Mustard Wharf

The history of the site played a large role in the decision-making process at Mustard Wharf. The architects had to navigate numerous planning challenges and worked with Historic England, Canals and Rivers Trust and the Conservation Officer at Leeds City Council to ensure that the buildings blended harmoniously with the site’s past and its riverside location.

Unique to the Tower Works development is the way it borrows components from classical Italian architecture. When designing the three Mustard Wharf buildings - ‘Lockside’, ‘Spicemill’, and the appropriately named ‘Brickworks’ – the Brick Services team were requested to supply detailed brick designs that enhanced the project’s aesthetic value but remained simple enough so as not to detract from the surrounding listed buildings.

Our team recommended traditional red bricks that are coherent with both the industrial and classical history of the site, whilst also lending the Tower Works development a distinct and unique identity through a subtle contrasting palette. The intricate, eye-catching brickwork facade elements, such as snap headers and hit-and-miss brick designs, provided a beautiful rustic texture that complemented the local Italian influences without detracting from them.

Recessed panels in regular rhythms continued the delicate external features of the building and were intended to create a sense of calm and a pattern directly related to the building’s apartments. The selected materials and detailing create a modern yet industrial look complemented perfectly by the windows and doors supplied by Senior Architectural Systems.

GRC spans the front of the building at the ground floor, offering a visual separation between the commercial and residential spaces. The Portland stone colour selection contrasts with the brickwork and is continued on the floors above with Forticrete stone band courses. These bands add to the visually striking nature of the project whilst simultaneously giving a nod to the existing architecture. The way they wrap around the building mimics the banding that encircles the iconic Giotto tower, one of the Italian-inspired structures that lends the site its name.

Mustard Wharf now rests comfortably among the Tower Works development, sensitively designed to be sympathetic to the site’s historical context, whilst providing an aspirational and contemporary housing solution for Leeds.