Admiralty Quarter

The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust held a competition to ensure that Admiralty Quarter would be of high architectural quality. Four architectural practices were invited to enter, with David Richmond and Partners selected to draw up the detailed plans.

Portsmouth City Council prepared a planning brief to establish principles and give guidance on developing the site. The site was not in a conservation area but a planning application was required to ensure design quality.

The Portsea Advisory Group and local residents were involved in the planning process from the start. The site owner, developer and design team attended workshops with residents which helped influence the scheme.

The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust required a public car park for visitors to the dockyard to replace 400 parking spaces that existed on the old site. Portsmouth City Council and the Trust wanted a mixed-use development to bring economic, social and environmental benefits to the area.

All roads in the scheme are existing streets, recalling the historic street layout and incorporating courtyard gardens between the housing pavilions. On Queen Street, the tower creates a pedestrian square in front of the shops. The scale of the scheme steps down from nine to four storeys, to integrate with surrounding buildings on Admiralty Road.

Admiralty Quarter is constructed from a concrete frame while the internal walls are lightweight demountable stud and plasterboard. External walls are brick at lower levels and the tower is clad in composite panels and render.

The scheme is supervised by a concierge based in the ground floor of the tower and a car park manager supervises the car park during the day. All residents belong to a management group which holds regular meetings to discuss maintenance and other issues.