Oran Architecture was commissioned to develop a comprehensive recladding strategy for a prominent multi-storey car park in Harlow Town Centre, adjacent to the Harvey Centre and Playhouse Square. The project forms part of the wider regeneration of the town centre, seeking to improve the visual quality and longevity of existing infrastructure while reinforcing Harlow’s distinct architectural identity.
Rather than altering the building’s structure or use, the design focuses on transforming its civic presence through a new façade. The proposal introduces a clear architectural order, with a robust base, a rhythmically articulated middle, and a lighter, more expressive crown. Vertical interventions break down the scale of the long elevations, improving legibility and enhancing key arrival points.
The cladding draws inspiration from Harlow’s post-war modernist heritage and its rich legacy of public art, reinterpreting these influences through a contemporary material palette. Perforated metal panels provide depth, texture and visual interest, while maintaining essential natural ventilation to the open-deck car park.
Alongside aesthetic improvements, the scheme addresses safety and durability, replacing outdated edge conditions and improving enclosure, lighting and overall user experience. By retaining and upgrading the existing structure, the project minimises embodied carbon while extending the building’s functional life.
The result is a carefully considered intervention that elevates a purely utilitarian structure into a more coherent and contextually responsive element of the evolving town centre.
Structural Engineer: Woolgar Hunter
Asset Manager: Montagu Evans
Architect: Oran Architecture
Project Delivery Lead: Sullivan Collins
