the NATURAL future FOR old factories
We have produced designs to adapt and sustain several old factories in the last 5 years.
It is team work. It requires imagination to fit in new uses into old buildings. It takes preservation to ensure that texture, character are retained.
In this edition of sharing ideas here are 5 top things to consider.
1 Structure
The bones of most old factories are strong. They were built for high floor loads of heavy raw materials, vibrating machines and busy people. This means residential and office uses can be accommodated without expensive underpinning or reinforcing structures. Some warehouse buildings were built for such high dead loads of storage that they can easily accommodate additional stories.
However as industrial buildings they were not always made of highest quality materials. The front face is often a stock brick that endures but sides, backs and courtyards were made of cheaper pink flettons. Brickwork and lintels often need repointing and reinforcing where the water has got in. This can be expensive and time consuming so a surveyor at an early stage is a must!
2 Space and height
Old factories often had delivery yards and loading bays. These were surfaced in hard, cobbles or Staffordshire blue bricks. Adapting these buildings gives the opportunity to soften these spaces with planting and trees which will grow tall towards the light. Green courtyards bring biodiversity to previously hard landscapes. They bring health and happiness to residents and tenants.
External full height loading bays (often referred to as dock doors), can be glazed to give good views and can also make good balconies.
Factories and warehouses often have very high ceilings. This sets them apart from many contemporary new builds. It appeals to people. There is a temptation to run with an industrial aesthetic and leave exposed contemporary unsympathetic services and cable trays. An alternative and clever solution is lower the ceiling approx. 200mm and to install slim air source heat pump systems and mechanical heat recovery systems. It conceals the modern kit and saves pounds!
3 Energy
Many factories have flat roofs or sawtooth north lights. Both are perfect for photovoltaic solar panels. Before you specify lithium batteries to store this energy check with your fire engineer about locating them away form fire exits and in suitable enclosures.
Large windows with slim metal frames are one of the characteristic features of old factories. Think of the Hoover building and Tate Liverpool in the Albert Dock warehouse. These were often made by a UK firm called Crittall who have been operating since 1849. However, many contemporary windows are have much fatter frames and larger panes of glass for economy and efficiency. Crittall now make a thermally broken product which maintain those thin frames and good sightlines. An alternative, as used in our proposals for Forest Place in Hackney, is to install one sheet of glass and set this on the inside face of the wall hiding the larger contemporary frame from view. From the outside this shows that something has changed in the building, it will have better insulation, daylight and solar gain if your warehouse has small openings or a deep plan.
4. Texture and character
The texture of old brick, exposed trusses, timber floorboards and cast iron columns all add to the character that can give your project value.
However, these can be thin, uninsulated and cold. Contemporary comfort (and energy saving targets) may mean that you have to insulate some areas and cover these up. You have three main choices.
a) Insulate from the outside. This is most efficient but may be hard to negotiate in a Conservation Area. It will leave those brick walls and trusses exposed for people to enjoy internally.
b) Insulate on the inside. This can be a good way to line out poor fabric, hide services and give a clean and up to date atmosphere internally.
c) Don’t insulate walls and use exposed solid masonry as a thermal store. This needs careful computer modelling dependent upon how your building faces the sun and how neighbouring buildings cast shadows in different seasons. This may be your only choice in a listed building. It does however leave that texture and character on the outside and the inside.
5. Mixing uses
Old factories and warehouses were usually single use buildings occupied by one firm. Adapting them to mixed uses, such as flats above offices, is hard. Regulations for each use will be different. The occupation of the building will be different throughout the day and the week. Access and security needs will vary and the council will probably require totally different systems for bikes, gates, bins, meter cupboards, deliveries and many more items.
Keeping a single use building as a single use is much the easiest route to go down if you can.
Mixing uses does bring many benefits of stability, activity and community.
We have some good techniques for these situations. So if your project needs to mix uses please get in touch and we’ll discuss how we may help use some of them for you.
