When approaching the ambitious task of refurbishing a historic, Grade II listed fire station into a lively youth centre, there were a number of factors Stride Treglown architects had to consider from fire safety, acoustic and security performance through to aesthetics.
This is what led them to specifying 115 Longden solid hardwood timber panelled doorsets – providing that perfect combination of classic contemporary styling and high quality traditional construction, with superior performance.
The Station Bristol is one of the most exciting new youth venues in the UK. The £2.9 million Old Fire Station project, undertaken on behalf of the Creative Youth Network, aims at providing a "world class youth hub" - cutting edge technology and equipment for young people, encompassing arts workshop spaces, a 250 seat theatre, music studios, media editing suite, dance studios and a café.
Combining high quality arts with youth services, the myplace project will offer young people of all ages and backgrounds a space to develop and create their own artistic work, find support with health and careers or just hang out with friends.
Ashley Fillingham, Architectural Technician at Strides Treglown explained: “Due to the historic nature of the building, it was imperative that the refurbishment was in keeping with the style and character and all interior specifications were sympathetic to the period of the station. When looking at the interior, we wanted to find new performance doorsets to incorporate retained panels, carvings and other original features.
"The Longden range is particularly suited to the restoration of historic and traditional buildings of all types, and the company’s expertise in replicating original features is widely recognised – not least by the client, who has specified Longden in other projects.”
A total of 115 bespoke Longden panelled doorsets were supplied to the youth centre, to meet up to 60 minutes fire resistance and 40RwdB acoustic sound levels. With Stride Treglown wanting to keep within the style perimeters of the existing doors, Longden supplied doorsets from the Sheraton flat panel and Mayfair four panel design ranges in RAL7015 - a timeless dark grey shade.
Longden doors are perfect for Grade II listed buildings as the individual personality of the beautiful hand finished, solid timber panelled doors, add a sense of quality and splendour befitting of any period building. Bespoke joinery combines craftsmanship with modern manufacturing techniques to achieve a perfect balance of style and function, complete with performance options such as fire resistance, sound reduction and security.
The Sheraton flat panel in particular offers the ideal combination of classic contemporary styling and high quality construction, wholly suitable for updating traditional features. Manufactured from high performance materials, the flat panels are tongued into grooves within the framings; typically 13mm thick for FD30 doors and 26mm to comply for FD60.
For any multi-purpose building where rooms will be utilised for different purposes, sound can be a major issue. For Stride Treglown, mixing music and dance rooms alongside a theatre required an effective sound barrier. Longden’s acoustic doorsets supplied to the project helped to reduce noise levels within the busy youth centre environment.
In addition, Longden supplies the most sustainable of timber sources available to the British building industry today – an advantage for the project.
Ashley Fillingham continues: “Thanks to Longden’s expert design service throughout the specification process, we were able to produce outstanding panelled doorsets that fitted perfectly within the building’s interior.”
Chris Lambert, Estate Manager and Trustee at Creative Youth Network explains: “Longden’s doorsets fit perfectly within The Station, providing the necessary practical elements, such as outstanding acoustic and fire ratings, but also delivering sympathetic period aesthetics. With so many activities happening around the building, the sound reduction properties of Longden’s panelled doorsets mean that everyone can continue with what they are doing without worrying about disturbing people in other rooms.”
The project was overseen by main contractor MIDAS; Andy Wright, Quantity Surveyor at Midas Interiors said: "The Old Fire Station is a very significant community project with endless opportunities for the young people of Bristol. At Midas, we are delighted to be involved with such an important development.”
