In the Frame
Conversion is not really an adequate word to describe developer Urban Splash’s makeover of Bristol’s Imperial Tobacco Factory. Back in 2006 the Architect’s Journal described the building as “saved from the scrap heap” when the developer and architect Acanthus Ferguson Mann won planning consent for this project. The 1970s building was originally designed by Skidmore Owings Merrill and York Rosenberg Mardell and constructed using an innovative Cor-Ten steel frame, inspired by modernist pioneer Mies Van Der Rohe. The factory became derelict in the 1990s, was subject to vandalism and arson, and was in a sorry semi-demolished state when Urban Splash came to its rescue. The grade 2 listed Cor-Ten structure has been retained and is now plain for all to see, standing proud and backed by the floor-to-ceiling glazing of the scheme of 270 apartments and commercial space. The Lakeshore development’s homes are designed to an EcoHomes rating of Excellent and the spirit of innovation of the original building is evident in the green features now incorporated, from the geothermal borehole heating technology to eco-materials like the recycled plastic drainage layer in the building’s podium layer. At the heart of the development is an atrium covered by an ETFE roof, which allows daylight deep into the building. Glass louvred sides to the roof facilitate natural ventilation to the atrium. Floor-to-ceiling windows to apartments have enhanced glazing, to reduce heat loss in winter. A ground source heat pump and biomass boiler run on woodchip provide space and water heating. The lake running under the building had, like the structure itself, deteriorated through years of neglect in the 1990s and had become severely silted up and contaminated. The developers have cleaned up and restored the lake, along with a large amount of the natural landscape. The lake will be restocked with fish, and wildlife enhancement measures, such as bird and bat boxes have been incorporated into the landscape. |
