007 who claimed the tower element had been scrapped. We await further news with bated breath!

It won the competition but the last we heard was from insider007 who claimed the tower element had been scrapped. We await further news with bated breath!

I have mixed feelings about competitions. On one hand, great! We have a spectacular design. On the other hand, we have Criterion. Yes, it is a spectacular design, but where is it? It's still driving us skychasers mad!

Subliving.

the reason for the Kite tower is not going to be built on the site is that it was to big for the site.

Be Patient , I bet you that we will hear a lot more from CP some time in Spring.

the Kite Tower, sigh, incredible. Looks like it will chalked up as a vision only. I have no issue with the concept of the Spiracle, the circular tower design (and that at Granary Wharf) will balance out some of the existing blocky monsters (Tower North, Park Plaza and K2). Now, the Kite Tower in the middle of HUV, or perhaps on the Asda site in close contact with BWP and Criterion (wishes), that would be a gateway to a city and a half!

the work on spiracle is suposed to commence when the pool in south leeds is finished i hope so because its a great view of leeds for the away fans of leeds united and visitors who come in from this side of the road.
any further news would be nice .as this tower would look great on the skyline.

From today's YEP:

City set to dive in... for 'The Spiracle'

By Paul Robinson

Deal' imminent' for £160m tower on international swimming pool site

PLANS for a spectacular redevelopment of the Leeds International Pool site are set to take a major step forward. Council bosses are just weeks away from signing a sell-off deal with construction group HBG Properties – and demolition work could begin on the ageing pool building by this September.

It will be replaced, subject to planning permission, by a cylindrical 24-storey residential tower called 'The Spiracle' plus four smaller office blocks and an underground car park. Leeds City Council leader Andrew Carter said he was excited by the £160m proposals for the site, which is on Westgate next to the inner ring road.

He told the YEP: "We want a prestige development at this gateway to the centre of Leeds, and it seems to me that this project fits the bill." Coun Carter added that he expected to agree terms with HBG "imminently".
However, ownership of the pool site will only switch from the local authority to the company after planning consent is obtained for the development scheme. The amount of money which the council will get from the sale is at this stage being kept confidential.

Design work on the Spiracle was carried out by Make Architects, which was founded by Ken Shuttleworth – the man behind London's distinctive "gherkin" skyscraper. The pool is due to close after the completion of the new swimming and diving complex currently under construction at Beeston's John Charles Centre for Sport.

Although the YEP revealed in December that the Beeston project was facing a budget shortfall, it is still thought to be on course to open this autumn. Council chiefs hope HBG will be in a position to start work as soon as possible after the old pool shuts.

Long regarded as one of Leeds's least attractive buildings, the international pool dates back to the 1960s. It couldn't attract top-class events because it could only accommodate seven full-sized lanes, rather than the Olympic standard of eight.

Great to her some news on this one.

I also can see someone putting in a bid for the site of the decaying building in the background of the photo below.


http://www.leodis.net/imagesLeodis/screen/20/2002812_59780520.jpg

that's the old police station, i remember seeing scaffolding around the bottom recently.

...

I also can see someone putting in a bid for the site of the decaying building in the background of the photo below.


http://www.leodis.net/imagesLeodis/screen/20/2002812_59780520.jpg

I hope, not. As unremarkable as it is now, if you look at it closer, it is a beauty of a building. There is something art deco about it, if I dare say. Anyone knows when it was built? The best use would be to re-develop it for an art hotel, or similar. Certainly the inner layout (large corridors, small rooms) would allow this.

I hope, not. As unremarkable as it is now, if you look at it closer, it is a beauty of a building. There is something art deco about it, if I dare say. Anyone knows when it was built? The best use would be to re-develop it for an art hotel, or similar. Certainly the inner layout (large corridors, small rooms) would allow this.

I quite agree! The building is in a terrible state of decay and the scaffolding that Monsoon refers to has been there for years. But it is quite an elegant building and I think it would look beautiful if it was spruced up.

I would assume any development with that building should retain the existing structure, I don't know if its listed but perhaps it ought to be.

Didn't someone say that there wasn't going be the Spiricle, atleast its staying because its a great tower.

