Small but perfectly formed
This was a shoot for architects Mass Architecture. They had quite a challenge on their hands, turning a former public toilets, nestled in York’s city Walls, into a retail unit and new toilets. Dealing with difficult planning restrictions and listed building consent came with the territory, but the discovery of a roman wall in the basement was an unexpected find which held up work whilst archaeologists investigated the site. Mass Architecture's response was to make the wall a feature, and it's now just one of the things that makes this space so unique.
My job was to show the building and its context, which I did through shooting the work in progress, and the finished building and adjacent new toilet block. .
I shot the site numerous times, documenting the installation of bespoke glazing (a very early start to enable the crane to be delivered on one of York's busiest streets), the completion of the cafe which was let to Croque Monsieur (the best Cumberland sausage sandwich this side of, well, Cumbria), and the installation of the brand new toilet block.
The pictures were used on Mass Architecture's website, and in several award submissions.
Mass architecture did such a good job on the development, that it won two York Design Awards (an event that I have shot several times), and two awards from RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects.
I was commissioned by RIBA to shoot their awards that evening, so it was a particular highlight for me to shoot the team from Mass Architecture receiving their awards, whilst stood in front of my pictures of the development.
Mass Architecture did an amazing job of renovating this small space, but just over the road, I also photographed something a little larger...
