The Solaris Centre

Originally built in 1938 as a Winter Garden, the Solaris Centre had deteriorated over the years, becoming a decaying eyesore along the promenade. Thankfully, instead of opting for demolition, Blackpool Council chose to restore the building and commissioned Mellor Architects to revitalise it. The vision was to transform the Solaris into a regional hub for environmental action, where each organisation or company occupying one of its many units would contribute to environmental sustainability in some way, earning the privilege of calling the Solaris their home. For more information about Mellor Architects and their role in this project, click the link below.

The building itself stands as a testament to sustainable design, capable of powering itself entirely. Equipped with solar panels and two large wind turbines on its roof, the Solaris generates enough electricity to sustain its operations or even feed energy back into the grid. The rear of the building is equally impressive, offering plenty of open space to display sculptures designed by artist Caroline Murphy.

The background image and the one just below was taken shortly after the building’s original construction, although it has since been enhanced and colourised for this website.

The blue plaque was moved from its previous position outside the main entrance to a cabinet next to the reception desk. Here it is shown on a footstool to avoid reflections during photography. © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd