Warehouse conversion

Built in 1936 as a printworks depot, the warehouse had stood unused for nearly twenty years. The original load-bearing masonry and timber trusses were sound; decay was confined to surfaces and services, which were replaced entirely.

The project begins with one decision: not to subdivide the single volume of the nave. Domestic functions are gathered into a free-standing glulam timber structure, set at the centre without touching the perimeter walls. Around this core the space stays continuous, and the original structure remains legible.

The internal courtyard, previously roofed with sheet metal, was opened up and repaved in reclaimed terracotta. It brings daylight to the centre of the plan and governs summer ventilation.

Materials are few and declared: lime plaster on the existing masonry, exposed glulam on the new volume, steel-framed windows. The trusses were consolidated and left visible.