The proposals for Boulton House envision the transformation of a 1970s office block into a dynamic mixed-use development, breathing new life into the building.
The project will deliver 261 aparthotel rooms alongside facilities for guests and visitors including dedicated business, fitness and leisure amenity spaces and a 268 sqm ground floor commercial space.
The development of Boulton House in the 1970s was one of a number of projects which, by combining sites to create larger development plots, disrupted the Victorian grain of this part of the city. The building was built over a secondary street, Hart Street, truncating it and creating a dead end, while the T-shaped building footprint resulted in gaps in street frontages on Bloom Street and Major Street.
Our bold reinvention of Boulton House includes an extension along Bloom Street, repairing the street frontage and creating a new courtyard at the heart of the scheme, from which the new aparthotel is entered. The courtyard not only creates a sociable, semi-public landscaped external space for Boulton House guests and the wider community, but also provides a route through the site, reconnecting Hart Street to Bloom Street.
At roof level, a private terrace is created for Boulton House guests and their visitors, complementing the courtyard below. This high-level space benefits from views south across the city, offering a tranquil contrast to the activity below.
The architectural expression seeks to harmonise the redevelopment with its urban context. A limited palette of high-quality materials, primarily red brickwork and champagne-coloured anodised aluminium, is used in the outward facing elevations, responding to the red brick and buff sandstone predominant in the Victorian context.
Internally, courtyard elevations are clad in white glazed brick, reflecting light to enhance the brightness of the communal space.
Existing zinc bay windows on the lower levels of the existing building are replaced with generous two-storey bays, activating commercial frontages and upper-level suites. A new top-floor ‘lantern’ with full-height glazing replaces the original mansard, maximising natural light and reinforcing the building’s reinvention.