The Queens Gardens Police Station has been in use since built in the 1950s. Since the Police relocated to a new headquarters, the site was chosen for redevelopment into contemporary apartments, given its prominent city centre location.
The design was developed to reuse the existing structure. This dictated structural assessment of the existing concrete frame to confirm it could safely withstand the known and anticipated loadings. Innovative use of new cladding to the facade gives the building a new modernised look in keeping with the general surroundings and aspiration of the area. As well as the assessment of the existing structure, the structural works also included new staircase blocks to the rear, and structural assessments to confirm loading capacity for additional storeys of ‘duplex’ apartments constructed on top of the existing building by addition of a lightweight steel frame to the existing roof. Design checks were undertaken to confirm that the proposed loading from the duplex apartments would not negatively affect the existing structure.
Sustainable urban drainage (SuDs) was a major factor in the drainage design, providing an improvement to the drainage and flood risk of this historic site, incorporating planting drainage in the form of green roofs and rain gardens.
The scheme will provide new living space in the heart of Hull city centre and represented unique challenges to reuse and renovate an existing structure for new usage. The existing structure was reused, with the columns being reclad and an expansive glazed frontage installed, completely transforming the look of the building. The finished project provides a total of 94 residential units, along with a range of leisure and lifestyle facilities.
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