THE KNOWLEDGE

DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT SITE

ARCHITECT NEIL TAYLOR DETAILS HOW THE TEAM DEALT WITH THE STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES POSED BY THIS CHALLENGING PLOT “Careful surveying of the original building and extensive site investigations revealed poor ground conditions; the raised areas of the site were made up of ground with poor load-bearing capacity and running water at quite high levels, meaning a conventional ground bearing structure was ruled out. We worked closely with the structural engineers and specialist piling contractors to develop an efficient structural layout that minimised the number of piles needed.

“Over the mill, a series of steel beams were installed at the level of the top of the stone walls, to provide a base on top of which the new timber frame construction was erected. Ensuring that these two very different forms of structure (piles and historic stone walls) were aligned and coordinated required very careful surveying and setting-out, in conjunction with the contractor.

“Predominantly the house is built via a load-bearing timber frame construction with some strategic pieces of steel to form large openings and achieve some of the larger spans. The timber frame was then insulated between the studs using a quilt insulation with rigid insulated boards lining the inside faces of the studs, to achieve an unbroken, airtight insulated envelope.

“An aluminium fascia clads the edge of this new horizontal structure, articulating the junction where the timber cladding meets the stone walls of the mill. The new materials have sharp edges and smooth surfaces, set in contrast against the rough, weathered granite.

“We worked with Russwood, looking at several options for the finish before deciding that the dark, glossy finish would work. The boards were pre-coated with the finish before arriving on site. Black coloured fixing screws were used.”