Bath Schools of Art and Design

The Bath Schools of Art and Design is a re-purposing of the Farrell/Grimshaw partnership’s factory for Herman Miller, completed in 1976. Bath Spa University purchased the building in 2016, by which time it was Grade II listed, in order to relocate its Schools of Art and Design within a single creative community, having previously been spread across four sites. The university adopted the original building’s brief, itself included in the listing description. A collection of short but powerful statements, enshrining two key aspirations; a building that would adapt to changing needs and contribute positively to the environment of the building’s users, and those around it. These objectives resonated with the Schools of Art and Design’s requirements for their new home, and the project sought to build on this ethos of on-going flexibility. Retaining the building’s flexibility was vital to meeting the needs of a modern education institution and to achieving the sustainable ambitions inherent in repurposing a building with adaptive reuse at its core. The building responds to the changing and competing needs of its users, offering environments for creativity and inspiration, specialist and bespoke technical workshops, reflective areas for quiet contemplation, communal open spaces to engage with others, and public amenities open to the local community. The evolution of teaching programmes is accommodated through flexible spaces that allow reconfiguration, and a restored modular façade system that meets changing internal requirements. Improvements to the building’s energy performance mean it not only meets, but exceeds the criteria of an environmentally conscious building, safeguarding it for the future. They also ensure that the university’s significant initial investment is offset by lower energy and operational costs over time. Upgrades to the building provide dramatically improved thermal performance through new double glazing, additional insulation and much improved air-tightness. By incorporating over 100 rooflights within the new raised roof, the design reduced the reliance on artificial daylighting, while the addition of PVs provides approximately 10% of the building’s energy consumption. Adapting a listing building – which comes with a degree of fixity, even when the listing is in part based on an innovative approach to flexibility – required an approach that respected these aspirations for change, as well as the aesthetic value and character of the original building. To achieve this, collaboration between the university, design team and other stakeholders was essential. There was proactive engagement with heritage consultees in defining the scope of the building’s restoration and extension, and the university were generous in communicating their aims and priorities. Consultants and the contractor bought into the philosophy of the scheme and worked hard to realise it throughout design and delivery. Nicholas Grimshaw had said of the original building that it must be able to adapt not only to the needs of its current owner, but also those of a future owner with an entirely different use. The new design delivers an inter-disciplinary learning environment that draws students together, encourages collaboration and interaction, as well as engagement with the local community, and celebrates individual and collective creativity.