EH Smith

The objective was to create a space where anyone involved in building design can immerse themselves in the clay materials on offer.

The Allford Hall Monaghan Morris design celebrates brickwork, from the shop front and reception desk, to the masonry floor throughout. A highlight is a brick specials feature wall incorporated into the original walls of the building, showcasing how masonry can be treated and formed in unique ways.

Webb Yates worked close with the client and design team to develop the structural and services design. Structurally, a unique challenge of the project was ensuring the ground floor had sufficient load capacity for the vast selection of masonry products that would sit above. New openings and structural alterations were also undertaken at basement and ground floor level to enable the space to be used flexibly; office, presentation, and ancillary spaces are created, as well as storage space that transitions into an auditorium. Exposed building services contribute to the aesthetic of the showroom – an industrial finish in reference to the client’s roots as roots as builder’s merchants.