New York practice John Puttick Associates has won the competition to redevelop the Brutalist 1960s bus station in Preston, England, with a design that features a rooftop football pitch, a climbing wall and a skate park.
John Puttick Associates was selected through a RIBA-run competition to overhaul Preston Bus Station, which was designed in the 1960s by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of architecture firm BDP.
The £13 million scheme will include the preservation of the existing bus station structure – granted Grade-II listed status in 2013 – and the creation of a new youth centre.
The winning design involves renovating the old building and retaining its rows of concave concrete fins, allowing it to continue to function as a primary transport hub for the city. A new youth centre will be affixed to one end.
The OnSide Youth Zone will feature sports facilities including a climbing wall and a rooftop football pitch, while a public courtyard in front of the station will be redeveloped to create a skatepark.
“The Preston Bus Station development is an important opportunity to create a destination that makes a genuine difference for both visitors and the local community,” said John Puttick.
Related story: Youth centre proposals shortlisted for Brutalist Preston Bus Station refurbishment
The £13 million project forms part of a larger redevelopment of Preston city centre.
“The three components of the project – the revitalisation of the Modernist bus station, the new OnSide Youth Zone, and a large outdoor public space – offer a rich mixture of uses and the challenge of sensitively introducing contemporary design to the existing setting,” added Puttick.
A panel of judges headed up by British architect Hugh Broughton selected the winning entry from an anonymous shortlist. The four runners up have now been named as local firm Cassidy + Ashton, Igor Russo with Flanagan Lawrence Architects from London, French studio Sane Architecture and Nottingham-based practice Letts Wheeler Architects.
The judges took into consideration over 4,000 votes cast by members of the public during a two-day consultation event at the station in July.
“Preston Bus Station is a hugely significant 20th-century building and all the shortlisted architects have responded to its bold architecture with skill and empathy,” said Broughton.
“John Puttick’s winning scheme cleverly resolves the requirements of the On Side Youth Zone to create a building which will be fun, safe and engaging to use while celebrating the original architecture of the bus station and providing flexible open space, which can become a focal point for community events at the heart of Preston life.”
Preston Bus Station was saved from demolition following a prolonged conservation campaign supported by eminent architects including Richard Rogers and OMA. It was granted Grade-II listed status in 2013 – unlike its ill-fated contemporary, Robin Hood Gardens.
While the majority of the funding for the project will be raised from public and private investment, the Preston Youth Zone charity and Lancashire Country Council will contribute £1 million and £5 million respectively.
Preston Youth Zone will work with John Puttick Associates to finalise plans for the centre, which will then be submitted to the public body Historic England for approval.
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I guess they are trying to fight Brutalism with blandness.
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“4,000 public votes taken into consideration” – hardly a thumbs up for public involvement is it?
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A monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend.
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Well I guess you can make a place worse, even if I didn’t think it was possible for somewhere like Preston! Generic city alert!
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Urgh.
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Absolutely awful. Looks like a f***ing Travelodge. Hugh brought on a shockingly poor piece of architecture which is supposed to set the frame for the listed building.
Neither Assemble, Hawkins Brown or Sergisson Bates were shortlisted, which shows the competence, vision and calibre of the judging panel. All have past, recent and fantastic form for delivering high-quality regeneration. Boo to you RIBA competitions.
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I’m a “youth” from Preston, and I for one did not vote for this. I’d like to see the results of this poll, because no one seems to be particularly enthused by it. I know someone who’s in the youth council for Preston and they’re not pleased either.
Another problem with this is that the bus station is so far out of the centre of town, the area itself will require so much more than just this. But it certainly isn’t inspiring to the youth or anyone in my opinion.
I also can’t help feeling like this should have been given to a more local practice, New York and Preston are almost different planets.
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It’s like taking your very well vintage dressed and original buddy, then throwing them in mud and running a car over them. Okay maybe not that bad, but that’s what it feels like for me. 🙁
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Swear the original budget for this project was £23 million not £13 million. Cheapest option chosen perhaps?
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I really really like it. This is like a message of hope for Preston and UK. It shows the world that no ambitious idea should be discarded. Turning a ‘zone’ into a ‘hub’ takes courage and vision. And yes this may look like a Utopian design, but I believe that someone somewhere will figure out a way to build it.
This sounds like pushing it, but concrete could be the answer. Or why not try panels made of aluminium and expanded foam? I cannot wait to walk inside it with my family and friends to shop, look at artwork repros or simply sit to admire the buses departing to exotic places!
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This comment has to be a sarcastic joke right? Let me correct you… it shows the world that ambitious ideas have been discarded. There is absolutely nothing Utopian about this design; it is an embarrassment to the profession!
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I just hope that all the designer brands will be there to show to the youth in Preston that the old ones are caring for them.
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I can’t believe this. The worst of the lot got picked. They even seem to be removing the glass from the bottom of the original building…
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They spelled ‘coach’ wrong on their site plan… little things, but I think it shows a lack of attention to detail.
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Crowds the existing building, instead of complementing or offsetting it.
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This winner was so obvious from the start that we were celebrating with the lads as soon as we saw it in the shortlist. Now let’s hope that Greggs, Lidl and the other much-needed shops in the area can be invited to the design table to make sure they don’t walk out from this world-class zone hub.
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