Project / Education

Bath Spa University - School of Art & Design

A new talent factory

The 1970s Grade II-listed building designed by the Farrell & Grimshaw Partnership served as Herman Miller’s main furniture factory until 2015. Soon afterwards, the site was bought by Bath Spa University to relocate its School of Art and Design.

We were appointed in 2016 to help on the conversion of the former factory, working alongside a design team led by Grimshaw Architects.

Project Lead

Spencer Fereday

Project Team

Matt Potter

Location Bath
Client Bath Spa University
Completion 2019
Value £23m

Creative sustainability

Our approach of adaptive sustainable re-use maximised the retention of the existing frame, foundations and floor slab, providing a significant benefit for the embodied carbon (EC) of the project.

Retention of the existing ground floor slab alone saved 460 tonnes of EC, with around 1400 tonnes of EC saved overall by the retention of the structure and facade.

Artful space

To ensure a successful conversion, we worked on structural additions of space that included a glazed rooftop pavilion, a new mezzanine and a workshop space. We also raised the roof using a steel Vierendeel and CLT structure to increase headroom and natural light.

All additions embodied the original flexible ethos of the building and are reversible without detriment to the structure.