28 PROJECT REPORT: HERITAGE & CONSERVATION
The factories have been stripped back to reveal roof trusses and brickwork which celebrates the history
surprised at the good condition of the buildings.” From this approach, what Curtis describes as some “interesting design features” were unveiled and incorporated, such as a flight of stairs in one of the dance studios that rise steeply to fit neatly between the existing beams. One area where repair work was required – and which became one of the “most protected elements” – was in Building 19 where a wooden cobbled floor had become waterlogged and swollen. Curtis says the construction team was “meticulous” in removing, repairing and restoring the floor.
Keeping sustainable efficiency as well as conservation at the forefront of their minds meant the practice tried to limit the amount of new materials added to the buildings. “Being as efficient as possible through design meant limiting the amount of new material used,” Curtis says. “Sustainability is a key factor in every project, but even more so in heritage and conservation work.”
Where new materials were required, they were “a nod to the materials used in the original design,” Curtis explains, and as a result, largely brick and slate. Similarly, the colour palette was also inspired by the building’s existing elements. “In every intervention, we took our cues from the industrial style of the buildings and reinterpreted them in a contemporary way.” Other necessary additions, such as toilets and other services, were “inserted within the existing structures so they disrupt the main spaces as little as possible,” Curtis explains.
Centrepiece
Building 41 is the largest of the five and is the centrepiece of the overall Woolwich Works ‘cultural district.’ It’s home to a performance space with room for 1,200 people seated or 1,800 standing, and three smaller wings that house five studios, usable for either performing or rehearsing. There’s also an external courtyard and a cafe, bar and events space facing the river are available for hire by the public. It was also at Building 41 that Bennetts
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF JANUARY 2022
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