There isn't a Kite tower (by the same architects) but the Spiracle is definately on the books.

Hold your huskies.
I said the police station was a great building a couple of years ago and i was told it sucked. Now I'm the only one who thinks it should be demolished (?!).

It's an interesting building but it seems to have declined considerably in the last couple of years.

Great news. Can you imagine driving down the Inner Ring Road in a few years time with all the new high rise buildings on either side of the road.

Reminds me of playing grand theft auto on the xbox 360

From today's YEP:

City set to dive in... for 'The Spiracle'

Long regarded as one of Leeds's least attractive buildings, the international pool dates back to the 1960s. It couldn't attract top-class events because it could only accommodate seven full-sized lanes, rather than the Olympic standard of eight.

it continues to be an embarrassment doesn't it. Its such a landmark really, and so distinguishable, that it will be bit of shame when it finally disappears, but it looks in such a state of disrepair, and the farce of the 7 lane issue effectively put the nails in its coffin several decades back. Its done well to survive to 2007.

Spiracle looks great, HBG are fast becoming Leeds's near savours with Latitude to kick off down on Whitehall Road, stealing a lead on Whitehall Riverside and Wellington Place. Something else for the pipeline and to look forward to in Q3. Marvellous

The old police station is past it and should be demolished. I all for retro buildings (Circle House anyone???), but I the police station is in too prominant a part of the city to stay. A tall building on this site next to Spiracle could be awesome.

(Circle House anyone???)

Circle House is actually a pants building. Only the stairwell merits attention.

I think it has 8 lanes? The issue was that it was only 49.99m long?

I think it has 8 lanes? The issue was that it was only 49.99m long?

Surely that could have been easily fixed with tiles 5mm thinner at each end!

The problem was that the size of the pool was correct but they put tiles in that were to thick so making the length of the pool smaller. It would have cost a lot to replace all the tiles in the pool so they just left it as it is.

This was approved a while ago.Any news on the recent development ?

This was approved a while ago.Any news on the recent development ?

Expected start of March 2007 when the new Swimming and Diving centre opens in South Leeds.... ?

This could be really special. :master:

P.S The wheels are still turning. :)

I don't understand. Are these coded messages?

Nope. Just saying that things are very much still happening behind the scenes, and that there are other renders which will probably become available further down the line. :cheers:

Nope. Just saying that things are very much still happening behind the scenes, and that there are other renders which will probably become available further down the line. :cheers:

isn't this a jv between Barrett (residential) and HBG (office)? In which case they are both incredibly robust and experienced developers, with a prime city central site on their hands. I'd expect they want to get going as soon as the International Pool is clear. HBG are almost leading the Leeds development charge at the moment with the Rose Bowl and Monksbridge Forge.

Looking forward to new renders in due course. Round/curved towers seem to be the current forte in Leeds...... with Granary Wharf, and the eliptical shaped towers planned at the old Leeds Met site behind the Merrion Centre (Brunswick Place). The demolition job on the International Pool is going to be a beast, best to get some photos for posterity.

Nope. Just saying that things are very much still happening behind the scenes, and that there are other renders which will probably become available further down the line. :cheers:

hahaha- a bit of a tease. Have you seen the renders?

I've heard that the closure date for the international pool MAY be September 23rd. :)

From tonights YEP:



Fate of city pool site still not decided



The Spiracle planned for the International Pool site


« Previous « PreviousNext » Next »

View GalleryBy Paul Robinson
THE FATE of the Leeds International Pool site remains undecided – nearly a year after its sell-off was due to be completed.
Plans to replace the neglected complex with a cylindrical 24-storey residential tower called "The Spiracle" were first unveiled in late 2005.

And, last January, Leeds City Council was said to be weeks away from signing a deal to sell the site to its preferred developer, HBG Properties. Demolition work was reportedly set to start once the pool shut in the autumn.

Three months on from its closure, however, there are no sign of bulldozers moving in on the building, on Westgate next to the inner ring road.

Now the YEP has learned that the council has yet to conclude its sale to London-based HBG.

Documents lodged with the Government's Land Registry show the pool is still under local authority ownership.

Today, though, council leader Andrew Carter stressed the project was moving forward.

