The overriding ethos behind the project was to retain and reuse as much of the existing building fabric of the leaky 1960’s warehouse as possible whilst not compromising on comfort or energy efficiency.
A new north facing courtyard was inserted to allow winter sun to penetrate the otherwise south/west oriented building. The industrial slab was retained due to site constraints and the amount of embodied energy required in constructing a slab of this size. The patchy/industrial aesthetic of the existing slab and the new raised internal/external decking incorporated to disguise the water proofing treatment to the courtyard has defined the aesthetic of the project.
A new mezzanine area was nested between the existing trusses by way of plywood clad pods. The existing ceiling height needed to be retained requiring the new mezzanine structure, window openings and detailing to work together to ensure the open warehouse feel was not compromised.
The retain and re-use ethos was applied throughout the project. In addition to the building envelope being retained many elements were re-used including light fittings, sprinkler piping, internal and external doors and roof sheeting re-used as cladding.