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Location: St Catherine's Hill, Winchester

Client: SPUD Youth

Value: £350k

Status: Completed September 2019

Handlebar Cafe

This new cycle café and bike workshop is the brainchild of a group of local teenagers supported by ArchitecturePLB and other built environment professionals through the spudYOUTH programme.

The building sits on the viaduct cycle and walking path at the foot of St Catherine’s Hill, south of Winchester. The group’s initial concept of trains passing on the bridge has been developed to create two elements that conjure the form of carriages linked by a glass divide. A third small building on the same axis houses a cycle workshop.

The proposed site was chosen due to its position further away from the city centre as it was felt that this location was more viable due to the lack of other facilities in the area compared to the city centre. It was also felt that the proximity to Garnier Road would allow for a connection to St Cross.

At the outset of the project, a series of simple massing studies were undertaken to explore the basic massing options for the site. These were considered in 3D, taking into account the embankment and sought to establish whether the site was capable of accommodating a building of that size.

With Accsys Technology and James Latham’s ongoing support, a profiled natural Accoya cladding board is used to root the project within its setting. Due to the isolated nature of the site, great care has been taken to provide security screens to windows. Bespoke shutters have been developed using laser cut panels depicting cogs and wheels, linking the site to the existing railway line and new cycle route.

Internally, a simple palette of materials has been adopted, giving the building a clean simple atheistic. The internal lining mimics the external form with panels aligned to elongate the perspective of the building. Wrapping the southern and western facades of the building a generous deck acts as link tying the buildings together.

Project Team

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