A long unchanged view of York is undergoing a subtle update.
The view of the riverside at Kings Staith is one of the most photographed in the city – both as a picturesque summer hang-out and, of course, during the regular floods.
It is a charmingly jumbled collection of buildings, which has hardly altered in recent decades.
But now a new shape is emerging along the river skyline.
It is the roof belonging to the King Street Apart-Hotel, now being built at number 9 King Street.
This four-storey block is replacing what was a rather unprepossessing building, which had been empty since the Indochine Asian restaurant there closed about ten years ago.
One thing about the old building – it was short.
And the new apart-hotel is not so short. That is why it is making its presence felt among the roofs along the riverside.
Leeds-based architects Arkle Boyce are behind the design of the hotel, in which “the new building will seek to insert itself between two existing buildings and to knit the street back together”.
They say: “The pitched roof form blends the new construction in with its surrounding when viewed from afar, while a more contemporary face is presented to the street.”
It is a complex project. Architects and builders have to work within the tight constraints of the site, which is irregular and surrounded by buildings on three sides.
The architects have designed the ground floor accommodation to be more than 3m above the highest point of the pavement outside, to prevent it from flooding.
The King Street Apart-Hotel is due to open in winter 2023.
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