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The design of the promenade was to create space which would draw users along it (Image courtesy of D Atfield)
Enhancing Cromer seafront was the focus of a £6.1 million programme
by North Norfolk District Council involving refurbishing Cromer
Pier and Pier Pavilion Theatre, regenerating the promenade and
creating a new museum celebrating the 200 year history of the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution.
We were involved in all three projects and for the promenade scheme we were also the lead landscape architect.
Within the Pavilion the auditorium was extensively reconfigured with side aisles, improved sight lines and a new 71 seat gallery. Front of house accommodation now comprises a revised and enlarged foyer, two new refreshment bars and new toilets.
The auditorium boasts 510 seats and is naturally ventilated using low height roof terminal that maximise the effect of the prevalent sea breeze. Designed to capture the wind from any direction, the incoming air is controlled by a damper system which modulates the rate of flow through integral quadrants.
Electrical services included the relocation of the existing incoming supply and a new fire/voice alarm system. A new interior and exterior lighting scheme was provided throughout, utilising energy efficient lamp sources with occupancy detection control. Triple headed lighting columns were also installed to replicate the Edwardian style of the pier.
The promenade the design team inherited was a long way from its Victorian and Edwardian grandeur. The area had more in common with a road than a promenade and on busy days the tourists ran the gauntlet of delivery trucks, coaches and cars. The aim of the design was to win the space back for pedestrians, while improving the quality of street furniture used in the design and to create space along the promenade which would draw users along.
To achieve this, the design team produced a scheme which is based on the historical attachment Cromer has with the RNLI and its literary past, whilst resurfacing the area with a material other than the asphalt currently used.
Housing the Henry Blogg RNLI museum is the Rocket House – a 1000m² structure with a glass lift from the promenade to the cliff top, also providing a restaurant and public amenities. Strong co-ordination between the services, architecture and structure was critical to retaining clearance heights for access.
Adding to the challenge was the requirement to facilitate three tenants (the RNLI museum, the restaurant and the Council) each requiring their own areas. Structurally, part of the cliff had to be excavated and held with a piled retaining wall. In addition, there were huge amounts of concrete in the ground to be demolished before the building could commence.
We were involved in all three projects and for the promenade scheme we were also the lead landscape architect.
Challenging
The £1.8 million renovation of the Grade II listed pier – designed for a short construction programme over the winter months in a challenging environment – comprised an extension to the main entrance building consisting of two parallel structures detailed in the style of the Edwardian original, housing a shop and public toilets on the eastern side and a restaurant on the western side.Within the Pavilion the auditorium was extensively reconfigured with side aisles, improved sight lines and a new 71 seat gallery. Front of house accommodation now comprises a revised and enlarged foyer, two new refreshment bars and new toilets.
The auditorium boasts 510 seats and is naturally ventilated using low height roof terminal that maximise the effect of the prevalent sea breeze. Designed to capture the wind from any direction, the incoming air is controlled by a damper system which modulates the rate of flow through integral quadrants.
Electrical services included the relocation of the existing incoming supply and a new fire/voice alarm system. A new interior and exterior lighting scheme was provided throughout, utilising energy efficient lamp sources with occupancy detection control. Triple headed lighting columns were also installed to replicate the Edwardian style of the pier.
Vital
The aim of the promenade scheme was to enhance the Victorian and Edwardian character of the area, to provide an environment which would entice more people onto the promenade and to tie the three sections of the programme together. Due to its location, the locals saw it as a vital section of the scheme in terms of the amount of use the area gets and its popularity with tourists.The promenade the design team inherited was a long way from its Victorian and Edwardian grandeur. The area had more in common with a road than a promenade and on busy days the tourists ran the gauntlet of delivery trucks, coaches and cars. The aim of the design was to win the space back for pedestrians, while improving the quality of street furniture used in the design and to create space along the promenade which would draw users along.
To achieve this, the design team produced a scheme which is based on the historical attachment Cromer has with the RNLI and its literary past, whilst resurfacing the area with a material other than the asphalt currently used.
Heritage
The design which links the scheme to Cromer’s lifeboat heritage was the focus of the pier forecourt area. Here a central compass feature, which is based on the compass in the museum lifeboat, formed the centre point of 24 radiating lines. These lines point towards the location of 27 of the most famous RNLI rescues undertaken by the Cromer boats, with information about these rescues inlaid into the granite lines in brass.Housing the Henry Blogg RNLI museum is the Rocket House – a 1000m² structure with a glass lift from the promenade to the cliff top, also providing a restaurant and public amenities. Strong co-ordination between the services, architecture and structure was critical to retaining clearance heights for access.
Adding to the challenge was the requirement to facilitate three tenants (the RNLI museum, the restaurant and the Council) each requiring their own areas. Structurally, part of the cliff had to be excavated and held with a piled retaining wall. In addition, there were huge amounts of concrete in the ground to be demolished before the building could commence.