Discussions were continuing with HBG, he said, but could not be rushed because of the complex nature of the scheme.

Coun Carter said it was expected a planning application for the development would be submitted in or around April. It was unclear whether the sell-off would be finalised before that time, however.

"This is a site of huge importance, both in terms of the style and type of development we have there, and in terms of its value," said Coun Carter. "We must get things absolutely right."

Design work on the Spiracle was carried out byLondon firm Make Architects, led by Ken Shuttleworth – the man behind the capital's famed "gherkin" skyscraper.

The Leeds tower would be home to nearly 150 apartments sitting above a basement car park.

The blueprint for the rest of the site includes four eight-storey office buildings and landscaped public space.

A spokeswoman for HBG said: "All parties involved are working towards a successful completion."

The pool dates back to the 1960s and has been regarded as one of Leeds's least attractive buildings.

Designed by Pontefract architect John Poulson – later jailed for corruption – the pool was too narrow for eight-lane Olympic standards.

It closed for the final time in October, ahead of the opening of a £16m aquatics centre at the John Charles sports complex in Beeston.

Leeds City Council website


The full article contains 392 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.Last Updated: 10 January 2008 9:44 AM

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/OSA_Leeds_resized_250_tcm23-486779.jpg


architect'sjournal.co.u

OSA to build installation at Leeds International Pool

Published: 16 January 2008 12:14

German maverick Office for Subversive Architecture (OSA) has been chosen to build this temporary art installation inside Leeds' soon-to-be-demolished International Pool.

Dubbed The Accumulator, the huge textile funnel is expected to be erected within the next few days, and will stay on display until the 1967 pool is flattened to make way for Make's long-awaited Spiracle tower in April.

However, the news comes amid reports that the deal to sell off the now-empty building – originally designed by disgraced architect John Poulson – has yet to be finalised.

Leeds City Council had hoped to seal the deal for the site with developer HAG Properties last year but, according to the Yorkshire Post, the final contract has still not been signed, leaving the final demolition date in doubt.

Meanwhile, OSA is continuing with its competition-winning scheme, which has been designed as a 'virtual water collector' to raise questions 'about resources and sustainability based on current discussions on climate change'.

Describing the project, OSA director Karsten Huneck said: 'Leeds International Pool, which was constructed in the 1960s, exhibits all the "swank" and "jauntiness" of the swinging sixties.

'This is also reflected in the shape of the funnel, which has the virtual function to create a gateway to discussions about standards for modern buildings.'

He added: 'Now that the building is deemed not to be energy efficient, and would need extensive repair, the decision has been made to demolish it.'

The installation will go on public view on 21 February.


From the same source (requires a subscription unfortunately)

Brewster Bye wins thumbs-up for Leeds city-centre scheme - images
Published: 30 April 2007 11:11

Leeds City Council has approved this £150 million development by Brewster Bye Architects for a derelict site on the edge of Leeds city centre.

26 floors can be 24 storeys. storeys excludes the ground floor and any plant floor on the top.

You got it the wrong way round mate. storeys includes the ground floor, floors excludes the ground floor (unless your in america then there both the same)

The art installation looks interesting I must admit. Strange since they are going to demolish it soon.

You got it the wrong way round mate. storeys includes the ground floor, floors excludes the ground floor (unless your in america then there both the same)

no it doesnt. ive read literally hundreds of planning applications on this. i guess they must all be wrong.

Although I have absolutely no knowledge of that, it would make more sense for the latter to be true.

Number of storeys quoted normally includes the ground floor, and sums up all the habitable floors from ground up. CTBUH takes height measurments from the ground level (which has the main entrance) to the top of the structure, and counts all storeys in the number of storeys quoted.

Take cottingley towers for example. We know that its 25 storeys, but it only goes up to floor 24 because the first one is ground level then it moves to first floor, then second and so on until 24th floor which is at the top.

That's how I see it, there is G and 1-24, but it is a 25 storey building (similarly, a bungalow is a 1 storey building, and a house with an upstairs is a 2 storey building, etc).

