A Sculptural Celebration of Industrial Heritage
Goods Yard is a bold new mixed-use development located in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the Trent and Mersey Canal and a short walk from Stoke railway station. The site, steeped in industrial heritage, was once a bustling hub for materials and goods transport. Today, the development seeks to reinvigorate the area by providing high-quality, affordable rental homes aimed at retaining and attracting young residents and support local regeneration.
At the centre of Goods Yard stands a striking ten-storey block of 174 apartments, designed to echo the scale and rhythm of the Victorian mills and warehouses that once defined the town’s skyline. Measuring 76m long by 20m wide, the building’s form and detailing nod to Stoke’s industrial past while embracing modern construction efficiencies.
The key challenge was to deliver an architecturally detailed façade within a tight budget, where rents are modest. The design team wanted to avoid plain, flat cladding panels and instead sought a solution that could recreate the depth and texture of traditional Victorian ornamentation while using modern methods of construction to control costs and speed up delivery.
Techrete supplied 360 terracotta-coloured precast concrete panels that define the building’s unique scalloped façade. The vast majority of these panels were produced from just three moulds, corresponding to the building’s lower, middle, and upper floors, with custom edge panels for the corners.
Each panel measures 6m by 3m and weighs around 7 tonnes. The scalloped profile creates dynamic shadows and visual interest when viewed from a distance, ideal for passing motorists and train travellers, while the panels’ finely fluted vertical grooves add texture and craftsmanship detail appreciated by pedestrians at close quarters.
Techrete’s innovative manufacturing process combined reusable timber formwork with off-the-shelf ribbed rubber mouldings to create the fluted texture efficiently and cost-effectively. This approach avoided the expense of bespoke tooling while achieving the desired intricate detailing.
To streamline on-site installation and reduce construction time, panels were delivered pre-fitted with windows, Juliet balconies, and interior insulation. This offsite assembly approach minimized trades onsite and helped maintain high quality standards.
The terracotta colouring was achieved through the addition of iron oxide pigment to the concrete mix, reflecting Stoke’s local brick heritage and its historic role as a ceramics centre. . The design draws inspiration from Josiah Wedgwood’s pioneering ceramic work, reinterpreting his ethos of combining beauty and mass production in a contemporary context.
The use of Techrete’s precast panels allowed the Goods Yard development to deliver a façade that marries historic architectural reference with modern construction efficiency. The project was completed at approximately £220 per ft², demonstrating the economic benefits of carefully optimised precast design to help meet the demands of today’s rental market.
Image credit, Greg Holmes