The Longfield Shopping Centre / Civic Suite was built in 1971 in Prestwich, North Manchester, UK. It’s a typical example of council (local authority) built public buildings of that era, and is a blot in the centre of a lively community that has come up around it. It has actually been rumoured for redevelopment for some time, with millions of pounds already having been spent on consultations and purchasing of local businesses-but the project never got off the ground. As it turns out, as I began looking into it for this challenge, one of the main barriers has apparently been overcome; and it looks like there will be some movement. That being said, there are some plans for the redevelopment in the public domain-but I hope to avoid all of that and make this my own.

Truth be told, this project is quite outside my comfort zone-I don’t have a background in architectural visualisation. My 3D work has been mainly in motion graphics and product mockups-but I want to take it to the next level, and the Converted Challenge seems a great opportunity.