The project involved the conversion of a 1950’s industrial building in Bristol City centre. In 2019 we were commissioned by Bristol and London-based serviced apartment specialists, Portland Brown Ltd, to convert the building into retail space at ground floor with office use above.

The client wanted to retain as much of the existing building’s character as possible, so we created a fresh, light-filled workspace using simple design interventions, industrial detailing and a light-touch fitout. The alterations included a lightweight composite metal roof, structural remediation, new slim-line aluminium windows and doors, to improve the thermal performance, and new security shutters.

The result is a weather-tight building with a significant reduction in fabric air leakage and heat loss. The reconfiguration of the plans also allowed for future adaptability and the potential to split the building into 4 separate units.

The ground floor retail space is now occupied by Independent, Organic and Recycled clothing brand Lucy & Yak.