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The SiOO X Story – Protecting the Planet - Book - Page 47


Case Study 02
ally perhaps for heritage sites in the UK, the strikingly modern
designs by Niall McLaughlin Architects, for what is now known
as the Welcome Building, gained overwhelming support from
the local population.
Public Building
The Wellcome Building and Auckland Tower (2018)
Niall McLaughlin Architects Ltd
The completed Welcome Building with its 30-metre tower
opened to the public in October 2018. The tower is unquestionably the part of the project that captures immediate attention
and successfully draws together every part of the reconfigured
public space into a coherent urban design. That the tower is
formed of engineered timber – a skeletal Glulam structure exposed to the often raw climate of the north-east – is remarkable
in itself in an area that has an industrial past founded on coal
mining and railways, both of which contributed to the financing
of the stone buildings that have formed the character of the
town’s centre from the Victorian Era to this day.
Bishop Auckland is a small market town in the north-east of England, equidistantly situated between Darlington and Durham.
Auckland Castle was, for centuries, the official country residence
of the Prince Bishops and the official home of the Bishop of
Durham. In 2010, the Castle’s future and that of a collection of
works by the Spanish Baroque artist Francisco Zurbaran was put
into doubt as the Church Commissioners reviewed its property
portfolio. The problem was partially resolved In March 2011 with
a £15m donation from investment manager and philanthropist,
Jonathan Ruffer, who went on to set up the Auckland Castle
Trust with a vision to use culture and heritage as a catalyst for
regeneration and to reinvigorate the town.
It is possible to interpret the genesis of the tower design in a
number of ways: as a metaphor for the lift structures that once
dominated the area’s deep mine colliery landscape or perhaps
as a representation of mediaeval siege engines – moveable
towers that could be rolled hard up against castle walls to allow
invading armies to clamber over the top in order to confront
defending forces. Irrespective of its possible antecedents, the
Auckland tower is a remarkable configuration: built around a
central concrete core, the precision-engineered structure is
formed with Glulam posts and beams made from European
larch. In untreated form, the timber would likely have weathered
quickly, especially at the higher levels of the tower and – with so
many horizontal, vertical and angled surfaces – would have done
so differentially, causing random discolouration throughout its
large-scale frame.
The Auckland Castle Trust changed its name to The Auckland
Project in September 2017 to reflect its continued evolution and
long-term aspirations, while still honouring its Auckland Castle
roots. Its plan to transform the site included the restoration of
Auckland Castle, the creation of a Faith Museum, a Spanish Gallery, a Mining Art Gallery, a Walled Garden and a new Auckland
Tower visitor centre as well as a Deer Park, a hotel and a number
of restaurants.
The central attraction of the plan was the Faith Museum, an
extension to the Castle designed to contain Zurburan’s 13 rare
paintings of Jacob and his 12 sons, considered to be some of
the most significant religious treasures in Europe. Given the
high sensitivity of this unique site, the process to secure planning permission for the visitor reception building and viewing
tower planned to face onto the town’s historic market place
took until March 2015 following constructive discussions with
the local council and England’s national heritage body. Unusu-
The solution to ensuring the entire structure retains its crisp,
distinctive appearance over a long period has been given an
additional visual fillip through the use of the SiOO:X Light-Grey
Pigmented Wood Protection system. Pre-treated in factory conditions by the Glulam manufacturer, Inwood Developments, to
Photographer Nick Kane.
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