Thankyou

Now here's an interesting thing - has appeared on the latest 'new plans list':


Reference:
08/01151/LA/C

Applicant:
Leeds City Council

Description:
Use of former swimming pool site as temporary short stay pay and display car park

Location
Leeds International Swimming Pool, Westgate, Leeds, LS1 4PH

Grid Ref: 429366433635

Valid
27/02/08

Notable that the City Council is the applicant. It would appear from online system that this is for the whole site too - in fact they could probably get away with using the existing car park without further consent anyway. I wonder if that means the city are going to fund the demolition too? Probably all wound up in some complex agreements I can't hope to second guess!

or maybe they just plan on using it as car park forever, like criterion place :(

Looks like this one has gone the way of the Dodo.

Reasons given appear to be a combination of the current residential market and the particularly expensive design, which the planners wouldn't allow any slackening of standards.

"A FUTURISTIC high rise tower block which was to have been the centrepiece of a £160m regeneration of the former Leeds International Pool site has been scrapped.

The 24-storey Spiracle Tower has fallen victim to the faltering residential property market. The skyscraper – also known as the "Poppadom Tower" – was designed by London architects Make, whose Ken Shuttleworth is the man behind the capital's famed "gherkin" high-rise block. Lead developer on the scheme, and partner with Leeds City Council, is HBG. Frasers, formerly known as Fairbriar, became, in Mr Stacey's words, "a kind of silent partner" after original residential partner Barrett withdrew. Property agent Jonathan Morgan, who advised Leeds University on its 2007 City Living report, believes the ditching of the scheme could be the tip of a much larger iceberg. He said: "This news comes as no surprise because the rate of residential delivery in Leeds has been outstripping the rate of take up. "With the lack of available of finance for developers, and the amount of properties in the planning pipeline (around 25,000) there will be many more residential schemes mothballed." He said these would be in peripheral locations on the edge of the city centre. Central, good quality schemes were still performing well, he added. Doubts over the future of the site emerged earlier this year but Leeds City Council remains bullish about its future.

Andrew Stacey, head of the Leeds office of Frasers Property Development, which was to have developed the building, told the YEP: "The decision to pull out of the scheme was taken for a number of reasons. "The credit crunch was part of that but there was also a degree of inflexibility from Leeds City Council. "The scheme was expensive and we were looking for some relaxation in what was being proposed to make it more economically viable." A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "Negotiations are still on going and are very positive. Both ourselves and HBG are committed to creating a £160m development worthy of such an important site to the city."A revised plan for this site without the Spiracle Tower – which only accounted for 20 per cent of the original scheme – is already on the way and we intend to begin demolition of the old pool building in September."

YEP, 25 April 08

Sorry to hear that this got scrapped guys, i read about it in this weeks AJ.

Sorry to hear about this one guys - it was a great proposal!

The developers seemed to be blaming the building of too many apartments in Leeds, stating that supply has outstripped demand and that with the current economic climate, this is no longer viable.

What does this mean for other residential/primarily residential schemes in Leeds?

shame, it looked a bit like an updated version of http://farm1.static.flickr.com/11/186217996_4016fe6704.jpg

shame, it looked a bit like an updated version of http://farm1.static.flickr.com/11/186217996_4016fe6704.jpg

I guess it did a bit! I love that building in East Croydon, another beauty from the much maligned and criminally underrated Richard Seiffert.

Sad news indeed, it's inevitable that some resi schemes were going to be pulled in the current climate but such a pity that it's the Spiracle. :(

Still 2008 has brought some fantastic news for Leeds with the Trinity Quarter kicking off, the future of the lovely Crispin Lofts finally being sorted out and the reclad of City House seemingly speeding ahead. These 3 were pretty near the top of my Leeds development dream list, so I guess they outweigh the disappointment of Spiracle.

Thats the worse news ive had all day, hopefully we'll get something just as good in a few years time, plus we'll have another place to park in the city centre the next time the Light is full!! :)

disappointing indeed, mainly because it gave the site a real eyecatching and lofty pinnacle. I fear the site will end up a lowrise blocky office development which won't add any real wow factor to the skyline or the urban fabric. So the pool starts demolition in Sept - get your cameras out and let's sign the old concrete beauty off with photos for time immemorial.