The Russells
Retained and new Buildings, four of which were Grade II Listed and were formally part of the Gordon Russell Furniture Factory, Design Studio and Offices
Working for Lidl, Mike Lapworth designed and obtained planning permission for a new supermarket in Bath on the site of the former Herman Miller works adjacent to the River Avon.
First engaged by Lidl in 2000, Mike Lapworth worked closely
with the clients and the Council to obtain permission to convert the Herman
Miller factory to retail use. The project was completed in 2016.
The factory was built in 1966 for the Bath Furniture Company who had occupied the site since the late 1800s. The 60,000 sq.ft. building was the first MERO Space Frame building in the UK. Later it became part of the Herman Miller factory and was vacant for around 20 years suffering much damage from vandals and was set on fire. Half of the building was owned by Lidl and the other half by a developer. Mike Lapworth has worked on over 60 Lidl stores in various parts of the UK and a store for Aldi.
The other half of the building not owned by Lidl is now occupied by a Pets At Home, Carpetright and a Hobbycraft along with a newbuild Costa Coffee pod designed to match the style of the Listed building.
The original building had an exposed external frame dividing the building into bays and within each bay were modular asbestos panels over which was ribbon single glazed high level windows around all elevations designed so the space frame could be seen from the outside of the building. Working with the Council and Historic England the asbestos panels were removed and replaced with modular insulated panels and the glazing is now double glazed to improve energy efficiency. The roof was also upgraded and insulated.
Photographs by Alison Lapworth and Sandry Studio
Retained and new Buildings, four of which were Grade II Listed and were formally part of the Gordon Russell Furniture Factory, Design Studio and Offices
Mixed Use Redevelopment of a former factory in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham that has now been transformed into retail and restaurants on the ground floor with apartments on the upper three floors
Fully restored historic buildings within the Estate and Edgbaston Conservation Area for use as new offices
For all enquiries regarding any of the services we can offer or if you would like to discuss a project, please contact us
With over 60 years’ combined experience in architecture in the UK, Europe, Los Angeles, Dubai and the Caribbean, Mike Lapworth Architects are able to handle many kinds of projects in the built environment.
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