Stonebow House will have 'another 50 years of life' after refurbishment, says architect

John Orrell of the DLA Design Group says the frame of the building is in 'really good condition'.

Mr Orrell insists that Stonebow House, which was built following a York City Council design competition, does have merit as a building. It is an example of brutalism, he says, a movement that was all about new post-war opportunity, and which, in its time, was seen as new and striking. He knows one art historian who, on arriving in York in 1967, couldn't wait to rush down to Stonebow to see 'the art of the new'.

That said, the building isn't perfect, he admits. The site on which it is built is itself an odd shape, created by the development of Stonebow. In it's design statement, Mr Orrell's company admits the tower building is squat and inelegant, while the two lower floors make Stonebow seem cramped. The walkway running along the front of the building, the report says, is 'not well used as a pedestrian route and only adds to the sterility of the street frontage.'

The 'art of the new'? Stonebow House

The building, with its dank, hidden spaces and neglected rear area, is also a magnet for crime and antisocial behaviour.

A report by North Yorkshire Police's 'designing out crime' officer attached to the design statement reveals that, in the year from March 2015 to February 2016, there were 132 incidents of antisocial behaviour and 145 of crime recorded within a 150 metre radius of the building. "The area around your development is high risk in respect of crime and disorder," the report says.

Mr Orrell believes the refurbishment will improve things very much for the better, however.

The removal of heavy concrete panels from the tower block, and their replacement with floor to ceiling windows, will make the building appear slimmer and lighter, he says. It will be clad in anodised aluminium, further improving the appearance.

The walkway running along the front of the building, plus the concrete external staircase, will both be removed, meaning the pavement can be widened by almost two metres, so there will be more space around the bus stops.

The retail units on the two lowers floors will be glass panelled - with the glass wrapping around both ends of the building. This will improve visibility and open up the whole area, he says, reducing the opportunity for antisocial behaviour.

So if he was able to return in 50 years time, would he be able to look back on what he'd done to the building with pride?

"Oh yes, I think so," he says. "I think we'd be able to look back and say 'we did that'."