Trinity Road Police Station
Introduction
In April 2019 Bricks bid to purchase, repurpose and run Trinity Road Police Station as a mixed use hub for the creative community, local communities and social enterprise.
This bid was underpinned by a belief that many of the issues faced by these communities are shared and best tackled together. That we are stronger by collaborating and being greater than the sum of our parts.
Although unsuccessful in that bid, it demonstrated a collaborative approach by our partners and stakeholders and has set the blue print for Bricks further work.
Process
This was the product of Bricks work to date looking at how to secure creative infrastructure and how to solve some of the key issues facing artists in the city , additionally we did wide partner and stakeholder mapping in both local and creative communities, we worked with the local neighbourhood planning forum and key local stakeholders.
Uses
Community Nursery
We partnered with Raised in Bristol, looking to create nursery provisions for Bricks. It was crucial for us to support equal access to the arts from the earliest of ages.
Artist Studios
A key finding of our consultation with artists, curators, producers and collectives is the need for safe, secure and long-term studios. We wanted to materialise this need, constructing studios that did not face the threat of repurposing into residential flats.
Exhibition and Event Spaces
We planned to implement an active programme of workshops and events that were geographically well situated, becoming a hub for creativity and community engagement.
Artist Residency Flat
We hoped to create two family-sized flats for visiting artists. We foresaw the space as a valuable asset to import and export talent – bridging connections across the city, nation and world.
Co-Working Space
Architects, designers and smaller creative organisations would have spaces to run their businesses from a central Bristol location, bringing opportunities for collaborations and expanding networks with the broader creative community.
Community Cafe
Like any good community, we need somewhere to eat, drink and connect. We intended to create an inclusive cafe and bar at Bricks, using a supplier that aligned with our values.
Thanks
Many thanks to everyone that came together to support the creation of this bid, and those that backed and supported it once it was out in the world.
Especial thanks to NOMA Architects who created the fantastic floor plans and montages you see below, Nicola Chan Studio for many converstations about the creative potential of buildings in Bristol, VWV for their expert property advice and of course our fantastic board of Trustees who were instrumental in bringing this together.
We had hundreds of responses from people wanting to get involved in this, which has build a network and community of interest – ready to respond to other opportunities.
