Smoke Houses, Smith's Dock: apartment block

Smokehouses is a residential and commercial development of 80 apartment block homes forming part of the first phase of works proposed for the wider regeneration of the Smith’s Dock shipyard. We prepared the masterplan for the former repair yard along the River Tyne in North Shields, which identifies the Smokehouses site as an opportunity for the construction of a ‘landmark building’.
Across two buildings, all 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom homes are elevated above ground to benefit from a range of views across the adjacent river and docks. At ground floor, the necessary supporting accommodation for residential and retail purposes helps activate the pedestrian route planned along the river front.
We derived the Smokehouses design in direct response to the form and scale of the adjacent Brewery Bond Warehouse. Drawing on inspiration from existing industrial buildings along the quayside and local smokehouses, the Smokehouses’ appearance references these buildings in a contemporary manner using simple, strong forms, articulated at ground and upper levels through the use of pitched roofs, robust materials, and simple rectangular openings.