Magdalen Street redevelopment project, Norwich | Project

Project Details

Client Private
Location Magdalen Street, Norwich
Size 220sqm (GIA residential) 500sqm (GIA Commercial)
Sectors Living Working

Cannon Clarke Architects were commissioned to design a mixed-use City Centre building in the heart of Norwich on Magdalen Street.

Located within a Conservation Area and in the proximity of Listed Buildings, the Magdalen Street redevelopment project proposes commercial and retail space. This project includes 13, 2 and 3 bedroom, new-build apartments. Also a resident’s gym. It sits in the shadow of the proposed Weston Homes Anglia Square development.

The design not only takes into account the existing condition but anticipates the future context of the wider redevelopment of the street as a whole.

The design is based on a detailed historical analysis of the still visible medieval building plot allocations and vernacular materials. It also reflects the changing massing and form of the street over time.

The current brutalist Barclays Bank building, which will be replaced by the Magdalen Street redevelopment project, has been earmarked by the Conservation Area Appraisal as worthy of demolition. However, our new proposals maintain the building line and retain the existing basement.

Furthermore, the building broadly follows the existing street principles of bottom, middle, and top. It features a stone-treated continuous shop front, a punched-window brick façade in the middle, and a set-back top floor. This includes perforated, patinated aluminium rainscreen cladding.

Additionally, the set-back top floor allows for generous external terraces for the three-bedroom penthouse apartments.

Due to the shifting nature of the adjacent Anglia Square proposals, Cannon Clarke Architects have worked proactively with the Norwich Planning Department. As a result, we adapted the scheme to meet the needs of our client, Weston Homes, and the Local Planning Authority. Ultimately, the scheme is due for a positive planning determination, subject to the resolution of the Nutrient Neutrality credit allocation scheme.

Cannon Clarke Architects work alongside developers to create high-quality architectural and strategic solutions to help maximise development potential.