The project delivers approximately 400 sqm of retail and leisure accommodation across three units in Chelmsford, alongside comprehensive elevation upgrades to the host building. Formerly a single commercial unit and warehouse with a monolithic character, the building has been reimagined to better engage its riverside context.

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The design was developed through close collaboration with multiple interior designers for each unit, ensuring that individual commercial branding and functional requirements were fully accommodated. With input from multiple stakeholders, design decisions were inherently collaborative, allowing each brand the freedom to project a distinct identity within the street scene.

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Proposals include the extension of the primary entrance feature addressing the Chelmer River and the introduction of first-floor external terraces, enhancing activation, permeability, and visual connectivity along the river frontage.

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The existing brick façade is selectively reinterpreted through revised fenestration and the introduction of standing-seam copper cladding, render finishes, and areas of structural glazing. Together, these elements establish a proportionate and contemporary identity while referencing the historic wharf vernacular of the area.

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A series of carefully considered extensions and façade articulations have been employed to introduce rhythm and human scale within the public realm, mitigating the visual impact of the previously overbearing and dated monolithic façade.

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As Senior Architect at Stanley Bragg Architects