Property conversion to 10 flats
St Lawrence House, Pudsey was a former local authority children’s home that had been empty for some time and had become extensively vandalised prior to its purchase by developers Treadwell Carpets Ltd.
The original Victorian house has been sympathetically altered and a three storey extension added which respects the scale and materials of this conversation area.
Barrett+Barrett architects overcame a number of significant planning issues to ensure that its client could maximise its investment in the development. The scheme’s initial capacity of four private flats was increased to ten with the addition of the new extension.
Commenting on the project Patrick Barrett said: “The main house is a wonderfully elegant building and we worked hard to make sure that the new extension not only enhanced the existing structure but would pay homage to the surrounding terraces.”
Contemporary extension
Peter Stagg and his wife purchased a house in a north Leeds conservation area that they planned to extend. They had visualised a very modern single storey addition to their new house and got just that with a largely glass and natural stone wrap around design by Barrett+Barrett architects.
But having been delighted with the ease of the design process, the Staggs were dismayed at the response from the local planning department. “Without Barrett+Barrett architect’s highly detailed understanding of the planning policy, in particular those appertaining to trees, we would have had to drastically alter the design,” explains Peter.
“Patrick worked very hard on our behalf to ensure the correct information was presented to the planning department at every stage of what became a very complicated twelve month battle. His professionalism and utter determination completely turned around what appeared to be an impossible situation. He and his team are worth every penny!”
Working closely with arboricultural specialists, Barrett+Barrrett argued that by sensitively reducing the number of very large trees surrounding the property their growing conditions and life span could in fact be improved.
Commercial property refurbishment
Working for construction and commercial property lawyers Barton Legal on the extensive refurbishment of their new offices in Rawdon, Leeds has been an extremely fulfilling experience for Barrett+Barrett architects. We were able to really flex our creative muscles and demonstrate our extensive planning and highways expertise in designing what is regarded as the most talked about building in the area.
Commenting on the project client William Barton said: “Although the offices we acquired had become dated and a bit of an eyesore, in their day they had been rather leading edge. The NHS-blue frontage had been a landmark for many local people since the 1950s and we wanted to keep up the tradition but at the same time bring something more contemporary to the area.
“The work we do is very specialist and we wanted to stand out; our stunning purple new offices are equal to any found in a major city’s legal district.”
