engineering.
Announced in Birmingham, the project was recognised in front of a 400-strong audience as one of only seven regional winners. It will now progress to the BCO National Awards in London this October, where the overall national winners will be revealed.
This recognition highlights the collaborative efforts of Historic England, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, AKT II, and the wider consultant and delivery team in restoring and transforming a landmark of global engineering heritage.
Situated in Shrewsbury, western England, the site includes the Grade I-listed Main Mill building – constructed in the 1790s and widely recognised as the world’s first iron-framed structure. The mill forms part of a wider Georgian-era industrial complex that includes eight Grade I-, II-, and II*-listed buildings.
AKT II provided structural and civil-infrastructure design to support the sensitive regeneration of the Main Mill and its adjoining 1890s-built, Grade II-listed Kiln. The Main Mill’s original cast-iron frame was retained and repaired with minimal intervention, while its building fabric was comprehensively restored. The Kiln, whose original frame was irreparably corroded, was given a new steel frame and reconstructed roof.
Through performance-based design and extensive investigations, a series of discrete structural interventions were developed to increase robustness, provide additional capacity and preserve the site’s historic fabric. The result is a seamless integration of contemporary resilience and engineering integrity within the original structure.
The BCO Innovation Award recognises projects that redefine best practice in workplace design and regeneration. The Flaxmill Maltings project demonstrates how advanced engineering and heritage-led design can coalesce to bring new relevance to a historically significant structure.
The project now advances to the national stage of the BCO Awards, with the winners to be announced this October in London.
