NEWPORT | Projects & Construction - Page 7

Andrew · May 20th, 2006, 10:28 AM

The first pic makes it slightly different to what i expected but it looks good. I'm really looking forward to some more high quality renders though; these drawings don't show enough really (although renders can be misleading as well).
If this really does improve permiability between the city centre and the riverside then it'll be brilliant! I take it there's a public exhibition of the plans and that's where these pictures were taken.
I like the curve of the shopping centre, it seems quite a standard interior for a shopping centre but at least it's light and airy. I think the main 'wow' factor of this development will be the residential tower, which could look awesome but were still awaitng a high quality render of that as well as we still only have a drawing of that part of the development.

Jim · May 20th, 2006, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

The first pic makes it slightly different to what i expected but it looks good. I'm really looking forward to some more high quality renders though; these drawings don't show enough really (although renders can be misleading as well).

True. What's missing here is good renders. The only one I've seen is the outside shot of the entrance at night. Every other picture is either a drawing, or a photograph of the infamous scale model.

The tower is definitely the wow factor, and yet we still don't have an official height yet!

I read somewhere it will be the tallest in NP (at least until the Cambrian Centre tops out).

Marky_boy · May 20th, 2006, 09:07 PM

I wish Newport could have the tallest in Wales, imagine 115 metres.

Andrew · May 21st, 2006, 10:30 AM

To be honest I think that sort of height would look out of place in Newport and it's not needed. There's no point in Newport trying to compete with Cardiff or Swansea in terms of height, with the current proposals it's gonna have a pretty dramatic skyline as it is with some really interesting shapes. I'm certain that if the current proposals go ahead then Newport certainly wont get left behind and I wont be surprised if there are further proposals for mid and high-rise buildings in the city. I can't think of any other city with a population of <140,000 that has such a striking skyline.

Marky_boy · May 21st, 2006, 02:09 PM

Oxford?!?

Andrew · May 22nd, 2006, 09:16 AM

Ok, Oxford is a good point but it's not the same kind of skyline.

oglord · May 29th, 2006, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Wah! You got a new drawing of the development! Where did that come from?

There was an exhibition in the Riverfront (that I couldn't go to!). It had the scale model and a number of freestanding boards with these pictures on. They also had some footprint plans similar to this one:

but where the writing could actually be made out! I'll see if I can dig it up!

Andrew · May 31st, 2006, 10:33 AM

Ah right, that looks good. It seems the plans are at a fairly advanced stage, hopefully we'll be seeing this and the Cambrian centre tower begining construction soon. Do you know when the detailed application is due to be submitted?

oglord · June 1st, 2006, 11:35 AM

I seem to recall (but typically I can't find it!) a quote from the head of Modus saying they were going to put an application in soon. They reckon the site could support:

88,000 sq ft of retail, 160,000 sq ft of residential accommodation, a 38,000 sq ft health and fitness centre and 65,000 sq ft of offices as well as parking for up to 890 cars.

Given the figures quoted for other schemes I did some crude calculations:
Given 7/8 apts/floor and an average of 736 sq ft/apt:

apts = 160,000/736 = 217
f(low) = 217/8 = 27
f(hi) = 217/7 = 31

So it seems that their plans are similar to the original ones, for the tower at least.

Andrew · June 7th, 2006, 04:32 PM

That's good news.

Marky_boy · June 7th, 2006, 05:28 PM

They're ripping down the old multi-storeys now and the bridge is almost open, the city should actually look nice in a years time.

Jim · June 7th, 2006, 11:27 PM

Images from the Market Square competition:

http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Competitions_5281.html
http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Competitions_5286.html

Unfortunately, the winning entry has the smallest picture!

Andrew · June 9th, 2006, 05:43 PM

LOL, with the picture at that size, the winning entry is the only one that we cannot work out the basic concept of from the pic!

From that I have little idea whether it's good or bad! The only major feature I can make out is what looks like a TV screen on the side of the building on the right!

Andrew · June 9th, 2006, 05:56 PM

I just looked on Newport City Council's website and found a little more news and pics:

Quote:

Friars Walk – a new £200m retail scheme
Developers Modus Corovest (Newport) Ltd are leading a £200 million facelift of the city centre which will create hundreds of jobs, and attract high profile retailers.

The new retail scheme covers an area comprising of Kingsway, Upper Dock Street, John Frost Square and the Bus Station. A key feature of the development will be to bring together Newport’s riverfront and commercial centre, allowing people to walk easily between the two areas.

