Chosen subject: Sainsbury ‘sail’ store canopy design by Peter Rice & Martin Manning, completed in 1994
Plymouth, in the county of Devon, has a long association with the Royal Navy and its links to Drake, the Mayflower and others are well known. So when supermarket giant J. Sainsbury built a new superstore on the banks of the river Plym in the early 1990s, they wanted to reflect that in their design. The result was a series of 11 sail-like canopies that formed a wind break over the front of the store and the car park, and which became an unmistakable view from high up on the A38 as the first view of Plymouth. To visitors it heralds their arrival – to residents it’s a welcome home signal. Thus, the tubular and fabric design has a real sense of place for ‘Britain’s Ocean City’.
The sails’ designer, Peter Rice, did not see his work completed as he died in 1992, and the project was handed over to Martin Manning of Ove Arup & Partners. Rice’s original design was more complex than the completed version – this was mainly economic. The finished design has 11 ‘sails’, although they actually serve to break the wind that comes from the sea and up the river Plym, along with trees planted alongside. The store itself has its back to the river, so the front of the building, with its curved, white, PVC-coated polyester fabric sails, are clearly visible from many vantage points.
The structure, according to tensinet.com, was supposed to have a life of up to five years, but – 27 years later, they are maintained by Architen Landrell to look ‘as good as when they were installed’. According to them, ‘PVC coated polyester was chosen as the most adaptable and economic fabric in which to form the sails. Manufactured in one piece, the sails were seamed along the grid lines of the steelwork in order to appear as flawless as possible.’ So the textile itself was manufactured specifically for these canopies, with both practicality and aesthetics in mind. The canopies are also white, enhancing the theme of sails, even though their function is the opposite – to stop and divert wind, not to harness it.
While the line of canopies form a striking image from a distance, close up, as one enters the store, they are just as impressive, the scale of the structure becoming apparent.
Textile materials and the environment
PVC coated polyester is the most commonly used tensile fabric in architectural settings, but it does carry an environmental impact that brings its use into question. This fabric leaches chemicals over time and its production can produce a large amount of effluent waste water, so whilst this structure has far outlasted its expected lifespan, I suspect that its replacement, when that comes, will need to employ newer, more environmentally sound alternative materials.
Why did I choose this as my subject?
This is a piece of design and construction that I am very familiar with, as it’s literally a piece of my local landscape. Furthermore, I remember its creation and how the riverside looked before the supermarket and its canopy were built, along with the flyover that offers passengers a good view of the spectacle – for that’s what it is, a landmark that creates a a sense of occasion as one approaches the city.
I must admit, textiles are not something I felt inspired to study as part of this course, but having done so, it’s opened up a whole range of insights into the many subjects which are woven (pun intended) into this topic. Environmental sustainability and responsibility are very important to me and I didn’t previously know how much of an impact textiles had in this area. And the whole notion of materials and their properties, both practical and aesthetic, are important in production design when filming. So, almost in spite of myself, I have found this a very interesting topic, particularly in relation to the overarching themes of time and place.
Simon Elvin Creative Arts Today 