The Cargo Work offices development
The Cargo Work development will be made from 90 old shipping containers within the stone walls of a former warehouse, creating Wapping Wharf’s first office space.
With an atrium, five storeys and decking on a number of levels, including the roof, there will be space for 250 desks.
It follows on from the previous Cargo development at Wapping Wharf, which is a collection of independent restaurants, food, leisure and retail outlets also housed in converted shipping containers.
At Cargo Work, developer Umberslade hopes to replicate the ambience that has emerged among the independent businesses within Cargo and the wider Wapping Wharf quarter.
Under the plans, drawn up by Alec French Architects, the walls of the disused JS Fry warehouse – formerly part of the old Bristol Gaol – will be restored and new workspace will be built inside. This will mark the return of this site to commercial use, as the warehouse, on the corner of Wapping Road and Cumberland Road, near the Louisiana Pub, has stood empty for many years.
Umberslade director Stuart Hatton said: “We have been overwhelmed by the way Bristol has embraced Wapping Wharf, so it’s fantastic to be able to expand into the workspace sector, meeting the strong demand from businesses for a high quality, unique working environment in the very heart of the city.
“At Cargo Work, we are taking an unusual approach to creating the building as we’ll be adapting the shipping containers and using them as ‘building blocks’ to create a completely unique, bright and airy building with a real industrial dockside feel about it.
“People working at Cargo Work will not only benefit from being close to the vibrant cultural, leisure and economic hub of the city, but will be able to enjoy the incredible array of independent restaurants, cafes, shops and more right on their doorstep, not to mention the beautiful harbourside setting.”