Oru Sutton

The existing five storey building had been mostly vacant since 2016 — an unfortunately typical situation on the dwindling high street. The refurbishment forms the first phase of plans for the building, which themselves are a part of the wider regeneration of the area.

The upper floors are renewed to facilitate a diverse range of businesses and activities, with provisions including a public café, flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, a 200-seat auditorium event space, a 100-child capacity nursery, and a rooftop community garden and bar, as well as a suite of beauty, wellness, fitness, and healthcare clinics.

The circular, ‘light touch’ design leaves much of the original building exposed, only changing things that have infrastructural importance in the building’s adapted use. Structural interventions included the introduction of several new voids to the existing slab, extensions to the second-floor roof and core, and strengthening works to the existing building, where necessary. Our team also completed the structural justification for Phase 2 of the project, which will see the addition of a new spa, including a jacuzzi and plunge pool, at roof level.

The ventilation systems for the building are designed to operate in mixed mode; during the winter months the primary source of ventilation will be through a central air handling units, which are automatically isolated during summer months when automated natural ventilation openings will take over. The variable volume system, controlled with CO2 sensors, controls fresh air based on occupancy levels. New air source heat pumps, with buffer vessel and hot water cylinders, provide heating and hot water through a low temperature hot water system. A rainwater harvesting reuses water for the servicing of the building.

Informed by a detailed dynamic thermal analysis, the cooling strategy sees the majority of building self-cooled through implementation of passive measures, including installing internal blinds, external shutters and adding thermal mass. Active cooling is provided to the café, nursery and some studio spaces by variable refrigerant flow units. The layout carves out space to let natural light in and establish routes through the building’s deep plan.

The resulting project paves the way for reenergising the forgotten high street.