Location: Leeds, United Kingdom.

Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Kirkstall Forge is a new neighbourhood in Leeds, located in the Kirkstall Valley along the River Aire. The 23-hectare site will include 1,050 houses and apartments, 28,000m² of commercial space, 9,300m² of retail, leisure and community space, and a primary school. The development is inspired by the nearby Saltaire model town and industrial world heritage site. A new train station built as part of the masterplan makes Kirkstall Forge just a six-minute train journey from central Leeds. The housing layout follows the linearity of the site, defined by the river, railway and topography, while the sloping streets that run perpendicular give views up to the wooded horizon. A central public space ‘stitches’ across the two sides of the river, ending at the new Railway Station, and opens the heart of the site to its landscaped surrounds. The first phase of housing is expected to start on site in 2018, with 135 new homes and 2145m² of shops, cafes and restaurants around a new central public square opposite the new bridge and train station. The design of the housing is inspired by the steep terraced streets found in many Yorkshire towns, with openings in the terraces providing routes and views both up to the green hillside and down to the river. The elevations will be simple, with a sense of solidity and durability coming from good quality materials. The buildings will be of brick, in a colour resembling the local stone used in the old forge building, the Abbey, and many other historic buildings in the area. Adjacent to the square are two taller buildings with houses and apartments arranged around a large communal courtyard garden, but each has its own private roof terrace with great views across the valley. It is an arrangement that borrows both from industrial era ‘model villages’ such as Saltaire, and also from contemporary Scandinavian ideas about co-housing.

Photo credit: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.