First completed in 1976 by Grimshaw for Herman Miller as a furniture factory, Bath Schools of Art and Design purchased the building in 2016 and hired Grimshaw to repurpose the 1ha grade-II building to accommodate around 800 students. The £23m project upgraded panelling and improved energy performance, as well as opening up the internal plan and raising the roof height.

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

 ARUP (facade), Capita (cost consultant), Currie & Brown (principal designer), Gleeds (project manager), Mann Williams (structural engineer), Montresor Partnership (facade consultant), Wilmott Dixon (general contractor).

Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people.

The award-winning building designed by Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership was completed in 1976 as Herman Miller’s primary furniture factory in the UK. It remained a factory until 2015, by which time it was Grade II-listed. Bath Spa University purchased the building in 2016 in order to relocate the School of Art and Design, looking to consolidate the faculty, then spread over six sites and several buildings. Over 40 years later, Grimshaw has completely repurposed the building from a factory to the School of Art and Design for Bath Spa University. The building is adjacent to the River Avon to the west of the city centre. It is near both BSU student accommodation as well as areas of Bath where significant numbers of student typically live, as well as a local railway station at Oldfield Park. It is well served by several local bus routes. Two nationally designated cycle routes pass the site, which have been connected as part of the delivery of the project via a new cycle ramp, to further enhance the network. This includes a shared cycle/footpath that connects from Bath Spa Station and the City Centre, with little in the way of level changes and a high amount of footfall. Overall this has significantly reduced the reliance on vehicles to access the site, with most students arriving by foot or bicycle, compared to the existing campus.

How does this project make use of an existing structure, place or building in a creative way? Is it innovative? How will this project continue to evolve or enable future flexibility and adaptation? Have you considered its resilience? 

The façade benefits from a modular system of interchangeable solid wall, glazed and door panels. This ensures the skin of the building can respond to the uses within, with the elevation having changed significantly since the opening of the building in 1977. The refurbishment retains this system, ensuring it can continue to adapt to the University’s changing needs. Enhancements include new double-glazed modules to replace the existing single glazing, additional insulation behind the reused solid GRP panels, and a new internal lining to protect the inner surface of the GRP panels, while providing a performative wall for acoustic treatment of pinup space. Two original service spines remain the primary route for drainage, power, data and sprinklers. The additional height delivered allows a flexible network of servicing to run above, meaning both ground and mezzanine levels are unhindered by the network. Resilience is built into the systems by allowing for future increases in occupancy density in ventilation, power and data, which would be costly and intrusive to upgrade in the future. The design allows for frequent reconfiguration of studio spaces to accommodate changes even over the course of an academic year. To enable this, the servicing network above the mezzanine allows simple timber partitions to be installed up to any of the existing steel roof beams. Adhering to the module of the beams, adequate conditioned air, power, data, lighting and sprinkler coverage is ensured to the space below, as well as natural daylight from the evenly distributed rooflights and windows.

What is the environmental impact of the project? How will the carbon use and material impact of the development be mitigated? What is the sustainability strategy?

The overall energy performance of the building has been significantly improved by the renovation. Key enhancements include: • Insulation behind existing solid façade panels. • Insulation behind the existing parapet addressing weaknesses in façade airtightness. • New double glazing to replace all existing glazing. • Extensive rooflights and clerestory to reduce the reliance on artificial lighting. • LED lighting and occupancy sensors throughout. • New roof providing 180 mm of insulation replacing the existing 40-year-old roof with around 50 mm of insulation. On the new roof, PV arrays have been installed contributing around of 20 percent of the overall energy use. The roof is constructed from Cross-Laminated Timber sourced from certified sustainable sources. Two cycle routes have been connected as part of the delivery of the project via a new ramp. This includes a shared cycle/footpath that connects from Bath Spa Station and the City Centre, significantly reducing reliance on vehicle to access the site, with most students arriving by foot or bicycle compared to the existing campus. “In the past we had to adapt our practices to suit the building, but now we have a building that doesn’t dictate, but informs how we teach differently. It’s very exciting for the academics.” Dan Allen, Head of School of Art, Bath Spa University “It works really well, there’s good interaction. It’s a genuinely nice environment, everyone now talks to everyone. It’s much more collaborative than our previous campus. It helps provide a spark of creativity.” Student Representative, Bath Spa University