Forest Studios
Working with Studio consultancy Space2, UPL has been appointed to lead on the masterplanning of a mixed-use digital media and film location on MOD property within the South Downs National Park.
Apple Pie Depot has the opportunity to establish itself as a studio offering and business hub for creative and technology focused industries, setting the standard for a comprehensive working environment, where related businesses can create an integrated supply chain within a single setting integrated with its woodland context and offering communal, social, collaborative and recreational facilities.
We have approached the reuse of existing and proposed structures, recommending simple portal frame buildings conceived as small communities in their own right, each with its own distinct identity, instead of the identikit sheds found across the country. The design strategy proposes a suite of architectural identities created through differing entrance and opening treatments, through use of materials, graphics and colour. The flexible studio spaces and building volumes will use a palette of colours drawn from the local ecology, merging the scheme with its natural setting.
Emphasis is placed upon landscape integration and the public realm, with enhanced pedestrian connections between buildings and access to the central communal building at the heart of the park and the woodland beyond. The communal unit provides a focus for social activities and collaboration, as well as a place to relax with hard-earned break from work.