10
NEWS CIVIC DEVELOPMENT
FCBStudios given consent for Watford Town Hall ‘sustainable’ refurbishment
Plans submitted by architect fi rm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios) on behalf of Watford Borough Council for a “sustainable and contemporary” town hall have been granted listed buildings and planning consent.
The design will improve the use of the Grade II Listed town hall by providing cultural, heritage and community facilities, alongside enterprise and creative industry. The new town hall will incorporate Watford Museum, a cafe and lettable workspaces for SMEs, alongside reimagined council offi ces, renovated council chamber, and a new state-of-the-art committee room, as well as “enhanced cultural connections” with the Watford Colosseum events facility. The proposed changes to the Art Deco Charles Cowles-Voysey building will
“transform” its use, while retaining and protecting its original features. Tim Greensmith, heritage specialist at FCBStudios said: “Our ambition is to reimagine the civic building as a heritage asset open to all, and an exemplar of sustainable retrofi t, through bringing in new uses, culture and workspaces, upgrading the facilities to meet the challenges of the 21st century.” Alongside the main project works, a number of interventions to improve the building’s energy effi ciency have already been consented with construction currently underway on site. These include refurbishment and upgrading of the original windows with high performance ‘vacuum’ glazing, in combination with new cavity wall insulation to improve thermal
effi ciency, alongside multiple improvements to building’s electrical systems including solar PV panels to the roof. These works are being in part funded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which offers funding to public bodies in England to invest in decarbonisation projects. In 2022, plans were approved to upgrade the Colosseum performance venue, which forms the other half of Charles Cowles- Voysey’s Town Hall Complex. Both projects are currently progressing through RIBA Stage 4 technical design, with enabling works having commenced in December 2022. The Colosseum project is due to complete in November 2023, while the Town Hall completion is estimated to follow in early 2024.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF FEBRUARY 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108
