The Citadels, Carlisle

A new campus for the University of Cumbria, located in Carlisle City Centre.

The site for this project is the iconic Citadels buildings, as well as the land directly adjacent to the Crown Court, which incorporates the Woolworth and Burton’s Buildings. The Citadels project has been designed to establish the University of Cumbria campus firmly within the city centre of Carlisle, with a view to consolidate its Carlisle operation onto one single, central site. This will involve the university moving from its two current but separate sites - Fusehill Street and Brampton Road.

Sector:	Learn
Role:	Architecture, Interior Design, Lead Consultant
Client:	University of Cumbria
Cost:	£77.5m
Status:	Planning Submitted

The Citadels project provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Carlisle, as well as the wider Borderlands Region, in the following distinctive ways:

Firstly, the development will provide a unique opportunity for the University of Cumbria to fully embody its role as an anchor institution and a catalyst for economic growth; it will enable the university to continue to drive skill development and digital connectivity across the Borderlands region.

Secondly, the development will allow for placemaking within the centre of the city. The Citadels boasts outstanding and distinctive historical architecture, making it one of the key gateways into Carlisle. The Citadels already link the iconic listed railway station to the main commercial area of the city, making it an ideal transitional space.

Thirdly, by placing the University of Cumbria at the heart of this scheme, there is potential to position both the Carlisle Station Gateway and the Citadels site as an Innovation District. This would make it an accessible destination for higher education, business and cultural interaction.

The proposals aim to develop a nationally important and exceptional new campus in the heart of Carlisle City Centre bringing the Citadels Buildings, Hospital Wing and associated grounds back into beneficial use.

As well as refurbishing and renovating The Citadels, the design intends to re-purpose and re-energise the much-loved Woolworth and Burton’s Building. By combining these historical sites with new buildings, the design aims to form a cohesive university campus that is highly accessible, digitally enabled, and sustainable.

The development will help to establish a city centre seat of learning in Carlisle, all while referencing the history of the city throughout the design. By centering the Citadels as the gateway to the city, the proposal enhances and extends the university’s links to Carlisle’s urban setting.

The new building design will improve university facilities, as well as provide public access to the Listed assets within the site. The design also includes the creation of a significant new civic space at its heart – The Forum.

The Forum will be a major new piece of civic infrastructure, providing the students, staff and general public with a central, urban garden. The design and location of The Forum will make it a pleasant place for people to meet, work and socialise.

These design proposals will allow the University of Cumbria to plan for its long-term sustainable future in Carlisle, and it will result in multiple follow-on regenerative benefits for the residents of Carlisle as well as significantly contributing to the local visitor economy.

Design Overview

The Citadels (Crown Court and Nisi Prius) and the Hospital Wing present a unique design challenge and a fantastic opportunity to create a welcoming, dynamic state of the art campus in the heart of Carlisle City Centre.

The design team established a Project Vision in close dialogue with the client and project sponsors from the outset of the project. Site investigation work carried out by Oxford Archaeology, Purcell and Curtins was vitally important to the project. This provided crucial insights into the site’s history and the significance of the retained buildings. From this early work a series of Project Design Principles were able to be developed. This, combined with the survey summary work, provided the foundations of the conceptual design and onwards to the proposals contained in the planning application.

Throughout the design process, the design team was in constant dialogue with Carlisle City Council Department of Economic Development Planning Services Team and the project team has fully engaged Historic England.

The proposals have culminated in a design that:

Has regeneration of the city centre at its heart.
Is focused on Placemaking.
Fully understands and respects the history of the site both archaeologically and from a historical building perspective.

The design proposals will bring the Citadels Buildings and the site back into meaningful and beneficial use for the City of Carlisle and for University of Cumbria. The new campus will form the Gateway to the City and provide an asset that the City of Carlisle can be proud of.

Design Overview

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