Holcombe mill New workspace within converted mill
Holcombe Mill is a Grade 2 listed structure on an industrial estate in the Nailsworth valley, near Stroud. Working in collaboration with the local conservation officer, the Mill has been rescued from near dereliction and converted into flexible serviced office space for one or multiple occupiers. The new architectural interventions including a corten metal entrance canopy, metal staircase and services are designed to be of high quality and sympathetic to the industrial context and origins of the mill building, yet remain clearly legible as modern. Natural ventilation, and high levels of natural daylighting combined with the historic features of the original building provide a pleasant working environment for the tenants of the building.
Rotork A new factory
This project is for a new 12,000 sq.m. factory building for Bath based engineering manufacturers Rotork. With business expanding beyond the capacity of their existing site, the company needed to consider alternative locations nearby. The building includes office, manufacturing, storage and distribution spaces employing 400 people. Our proposal sought to use the natural slope of the site to accommodate the different volumes required for each activity in an attractive setting and create a high-quality working environment for staff and visitors.
Seco Tools New Headquarters
Seco Tools are a tool manufacturer based in Sweden with more than 40 subsidiaries around the world. Designscape Architects were appointed as part of the Seco Tools Global real estate team, in conjunction with workplace specialists Wylde IA to design a replacement to the existing office administration block at the headquarters of Seco France. The existing building, built in the 1960’s was suffering numerous building failures to structure envelope and services. We designed the building to allow for phased demolition and development of the site whilst the existing offices were in occupation. Re-positioning the office accommodation next to the production space also provides an opportunity to better integrate departments, staff and company culture. Seco see the benefits of creating a positive flexible working environment for their staff and customers and have sought to reflect the company’s core values of open and friendly working, client commitment, dedication and expertise in their building facilities. Designscape’s design was developed by the in-country team and is currently under construction.
Designscape have also provided architectural advice; master planning, concept, through to construction design information for several other European sites including; Budapest Hungary and the HQ facility in Fagersta Sweden.
Soil Association An innovative prototype HQ Building
Designscape came second in a European wide competition for the new £20m headquarters for the Soil Association on the Harbourside site in Bristol. The design sought to put the building users first and create a healthy and respectful workplace which would reflect the core values of the charity: A work environment for ‘free range’ employees. The proposal demonstrated a holistic approach to environmental design by minimising energy usage, using low embodied energy materials and maximising the passive energy potential of the site. This was an opportunity to design a prototype office building fit for the future and the ideas generated are relevant to many situations. We look forward to putting these into practice in future projects.
Clarks Head Quarters Working within a historic factory complex
We have been appointed to undertake a number of projects for Clarks Shoes at their Head Quarters in Street, Somerset. These are located within historic former factory buildings, from which Clarks once manufactured their famous shoes. Optimising this space for current and changing workplace activities has been an ongoing project for Clarks. We have produced a masterplan considering the phased redevelopment of underused sections of the estate for new uses and buildings, including conference suite, meeting rooms and office space.
Green Park Station A new public space
Green Park Station is a Grade II listed building which was redeveloped as a retail and events space in the mid 1980s after its closure as a railway terminus in 1971. We were appointed following an invited competition to propose ways of revitalising the station as a major public space. Our work to date has involved the extensive consultation with a variety of interested parties, including the Farmer’s Market and other traders, Sainsbury’s Supermarket (who operate the adjacent supermarket) and the Bath Cultural Forum. Ideas from these discussions have been translated into a proposal that would provide the city with a vibrant, accessible and commercially viable public venue in the spirit of Covent Garden Market in London.
