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What started life as a simple crayon drawing of a circle on a piece of paper by Leeds Civic architect John Thorp, has now been realised as a stunning twenty-one storey cylindrical residential building called ‘Candle House’ which ISIS Waterside Regeneration officially launches to the public this week.
The striking copper and red brick exterior of the circular tower, designed by CareyJones Architects, has already made a huge impact on the skyline south of the city centre. On Thursday 11 March between 4pm and 8pm, members of the public will be able to see inside the building for the first time at a special launch event which marks the completion of the final stage of development at Granary Wharf, which has undergone a £90 million facelift at the hands of ISIS Waterside Regeneration and includes the new City Inn hotel. Candle House will be glowing for the launch with a subtle lighting scheme by Leeds based audio-visual specialists Lumen. Coloured light will radiate from the windows on the top four floors with the rest of the building animated from ground level.
It was in one of the early planning meetings for the site back in 2005 that the design of the building first took shape. Following a tour of the site, John Thorp commented on the breathtaking views from the canal which include the Italianante towers at Temple Works to the south in Holbeck Urban Village and the cosmopolitan city centre to the north. He drew a bird’s eye view of the development and replaced the square office block originally planned for the third stage with a circular building which would be predominantly residential and would make the most of this location, providing unspoiled views of the canal side, the city skyline and the Yorkshire Dales beyond.
Five years later, Carey Jones Architects and ISIS have constructed a building which stands out both architecturally and structurally not only due to its unusual circular shape, but thanks to the ‘twisting’ effect of the brickwork design which gives the illusion of a ‘leaning’ tower. The team also took this concept of blue-sky thinking one step further, incorporating a communal roof-top terrace which is now one of the key features of the development, built on the twenty-first floor and residing at an impressive 75 metres above the ground, it is the highest garden of its kind in Leeds. The decked garden features large glass windows surrounding the circumference of the circular space which will protect residents from the wind while allowing spectacular 360 degree panoramic views of the Leeds city skyline.
The garden has been fitted out with three coloured sheds along with hammocks, bean bags and funky garden seating in fuchsia, turquoise, lime green and black. There is also a herb garden for the residents and a range of plants decorating the space including bamboo, eucalyptus and euonymus (evergreen). The sheds will not only act as storage space, but will be kitted out with tools and seeds for residents to use to either add to the roof-top terrace – or create their own miniature private garden, as every apartment features a balcony.
Comments Mark Howe, ISIS: “The design of the building gave us some hurdles to overcome both in the planning and development of Candle House, but from the moment John suggested a circular building, the entire team agreed that this was definitely the way to maximise the use of this striking waterside location. Everyone who has worked on the project feels a great sense of achievement and pride as Candle House certainly stands out as a visually stunning development. ”
The first two stages of development at Granary Wharf completed last year, including City Inn, Leeds newest hotel which launched in September 2009 and whose destination bar Granary Lounge will be welcoming customers to the canal-side terraces at the launch event on Thursday, and Waterman’s Place, the first residential block also developed by ISIS, which launched in October 2009 and has already seen more than two thirds of the apartments sold or reserved. The development also will benefit from a new live music and real ale venue, The Hop, due to launch on 26 March which will be the first Leeds venture for Yorkshire-based Ossett Brewery.
Candle House also will ignite the use of the waterways which run along side the building, as the ground floor features boating facilities including a separate shower block and storage facilities for boaters who dock along the Leeds/Liverpool canal, or at the newly restored graving dock. Future plans for the area include a series of events and markets to be announced in April, which will animate the public realm throughout the summer.
