The ‘Contained Calls’ is international firm Aedas‘ shortlisted entry in the 36 the calls competition in Leeds, UK. Participants were asked to develop an ‘Iconic’ commercial building, situated on the calls waterfront adjacent to the river Aire. The site can be easily accessed by pedestrians and vehicles via call lane. Bridges to the east and west of the site connect the calls with the rest of the city to the south of the river.
The form of the building is bold and iconic; its concept is derived from the former warehouse storage units that once inhabited the site. By loosely arranging these modules between the existing buildings, it creates space for both elements to ‘breathe’. The intention is not to infill the site but to maintain the existing views and relationship with the river aire and the surrounding context. The scheme enhances the public realm by providing more permeability across the site through the introduction of a south facing terrace linked to a riverside walk, this will offer new connections to the adjacent future calls wharf development and provide valuable green space within the city.
The building is designed as a ‘family’ of elements that creates a new business community along the river Aire. The individual prefabricated modules provide 136m2 of open plan work space, and whilst they all share a ‘family resemblance’ they can be modified to respond to their occupants needs. The stacking of these elements allows for change and flexibility through the addition and subtraction of modules, these can be added both horizontally and vertically to allow for future expansion.