Architect and Builder Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 | Page 21

irreplacable and differentiates the V& A from other
Waterfront developments around the world. Juxtaposing
world class retail, commercial and hospitality against the
background of a working harbour provides a wonderful
mix of characters and character. The Silo District would
be developed in the heart of the working harbour, with
I&J Fisheries on the one side and the Syncro-Lift, used
to remove boats from the water for repairs, on the other.
Following on from the great success of No 2 Silo, the
team conceptualised the vision for the existing Grain
Silo building as a new cultural space for the City and
firmed up the footprint, massing and design of what
is now Silos 3, 4, 5 and 6. No 3 Silo is residential and
creates the edge of the Silo Square overlooking the
harbour. No 4 Silo, accommodating a Virgin Classic gym
provides horizontal massing and mixed use integration
and allowed No 3 Silo to be raised sufficiently in height
to take advantage of the view over the warehouses to the
harbour. The designs of Silos 3 to 6 are not outrageous and
domineering, but rather pared down and refined, aiming
to create the public spaces for people to live, train and
work. Fundamental to the planning and design process
of the Silo District has been the aim to understand the
notion of sustainability. Sustainibility is more multi-layered
than purely environmental considerations and takes other
resources such as people, materials and money into
consideration. The mix of buildings was created to ‘serve’
people first; creating a great environment with conditions
that make it conducive for people to want to spend time
in the buildings themselves as well as the surrounding
public realm space.
Silo District Overview
Site
The site was incredibly challenging. Primarily there is
a complexity to building in the middle of an operational
harbour, but also due to the fact that the site is reclaimed
land. The super basement of 2,700 parking bays that
anchors the Silo District sits 1.5m below sea level. At spring
tide this increases to nearly 2.5m. Creating a perimeter
sheet pile wall around the basement prior to commencing
any work was complex. Excavating below the original
shoreline level, the contractors found all sorts of interesting
archealogical artefacts, including 19th century armaments,
that even entailed a visit from the bomb squad!
Team Effort
One of the V&A’s approaches to construction is to unlock
great buildings and to do that you assemble a great team
that feels they are working cohesively to deliver something
fantastic. The aim was also to try and involve a number
of different companies, spreading the work, whilst at the
same time limiting the number of interfaces that could
lead to greater risk on the project. As a result a core team
worked on all the individual developments, with other firms
coming on board to complement and extend the knowledge
and skills base. A joint site office created daily opportunities
for the various team to work together, unlocking more
efficiency and potential, creating an environment most
conducive to creating a successful project.
Now completed, the Silo District is functioning as a
bustling part of the V&A, with its mix of office workers,
residents and visitors ensuring that the area embodies the
original vision of sustainability.
21