25 Nov 2020
A former hosiery mill, a pinnacle of historical commerce dating from 1889 that faced dereliction, has been beautifully restored and elegantly redeveloped into luxury apartments by HSSP Architects as part of an exciting waterside village development. The Mill is once again deeply interwoven into the community; becoming a gateway hub into Loughborough, fusing the area with the town centre, as well as facilitating neighboring business expansion and being a catalyst for regeneration.
The magnificence of the building and its industrial past has been captured by HSSP Architects. The iconic chimney is now seamlessly entwined into the new wing. The rugged industrial feel is present throughout internally and externally. The desire to preserve the history and traditional materials within the building yet incorporate these with modern interventions is a real blend of striking styles.
Beautiful, exposed brick work, bullnose brick detailing and decorative stops, high ceilings, splendid original iron, oak, and bow string beams, as well as cast iron columns have been retained as a nod to the mill's yesteryear.
The Mill has been designed for living, working and playing in. Its ideal placement and close proximity to the town centre, train station, and canal towpath, encourage active travel options. A gym, communal workspaces, a conference room with kitchen facilities are present, as well as a concierge service based in the wondrous double height atrium lobby. The Gate will house the private swimming pool, with canal side moorings and private gardens completing the perfect living experience.
Successful collaboration between all parties has been a necessity throughout the project, especially in light of the coordination and integration of new modern methods of construction with building methods over 100 years old. Bespoke extraordinarily complex technical systems, non-standard structural elements and significant design development were necessary.
The repurposing of this culturally significant building rather than it face demolition and ultimately become landfill, is a tremendous sustainability achievement. The measures that could be implemented in the building itself were to a certain degree restricted by its 130 year age, but the majority of the existing fabric of the building has been able to be saved and repaired at great cost rather than covered with non-sustainable materials.
For the two new storeys added at roof level, fusion frame was selected for its light weight and high-tolerance, however it is also an environmentally conscientious material in that steel is 100% recyclable and is the easiest material to recycle. Sustainably sourced FSC registered timber was selected for the new partitions for its renewable properties. The majority of the original slate roof was removed to allow for the additional storeys; some of the slates were used to touch up a remaining roof, with the rest being sold and upcycled onto the next stage of their life.
Sedum roofs have been incorporated which bring a host of benefits from encouraging biodiversity, to reducing the carbon footprint by its very nature of improving insulation, to the absorption of carbon dioxide in the air and converting it to oxygen, thus improving the surrounding air quality. A communal heating system has been installed throughout which is far more energy efficient than individual boilers in each apartment. The radiant heating nature of underfloor heating in the apartments also enables the system to be run on lower temperatures.
Image Credits:
External images: James Botterill, HSSP Architects
Internal images: Sara Reynard Photography
Notes for editors
Architects
HSSP Architects Limited, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
RIBA Chartered, multi-award-winning architecture practice
Lead Architect: Richard Cooper
https://www.hssparchitects.co.uk/
Developer
Solus Homes Limited, Leicestershire
Phase 1: Completed Spring 2020 Phase 2: Expected completion early 2022
For more information, please contact Jocelyn Senior at jocelyn@seniorpr.com, 07967 098567.