St Basil's Resettlement Centre,

Dalton Street, Birmingham.

Client: St Basil's Housing Association
Contractors: Welconstruct
Completion: November 2001

The project is a refurbishment of an existing drop in centre underneath the Que Club in Birmingham's city centre.

The exisiting facility was a somewhat dark and dingy space with awkward circulation and little clarity of different spaces (see top image).

...the scheme has clean lines and a cheery feel...

The design houses work, activities, relaxation, and counselling spaces which are organised along the length of the building. The more intimate spaces are tucked into the side of the space whilst the more 'public' areas are larger and more centrally located.

The space has a contemporary cafe bar feel in an attempt to encourage more young people into the centre. Chill out spaces and a breakfast bar add to the relaxed atmosphere, which is reinforced by choice of materials and colours.

Aesthetically the scheme has clean lines and a cheery feel with both timber and carpet floors, glass screens and glass blocks, a feature ceiling, and trendy colours and graphics.

The project demonstrates a close relationship between the users of the building, the client team, the contractor, and the space studio.

click here to see more images of this project...