The impact of Designing Out Crime can't always be assessed immediately. Developer Urban Splash designed Britannia Mills the first residential scheme in Castleford, an industrial part of Manchester which led to more residential development and a safer feel to the new industrial suburb. This case study looks back at the design behind Britannia Mills and investigates whether the designing out crime approach to renovating industrial buildings is one that developer Urban Splash continues to use.
As the government is pushed one way by the need to find land for new housing, and the other way by the environmental lobby who want to stop the development of greenfield sites, there really is only one way to go – to land designated for industrial use, so-called brownfield.
But who wants to live on an industrial estate? The answer, bizarrely enough, thanks to the work of companies like the award-winning Urban Splash, is: ‘actually, quite a lot of people’. Which is a bit odd. Industrial estates are often outside city centres, and while that isn’t a problem in itself (for plenty of estate housing is also situated quite far out) there’s a feeling that houses in such remote, unfrequented places could be a target for criminals, especially at night, after the workforce has gone home.
Craig Owen worked for Urban Splash while they were conceiving and building the Britannia Mills apartment complex in Castlefield, Manchester. ‘When we first looked at the site, the signs weren’t good. It was to be the first residential building in what was an area designated for light industry, and the potential for security problems was significant. The area, on the fringe of the city centre, had a high risk of crime. We realised the only way we could persuade people to live here was to make them feel safe. We decided to try and create an oasis in the industrial ‘desert’ around.
‘We wanted to make it secure, but we also wanted to make it aesthetically pleasing. Anyone can build heavy gates and big block walls. This had to feel safe without looking like Stalag 14!’ Urban Splash’s approach to design has always been people-centred: ‘We have learnt that people don’t treat perimeter doors like their own front doors,’ says Craig. ‘They are likely to leave them open. So when it came to building Britannia Mills, we made the access doors into the central courtyard self-closing. A lot of energy went into making them look right.
‘Lighting is another vital security factor. The inner courtyard had to be well lit, but we didn’t want it keeping the residents awake at night. So we created lights that shone downwards, away from the buildings, lighting the paths and walkways, not their bedrooms. The lights have been carefully designed, as with everything else in the courtyard. The trees are baretrunked and the shrubbery is kept low, so it looks good without providing hiding places.’
The car park is also secure. You enter and exit through electric doors operated by a hand-held magnetic fob. The car park is overlooked by apartments and well-lit, which provides an extra sense of security for the residents. Keys are accounted for. If people move away, they are asked to return their fobs.
Inside, some of the apartments feature computer links to CCTV cameras in the car park that enable residents to check on the security of their vehicles. The computer can also operate the curtains and the lights, so residents can appear to be in when, in fact, they are out. The system works automatically, using light sensors to determine whether it is day or night.
The heavy, plain wooden doors to the apartments are stylish, yet secure and attractive. The large windows, balconies and access walkways ensure visibility and contribute towards the community spirit, though there are shutters on the ground floor windows to prevent burglary. The lift to the upper floors is transparent, improving the sense of security and visibility.
The focal courtyard backs onto a canal that was used to transport materials to and from the old cotton and saw mills. Its presence as a natural barrier adds to the sense of residential safety. ‘We took a novel approach to making the walls around the courtyard,’ says Craig. ‘We’ve all seen rendered breeze block walls along canals, and frankly they are not very pretty. So we created a mesh structure filled with pebbles. It’s low maintenance and looks great. And even if the graffiti kids attack it, you can hide their work by moving the pebbles, taking them out and cleaning them, or replacing them altogether. Pebbles are pretty cheap!
‘There were a few teething problems. The main electric door was initially key-operated, until we realised that vandals found it amusing to snap things off inside the mechanism. So now we’ve replaced it with an electronic key fob, or, in the case of the courtyard, a swipe card.
‘For me, the most impressive part of this development is the courtyard. Many developers might have been tempted to use the space for car parking or further housing. But we wanted this oasis feel, this sense of tranquillity within the city. It’s a secure, private space for all the residents to enjoy.’
Urban Splash has a policy of getting regular feedback from the residents. This enables the company to continually improve lifestyles while collecting data which will mean more effective building in other construction projects. Craig: ‘Because Britannia Mills looks so good, vandalism hasn’t been an issue. In fact there have been no significant problems there. The feedback from residents has been very positive and it’s an indication of the success of the project that the value of their property has risen so dramatically.’