It’s no surprise that Threefold Architects were awarded a 2009 RIBA Design Award for The Apprentice Store project.
The Grade II Listed Apprentice Store started life as a single ancillary building for the adjacent DeMontalt Mill and had been gradually added to over the course of 200 years, evolving ‘organically’ into four conjoined but unconnected buildings. The site is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just outside of Bath and commands far reaching views of the valley where it stands. The design approach for this project was driven by a desire to rescue the existing building and ensure its reuse by converting it into a sustainable modern family home. The strategy Threefold Architects followed was a sensitive restoration of the original features by traditional craftsmen and the insertion of contemporary elements expressly articulated from the existing fabric. The scheme knits the four buildings together with a delicate ribbon-like circulation. This passes through a sequence of delightful spaces including large open plan living areas on the south side overlooking the valley and bedrooms across two floors on the more private north side.
