Barker and Stonehouse Showroom Stockton

Barker and Stonehouse is a luxury furniture retailer committed to quality, sustainability and longevity. When NORR was enlisted to design the flagship store in Stockton, Teesside, UK, an immediate emphasis was placed on redeveloping the vacant industrial area with modern architecture and sustainable design. Ushering in new business to the demolished Teesside Retail Park, the 22,949 square-foot store houses a showroom, management facilities and the company’s head office.

The vision was to design a building that paid homage to the original 1946 Stockton store while bringing Barker and Stonehouse further into the future of sustainability. Recycled materials such as salvaged wood from boats in India combine with modern glass windows to reduce the carbon footprint and create a high-performance building. A living wall with over 14,000 plants and a purpose-built irrigation system circulating 6,000 liters of harvested rainwater highlights the commitment to a greener future. The branch also utilizes a power-reducing lighting system, low-energy heating and a solar panel that generates nearly half of the store’s entire electricity. These sustainable elements work in cohesion with vintage book columns and concrete floors as a nod to the industrial age.

Providing architecture services, NORR delivered a flagship showroom on this gateway site that brings new opportunities to retailers in the area. The design realizes the potential of the site by linking the building visually with the existing Retail Park development and utilizing the site’s geometry, topography and location to its full extent. The form and massing respond to the criteria and the use of a simple palette of natural materials results in a visually coherent building. The development represents a significant investment by Barker and Stonehouse to secure the Park’s future as a retail hub and employment generator, to the benefit of the wider region.

Photo Credit: JoDenison