Race Cottam Associates - Leisure Development - Sheffield, Sheffield Architect's Exciting Design Concepts For Tinsley Towers

Date: 02 Aug 2007

Award winning Sheffield architects have come up with a cutting edge concept for transforming one of the city's best known landmarks as part of a major national design competition.

Race Cottam Associates have produced designs for Sheffield's famous Tinsley cooling towers for a competition organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The Solly Street practice's plans tap into Sheffield's strong music heritage, creating an imaginative venue for gigs and music festivals out of the towers existing super structure. Key elements include sharp roof canopies, high level woodland walkways, a marina and intensive green roofs.

Race Cottam Director David Cottam said: "Love them or loathe them, the Tinsley towers are one of the Sheffield's best know landmarks. Our designs show that with a little bit of creativity it is possible to create exciting new design concepts from even the most challenging of sites."

Race Cottam's designs made the last sixteen of the RIBA competition which requires entrants to produce a masterplan for the site, with proposals for use, development and access. The landscape is currently dominated by a two-tier motorway viaduct and the disused cooling towers - the last vestige of the power station previously located on the site.

The Tinsley cooling towers were recently selected for Channel 4's Big Art Project and the intention was to reuse them as a public artwork. But due to their ongoing maintenance liability, the landowner's preferred option is demolition.

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