Archetech Issue 56 2021 | Page 23

“ After our two decades in East London , opening Yorkton Workshops is a pivotal moment for

Pearson Lloyd .
CASSION CASTLE ARCHITECTS
DESIGN IN COLLABORATION
Having worked with Cassion Castle Architects on several projects over the past 12 years , Pearson Lloyd co-founders Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd knew that it would be the ideal practice to collaborate with to develop their initial design concept , with the experience and creativity necessary to deliver such a complex project , ensuring continuity of design and the refined quality of the final product .
Cassion Castle Architects has a long history of working with individual designers and studios , and the fact that the practice can perform the role of both architect and contractor simultaneously was critical to the restoration . When architects are involved only in the design phase , there can often be a gulf between vision and delivery as the contractor cuts corners , takes easier routes , or is obliged to adapt plans to negotiate unforeseen obstacles . Having Cassion Castle Architects actively responsible for both aspects of the project ensured the design was realistic without any loss of creativity , and that the build remained true to Pearson Lloyd ’ s initial concept . The attention to detail at Yorkton Workshops is evident in the finished space .
Restoring a structure like this – which has been modified , damaged , repaired , added to , and reimagined in countless ways over the last century – demanded a highly adaptive approach . A sequential , linear method of planning and construction would have allowed no room for the unpredictable and exacerbated the challenges encountered , ultimately leading to suboptimal outcomes and greater costs .
Because design and construction could happen in parallel , the restoration of the Workshops became a continuous , iterative act of collaborative making . Together , Pearson Lloyd and Cassion Castle Architects responded to the structure as they took it apart , trialling different approaches and evolving their ideas as construction progressed . This approach has been employed since the dawn of civilisation : by modifying , adapting and extending buildings , sites ( and ultimately cities ) become richly layered palimpsests of old and new .
“ Working on design-led projects with an active and invested client is deeply engaging and rewarding from a design perspective . We were blessed with a site that had a lot of existing charm and wonder hidden under the surface , and good enough bones to allow a retrofit rather than a demolition and new-build .
Cassion Castle , founder , Cassion Castle Architects said : Being the architect and main contractor was another luxury , letting us fully probe the potential of the building as we went , reacting and adapting to the complex site as it developed through construction . In the end it was the constraints and complexity of the existing site that made the design fly – adding our own chapter to the history of the building rather than rewriting the story from scratch .”
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