The Grade II listed Victorian Chapels in Stourbridge recently completed on site following a sensitive repair and conservation scheme by the practice. Formerly the Lye & Wollescote Cemetery Chapels, the building is now the Thomas Robinson Building, a venue for civil ceremonies.
Through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and working closely with the West Midlands Historic Building Trust, the building has been transformed from a vacant, heavily vandalised chapel into a fully refurbished Registrar's office for Dudley Council. The practice undertook the project through inception and initial feasibility studies to completion, repairing and restoring the building's original historic features and complementing these with modern installations.
The scheme involved the construction of a new mezzanine level within one of the Chapels with a tapered ceiling and finished with glass sections of floor set within an oak perimeter allowing the stained glass windows to fill the space with natural daylight. The modern contemporary installations were sensitively detailed to enhance the traditional historic fabric and differentiate the existing from the new.
The project upon completion has been recognised locally with several awards including the West Midlands Group Victorian Society 2018 Conservation Award and also received a highly commended award for Community Benefit by the RICS Regional Awards in 2017.
The Master’s House, St John’s Hosptial, Lichfield.
Assessment of historic fabric to ensure a secure understanding of the historic fabric, and how appropriate breathable insulat ions and secondary glazing could be sympathetically installed.
Solution: A breathable IWI Sheep Wool Insulation and lime mortar on wood wool. Sympathetic interiors following the completed installation of secondary glazing, breathable insulation, lime plaster and breathable decorations. The property has reduced its winter energy costs and enjoys a more comfortable thermal environment.
Arca, Birmingham
CAT A fitout Office project located in Birmingham City Centre which achieved Excellent under the BREEAM UK Refurbishment and Fitout criteria. Careful design decisions chosen alongside consulting with BREEAM Professionals allowed us to achieve the required Excellent BREEAM Rating and achieve a modern, flexible and focus driven working space interior fitout.
Our design teams can identify when thermal modelling software, daylight assessment or building fabric analysis is required for U-value calculation or other aspects of building performance.
St Peters Church, Maney Hill.
Works undertaken to provide solar panels to the south facing pitch of the nave, to reduce operational running costs.
The role of a building and site in supporting and enhancing ecosystems and native species.
The greenhouse gas emissions from the lifecycle of building materials, including extraction, manufacturing, transport, construction, maintenance, and disposal. The conservation team has an especially thorough understanding of how different building materials respond to climate and weather in the short and long term. This expertise helps us to avoid costly errors when specifying building materials.
The greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption required to operate a building (e.g., heating, cooling, lighting, appliances). The engagement of Services and Energy consultants from the feasibility stage onwards helps our clients to explore lifetime energy consumption and improve efficiency.
The amount of water consumed during a building's operation and its broader impact on water resources.
The impact of building design and materials on occupants' physical and mental health. We guide clients through all their options when it comes to occupant well being and technology.
BHB Architects
Georgian House
24 Bird Street
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS13 6PT
Tel: +44 (0) 1543 254 357
mail@bhbarchitects.co.uk
BHB Architects
1 St Margaret's Terrace
Cheltenham
GL50 4DT
Tel: +44 (0) 1242 521 608
mail@bhbarchitects.co.uk
