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16 INSIGHTS


© Chris Wakefield VIERENDEEL


New steel Vierendeel trusses, supported by the existing primary steel structure, raise a new cross-laminated timber deck by 1 metre


allowing the facade to be upgraded and refurbished without major intervention. To this end, we were able to dismantle, repair and respray the existing GRP panels within the building during construction, and replace the existing single-glazed windows with new bespoke double-glazed units, compatible with the retained system, but with improved energy efficiency.


The introduction of a new performative internal lining behind the GRP panels – also following a modular approach and simple fixing – provides protection to the previously exposed panels, encloses additional insulation, and offers a working surface or acoustic absorption. Through these modifications the performance of the facade has been dramatically enhanced, yet the inherent flexibility of the system is retained, along with the embodied carbon within it. In any retrofit project, the internal environment should offer, at the very least, the expected comfort and quality of a new building. To varying degrees, this requires that designers, clients and consultees are not overly precious about the existing fabric, recognising any constraints to the use of the building which could jeopardise its long-term future. The Herman Miller Factory’s existing roof, in poor condition and poorly insulated, was one such constraint, but in replacing it we were able to solve many of the building’s key limitations in a single intervention. New steel Vierendeel trusses, supported by the existing primary steel structure, raise a new cross-laminated timber deck by 1 metre, with the new insulation greatly improving energy performance. Over 100 rooflights, as well as perimeter clerestory glazing, have dramatically improved the natural daylighting within the deep plan building, while the extra height allows a flexible network of services and ventilation to run at high level, above the existing structure.


WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


Partitions can be easily erected up to the existing roof beams where required, responding to the unpredictable but inevitable need for the schools to adapt to the ebb and flow of changing teaching and course requirements, in spaces that now deliver the height and light expected of high quality studio environments. In addition to these improvements to the performance of the envelope and the quality of space, PV panels on the roof, enabled by increased structural capacity, now provide around 10 per cent of the building’s required energy. The climate emergency requires that is not only buildings that


adapt, but all who are involved in the built environment, from clients to contractors, planning authorities to designers. Adaptive reuse of existing buildings is an opportunity to be embraced, rather than a risk to be avoided, and throughout this project, Bath Spa University showed the bravery and engagement needed to tackle an ambitious retrofit of a listed building.


The continued flexibility within the design ensures the university can manipulate the building to their current and future requirements. Moreover, the original building, and the energy embodied within it, has been safeguarded for generations to come, without compromise on energy performance or quality of space and use.


As with many adaptive reuse projects, the repurposing of an existing building has allowed for a unique new home for Bath School of Art and Design. A building with a depth and history that inspires its current and future users, this aspect of delight can be as critical as any metric measure in ensuring a building’s long term sustainability. As Nicholas Grimshaw said shortly after the completion of the Herman Miller Factory in 1976, “If people identify with a building and feel they can change it and live with their own changes, it will mean more to them. A building’s performance should be related to how much a person cares for it, a well-loved cardboard house will last forever.”


Ben Heath is a principal at Grimshaw ADF APRIL/MAY 2020


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