This shopping arcade in Dorchester followed a traditional grain of closes leading from the pedestrianised South street with Waitrose acting as the anchor store. An over literal attachment to a Tudor identity and a dark enclosed entrance resulted in a less than welcoming public face. The refurbishment focus was the introduction of a new bow-string trussed rooflight inverting the structural logic of the Tudor frame. New lighting, ceilings and a good lick of paint have decluttered and lifted light levels throughout. A new ‘love seat’ deisgned and fabricated by local craftsman Simon Pirie completes the composition, providing a social and visual focus.
Photographs: HK Architects