Whitehaven

What: Whitehaven Central Harbour international competition site. (award-winning finalist project - selected from 5 finalists out of 150 participants)
Who: RIBA (ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS)
Where: Whitehaven, West Cumbria – Great Britain
When: 2009
AREA: 8.500 sq.m
AREA49: Giacomo Penco | Proginvest

The main purpose of our design approach for this competition has been to create a link between the historical urban fabric and the harbour frontage. The characteristic feature of the building fabric of Whitehaven is its orthogonal grid pattern, composed of full face and continuous building frontages, but varied in heights and facades design. The residential lots are typically elongated, with only the short side facing the road. The volumes are arranged on the outer boundary of the lot, leaving free spaces in the central portions for backyards and gardens. Another characteristic feature is the common use of pitched roofs, that contributes to create a diverse and sinuous skyline with their different heights. The pedestrian area of the waterfront is maintained and upgraded in its quality by increasing the number of existing trees in the green belt along the promenade.

From the perspective of formal intervention, our design approach has been characterized by the recovery of traditional local buildings forms, in order to maintain continuity with the morphological context.