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WH Hotel

Project Status

Preliminary

Sector

Hospitality

Location

Undisclosed

Located on a gateway site leading into a regional town centre, this project for an 80 bed hotel seeks to combine contemporary design alongside retained heritage value.

The site is positioned within a conservation area and adjacent a grade II listed building and requires a sensitive approach to scale, massing, façade treatment.  A key part of the scheme is the retention of an existing red brick Victorian façade which has strong historical significance dating back to the  mid-1850s. 

Whilst the main body of the existing building was deemed unsuitable for conversion to a hotel, preserving and repairing the original facade allows the scheme to sensitivity inset itself into the local context and  presents an opportunity to create an engaging combination of traditional and contemporary architecture.

A corner tower element provides a new visual marker on approach  into the town with active ground floor uses that open up to the south-facing public realm in front of the site.

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Located on a key corner site forming the gateway into the town centre, the project has a number of constraints associated with it including an adjacent grade II list Friends Meeting House, location within a conservation area, a split level site and an existing building which holds local heritage value. Our initial approach was to explore whether the existing building could be converted and re-purposed into hotel use, with a larger extension alongside. However after a series of studies this was found not to be viable partly due to the state of the building and party due to the accommodation requirements of the new hotel.
We therefore adopted a façade retention approach which ensured that the primary architectural frontage of the Victorian building was retained with the new building constructed behind. Alongside this we developed a tower element to address the corner aspect and to maintain a clear delineation between old and new. This arrangement also located the tallest part of the scheme at the furthest point away from the adjacent listed building. The façade design of the tower takes it cues from the rich features and materiality of the retained façade and provides a contemporary reference to the original building through carefully proportioned brick detailing and articulation. The new building also adopts a rusty red metal-clad volume with vertical fins to add shadow, depth and visual interest as a more playful contrast the formal brickwork grid.

We therefore adopted a façade retention approach which ensured that the primary architectural frontage of the Victorian building was retained with the new building constructed behind. Alongside this we developed a tower element to address the corner aspect and to maintain a clear delineation between old and new. This arrangement also located the tallest part of the scheme at the furthest point away from the adjacent listed building. The façade design of the tower takes it cues from the rich features and materiality of the retained façade and provides a contemporary reference to the original building through carefully proportioned brick detailing and articulation. The new building also adopts a rusty red metal-clad volume with vertical fins to add shadow, depth and visual interest as a more playful contrast the formal brickwork grid.

At ground level the existing facade shopfronts, which are currently boarded up with vacant units behind,  are remodelled and restored to create new commercial space that opens up to the south-facing public realm.  This aim is to encourage new vibrant uses into the building that re-energises the site and extends the commercial offer out from the town centre.  The scheme will create a more engaging and welcoming public space that will positively contribute to the conservation area and the wider town centre, benefiting both existing residents and new visitors alike.  Once built, it is hoped the building can act as a catalyst for further regeneration and set an example of how bold contemporary architecture can work harmoniously within a historic urban context

The location of the site sits in a gateway position to the town centre. Therefore, as the tower structure occupies a prominent corner position, it acts as a strong visual landmark. The diagrams on the left illustrate the iterative process that has been undertaken to develop the massing, responding to both the site conditions and the required hotel numbers. The top floors of the tower are recessed to create a stepped profile, respecting the scale of the listed building adjacent by stepping down in massing towards it.

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