Work on the four-hectare site is expected to start in Spring 2007 and be completed in time for the thousands of visitors expected to the city for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Friars Walk
a mixed use development including retail, leisure, residential, public spaces, cafes and restaurants
a total of 388,000 sq ft of retail including a 105,000 sq ft Debenhams department store
12,500 sq ft of restaurants
6,000 sq ft health club
47,000 sq ft multi-screen cinema
city centre residential units
Improved car parking facilities for up to a total of 1,400 cars (including spaces within the new Kingsway car park)
How it will look…
A two tiered shopping centre made up of high street retailers and independents. The jewel in the crown will be a 105,000 sq ft Debenhams department store. The shopping centre or Galleria will be curved in design and covered by a simple glass canopy at the highest level. The top floor of the Galleria will feature cafes, bars and restaurants.

Kingsway Boulevard and river frontage will be landscaped with a new public space, Usk Place, formed at the waterfront. The riverfront will be a place where people come to eat, drink and watch the world go by.

Pedestrian links across the site are achieved via Llanarth Street and Austin Friars – both of which are extended eastwards and developed to connect with the riverfront. Austin Friars will connect with the riverside via a new footbridge over the Kingsway Boulevard.

The Bus Station will be a totally new facility integrated fully with the Galleria.

John Frost Square will be remodelled. It will remain an important public space for public events and civic activities.

Water forms a key part of the scheme with numerous water features spread about the city centre linking together the various areas and reinforcing the importance of the River Usk.

(Taken from:http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index....tid=CONT061288

Quote:

Kingsway Shopping Centre and Car Park
As part of a £20 million project, the Kingsway Shopping Centre is being refurbished to turn the already successful retail complex into a modern shopping experience. The old Kingsway car park is also being replaced with a new 1,050 space car park.

Contractors began the demolition of the existing car park in early April 2006 and work is expected to take until mid-summer. Completion of the new car park is anticipated in Autumn 2007.

Plans for the 200,000 sq ft (18,580 sq m) shopping centre include the complete refurbishment of the internal malls, new entrances and a new glazed central square, along with a new food court and a 55,000 sq ft anchor store. New retail units will be built at the entrance from John Frost Square.

The new building work and refurbishment is due to start in June 2006, with completion of the whole project scheduled for early summer 2007.

UBS Global Asset Management Triton Property Fund purchased the Kingsway shopping centre in February 2004 and appointed Chester Properties as its asset manager with responsibility for the refurbishment.

The architect for the project is the Colman Group which has been involved with the Capitol Centre in Cardiff and the Quadrant Centre in Swansea. Letting agents are Capital Retail in London and Savills in Bristol.

(Taken from: http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index....tid=CONT061294)

Footbridge under construction (12 May):

http://www.newportunlimited.co.uk/

Marky_boy · June 9th, 2006, 08:36 PM

They said in today's local newspaper that there will be no canopies on the new shopping centre as that would give drug dealers alcoves to hide in, I don't really understand what they're on about.

oglord · June 9th, 2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marky_boy

They said in today's local newspaper that there will be no canopies on the new shopping centre as that would give drug dealers alcoves to hide in, I don't really understand what they're on about.

Compare the old and new pix:

The new design has that large glassy box where the canoy used to be. I don't know exactly why canopies necessarily attract drug dealers, but the new design is definitely better.

Marky_boy · June 10th, 2006, 12:02 AM

It does look much more modern now, sticks out more so there's more internal space by the looks of things. Entrance to the museum seems to have changed as well.

Jim · June 11th, 2006, 04:52 AM

Bigger picture from city.newport.net:

Andrew · June 12th, 2006, 02:47 PM

Brilliant! Looking much better now, I cant wait to see this one happen. It also seems that our fears about permeability are put to rest as there is a definate open route through to the river on that render.

oglord · July 13th, 2006, 07:07 PM

New leaflet with today's Argus has an advert for Friars' Walk on the back cover. It has a new view looking straight along Austin Friars through the two-storey hole in the tower. I wish these people would release these designs as some kind of VRML or other kind of 3D model that we could look around!

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May 20th, 2006, 10:28 AM	#121
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	The first pic makes it slightly different to what i expected but it looks good. I'm really looking forward to some more high quality renders though; these drawings don't show enough really (although renders can be misleading as well). If this really does improve permiability between the city centre and the riverside then it'll be brilliant! I take it there's a public exhibition of the plans and that's where these pictures were taken. I like the curve of the shopping centre, it seems quite a standard interior for a shopping centre but at least it's light and airy. I think the main 'wow' factor of this development will be the residential tower, which could look awesome but were still awaitng a high quality render of that as well as we still only have a drawing of that part of the development.

