Our team secured planning permission to convert 11 railway arches into 10 office units and a cycle store with showers and changing facilities. Located within the Maltings complex, a mixed-use commercial and residential quarter established in the former Sarson’s Vinegar Factor, the railway arches were under-utilised and used as low-quality storage space. The proposed design includes installing units in the form of independent pods separated from the main structure of the railway arches retaining access to the existing brickwork structure for maintenance.

The typical single office units are designed to have around 13 desk spaces over two floors with a kitchen and WC located on the ground floor and a meeting room positioned at the first floor. The external appearance of the elevation draws from the existing materiality of the Maltings Place complex, the masonry of the arches, and more recent materials used on site like minimal glazing windows and doors. The front elevation of the units is fully glazed to maximise the amount of daylight into the office space whilst remaining subservient to the dominant brick railway arches they sit within. The front elevation will be framed with dark powder coated metal frames, highlighting the contrast with the glazing, giving the front elevation a seamless appearance and providing an elegant and uniform frontage.

The subtle modern additional intervention of the office pods will provide a valuable employment area, an optimised revenue stream for our client, and make for a harmonious architectural enhancement to the historical context and wider Conservation Area bordering the site.