Aedas: the contained calls

‘contained calls’ – proposal by Aedas

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 ‘contained calls facing the river aires’

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.

street view of ‘contained calls’

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.

the lobby

it is proposed that the pods are constructed using monocoque construction techniques. the main principle of the technique is that it supports structural load by using an objects external skin as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin. a robust and flexible monocoque structure will allow the building to change and evolve over time with minimal disruption. as the construction is flexible it is possible that the site could return to its current state once the lifetime of the building is complete.

the pods from the inside

it is proposed that the development will achieve a minimum excellent BREEAM rating through the holistic design approach that has been adopted. they have utilised a building form to maximize cool north light and control solar gains, whilst maintaining natural ventilation through the atrium. the fabric of the modules is to adopt ‘passivhaus’ principles – high thermal mass, low air leakage and high insulation, efficient services will be provided that have responsive controls and will be closely monitored. the building has the potential to achieve zero carbon with the inclusion of further residual energy and a community combined heat and power plant.