May 20th, 2006, 09:07 PM	#123
Marky_boy Registered Maniac Join Date: May 2006 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 1,092 Likes (Received): 2	I wish Newport could have the tallest in Wales, imagine 115 metres.

May 21st, 2006, 10:30 AM	#124
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	To be honest I think that sort of height would look out of place in Newport and it's not needed. There's no point in Newport trying to compete with Cardiff or Swansea in terms of height, with the current proposals it's gonna have a pretty dramatic skyline as it is with some really interesting shapes. I'm certain that if the current proposals go ahead then Newport certainly wont get left behind and I wont be surprised if there are further proposals for mid and high-rise buildings in the city. I can't think of any other city with a population of <140,000 that has such a striking skyline.

May 21st, 2006, 02:09 PM	#125
Marky_boy Registered Maniac Join Date: May 2006 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 1,092 Likes (Received): 2	Oxford?!?

May 22nd, 2006, 09:16 AM	#126
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	Ok, Oxford is a good point but it's not the same kind of skyline.

May 31st, 2006, 10:33 AM	#128
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	Ah right, that looks good. It seems the plans are at a fairly advanced stage, hopefully we'll be seeing this and the Cambrian centre tower begining construction soon. Do you know when the detailed application is due to be submitted?

June 1st, 2006, 11:35 AM	#129
oglord Utrique Fidelis Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newport, Monmouthshire Posts: 308 Likes (Received): 0	I seem to recall (but typically I can't find it!) a quote from the head of Modus saying they were going to put an application in soon. They reckon the site could support: 88,000 sq ft of retail, 160,000 sq ft of residential accommodation, a 38,000 sq ft health and fitness centre and 65,000 sq ft of offices as well as parking for up to 890 cars. Given the figures quoted for other schemes I did some crude calculations: Given 7/8 apts/floor and an average of 736 sq ft/apt: apts = 160,000/736 = 217 f(low) = 217/8 = 27 f(hi) = 217/7 = 31 So it seems that their plans are similar to the original ones, for the tower at least.

June 7th, 2006, 04:32 PM	#130
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	That's good news.

June 7th, 2006, 05:28 PM	#131
Marky_boy Registered Maniac Join Date: May 2006 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 1,092 Likes (Received): 2	They're ripping down the old multi-storeys now and the bridge is almost open, the city should actually look nice in a years time.

June 7th, 2006, 11:27 PM	#132
Jim Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newport, UK & Lake Mary, Florida, US Posts: 268 Likes (Received): 0	Images from the Market Square competition: http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Competitions_5281.html http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Competitions_5286.html Unfortunately, the winning entry has the smallest picture!

June 9th, 2006, 05:43 PM	#133
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	LOL, with the picture at that size, the winning entry is the only one that we cannot work out the basic concept of from the pic! From that I have little idea whether it's good or bad! The only major feature I can make out is what looks like a TV screen on the side of the building on the right!

June 9th, 2006, 08:36 PM	#135
Marky_boy Registered Maniac Join Date: May 2006 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 1,092 Likes (Received): 2	They said in today's local newspaper that there will be no canopies on the new shopping centre as that would give drug dealers alcoves to hide in, I don't really understand what they're on about.

June 10th, 2006, 12:02 AM	#137
Marky_boy Registered Maniac Join Date: May 2006 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 1,092 Likes (Received): 2	It does look much more modern now, sticks out more so there's more internal space by the looks of things. Entrance to the museum seems to have changed as well.

June 11th, 2006, 04:52 AM	#138
Jim Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newport, UK & Lake Mary, Florida, US Posts: 268 Likes (Received): 0	Bigger picture from city.newport.net:

June 12th, 2006, 02:47 PM	#139
Andrew Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cardiff/Newcastle Posts: 3,487 Likes (Received): 7	Brilliant! Looking much better now, I cant wait to see this one happen. It also seems that our fears about permeability are put to rest as there is a definate open route through to the river on that render.

July 13th, 2006, 07:07 PM	#140
oglord Utrique Fidelis Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Newport, Monmouthshire Posts: 308 Likes (Received): 0	New leaflet with today's Argus has an advert for Friars' Walk on the back cover. It has a new view looking straight along Austin Friars through the two-storey hole in the tower. I wish these people would release these designs as some kind of VRML or other kind of 3D model that we could look around!