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Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings hero

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings.

At the historic Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings industrial site in western England, AKT II has supported Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Historic England to regenerate the 1790s-built, Grade I-listed Main Mill building – the world’s first iron-framed structure, and the genesis of all modern steel-framed buildings – and its adjoined 1890s-built, Grade II-listed Kiln.

AKT II has restored the world’s oldest iron-framed structure – the genesis of all modern steel-framed buildings.

Location
Shrewsbury, UK
Client
Historic England
Architect
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Project Value
£25 million
Floor Area
4,136 m²
Status
completed 2022

The wider campus contains six further heritage-listed buildings. Once complete, the Main Mill will rise out of the UK’s ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ and, together with the Kiln, will provide a mix of cultural and commercial spaces. The mill’s existing cast-iron frame is retained and repaired, with only subtle strengthening, while the building’s wider fabric is restored and rejuvenated. The Kiln meanwhile receives a new steel frame and lift core (its existing frame was irreparably corroded), while its roof is reconstructed in steel and timber.

Our approach goes beyond simple conservation. The Main Mill had already lived two long lives, first as a flax-mill and then a maltings. Our structural design strategy took everything back to first principles; through performance-based design we justified the additional capacity that gives the building a further life, while at the same time preserving its historic fabric.

By understanding the entire structure’s behaviour we were able to devise sensitive, discrete interventions that enhance the existing structure’s robustness and resilience. A new steel frame is inserted through the lower levels to provide capacity for the most overloaded existing columns, and presents only a few new columns within the final ground floor. Elsewhere, a system of ties and reinforced overlays provides alternate loading pathways to achieve an overall reliability. We sought out inherent strength within the existing frame and then targeted all interventions to sensitively enhance the frame’s apparent weaknesses.

Rescuing the timber elements within the Main Mill’s perimeter masonry walls required a complete integration of construction sequencing, temporary works and repair proposals. AKT II performed extensive investigations to understand the existing situation, and then led the integrated strategy.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings kiln
Awards.

2024 RIBA National Award
2024 RIBA Regional Awards – Building of the Year
2024 RIBA Regional Award
2024 RIBA Regional Awards – Conservation Award
2024 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Award
2024 Europa Nostra Award for Cultural Heritage – Conservation & Adaptive Reuse
2023 Brick Awards – Supreme Award
2023 Brick Awards – Craftsmanship Award
2023 Brick Awards – Sustainability Award

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings facade detail

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings facade detail

Interior shot of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings cafe

Interior shot of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings

Two
Manhattan
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Lobby
'Radiant Lines'
installation
 
 
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Stadium.
 
 
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Campus.
 
 
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Gables.
 
 
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Headquarters
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17 Charterhouse
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Brent Cross
Plot 15.
 
 
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West Cromwell
Road.
 
Brent Cross
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Bridge.
 
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