Silsden Campus

A new addition creates a central focus to the campus, which brings together a disparate set of buildings - including a former Methodist chapel and clog nail factory - into a cohesive whole. Adaptive re-use of the existing buildings and a new 185m2 extension creates a durable, flexible and sustainably sound development, including improved circulation and access, whilst also creating new design studios, offices and product showrooms. The scheme is located in a sensitive conservation area adjacent to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal which required careful balancing of the bold new interventions with their historic context. Taking inspiration from the archetypal mills and factories so distinctive to the skyline of the area, including an old warehouse that once sat adjacent to the site, the proposal employs a saw-tooth roof to bring light deep into the plan and create a striking new silhouette. A palette of bespoke patterned pre-cast concrete and steel standing-seam, in a vibrant red hue, allows the new building to sit as a bold new intervention which remains distinct from, but in dialogue with, the existing structures. Relationships are further strengthened through reinforced datums and careful connections to the old.