Introducing The Corby Cube

Introducing The Corby Cube

For those of you not familiar with Corby, it is a new town set in the East Midlands which used to produce a lot of steel until 1981, when the majority of the works closed down. Unemployment soared and whilst a government-funded Enterprise Zone replaced the jobs, at the turn of the millennium, it was still a town in economic limbo, with a population neither growing nor declining.

In 2003 an ambitious masterplan was launched by the newly-conceived Urban Regeneration Company (URC) Catalyst Corby. One of the main aims of the plan was to transform Corby's town centre; a centre blighted by unattractive post-war architecture and budget retailing.

Improving the retail offer was part of the objective, but a major aspect of the plan was centred on the Parkland Gateway project. The flagship components of the project were a new swimming pool and a new combined civic hub/arts centre. A competition to select the architects for the hub was won by Hawkins/Brown architects of London, who in the past two years have been busy turning the initial aspirations and hopes into a tangible, realistic project. It is only now that a planning application has been formalised and submitted to Corby Borough Council. The original concept of a cube building has been largely retained and internally, the seven-floor building (2 floors of which are below ground level) incorporates:

445 seat theatre with adaptable flat floor capability for increased capacity

Studio theatre space capable of accommodating approximately 80 people fully seated

Ancillary theatre space in the form of circulation, toilets, bars, and back-stage accommodation

Library

Café, to be leased by the Tresham Institute

Hair Salon, also to be leased by the Tresham Institute

Corby Borough Council One-Stop-Shop

Welfare Rights Bureau

Citizens' Advice Bureau

Council Chamber, capable of use for marriage ceremonies

Office space to be occupied by Corby Borough Council

Shared workspace for various local arts groups

Shell and core space for fit-out for A3 restaurant use by a commercial occupier

The main body of the building will be encapsulated within a rhythmic skin of alternating, high quality solid panels and glazing, each rising the full height of the building. The panels vary around the exterior according to the solar orientation of each façade.

The roof is proposed to be planted throughout to provide visual amenity and biodiversity, depending on the level of each roof plane. The aim of achieving a BREEAM score of "excellent" will be all the more achievable due to the fact that the building is proposed to be naturally ventilated where possible, rainwater will be recycled and the building will be partly powered by a number of small-scale wind turbines which will form part of the public realm around the Cube.

The Cube submission is not just for a new civic building, it is also for substantial improvements to the public space in its vicinity. These improvements include the closure of George Street to through traffic, connecting the Cube with the rest of the town centre and the surrounding woodland as well as creating a new town square and a landscaped edge to the site. The proposed materials for the public space will set a new benchmark for quality in the town and hopefully a precedent which will be aspired to by future developments in the town centre.

As with most new settlements, Corby does not have a high volume of tall buildings and even in its town centre the tallest building, which would be opposite the Cube, is only just ten floors in height. The other buildings in the surrounding area vary in height from 2-6 storeys, so at five floors above ground, the massing is suitable and allows the Cube to be a landmark building without being too imposing on its neighbours.

This building will be a welcome addition to Corby Town Centre and its completion will free up other prime plots within the Parkland Gateway site, which will enable the regeneration programme to progress. The uses of the building will promote improvements to the daytime and evening economy of the town centre and it has the potential to become a catalyst to stimulate further high-quality developments in the area.

The design, massing and connections to other parts of the town centre have all been carefully considered and perhaps one of the only criticisms of the building is that it doesn't house all the central council offices, leaving them dispersed elsewhere in the town centre.

This is a minor flaw though in what is otherwise a very good proposal. Providing that the applicants satisfy the planners' requirements, the sooner it is green lighted, the better. The first phase of the retail redevelopment is already under construction and on schedule and it seems that after two decades of decline, Corby is turning the corner. About time too.

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