The last resort

摘要

'We always felt that this building was a bit like a spaceship has landed,' says Dominic Manfredi, a director at AHR architects, which has just completed offices for Blackpool Council. "The town is pretty run down. They wanted a game changer. This is the kickstarter.' It's clear that Manfredi and his client, have their work cut out. On a sunny Monday morning, just after the BBC crew for Strictly Come Dancing has packed up its kit and headed back to Manchester and London, the town feels empty. The Pleasure Beach is shut. The lights in the windows of the guesthouses and hotels flash 'Vacancy'. Every pier is bolted. The tower is closed for maintenance. The pubs are empty and the trams smell of weed. Blackpool is enduring the hangover of the summer season, waiting to rouse itself when its lifeblood - coachloads of bingo-playing pensioners and pissed-up stag and hen parties - returns.