Brooke’s Mill, Huddersfield

LEDA were commissioned by the client to provide a Sustainable strategy review of existing design for the site focussing on the redevelopment of two large Mill buildings for residential use.

The site contains a substantial number of listed buildings and provides potentially a large addition to the residential population of the adjacent historic mill village. The original mill complex stopped production in the late 80’s and since then the site has been partly redeveloped as a business park with public offerings including art gallery and café and dance studio.

The current proposed design is for a large residential redevelopment comprising 48 units with a mix between large apartments and new build housing as infill on areas of demolished existing buildings. There is also a proposal for the conversion of a key building as a well being centre that would be accessed through the existing gallery, studio and café complex.

LEDA were asked to look at the approach to sustainability in terms of heating, ventilation and renewable energy generation as well as a review and re-working of the existing apartment designs. The site context was also assessed and a proposal made for public piazza to connect through to the new well-being centre. The impact of vehicular access was also reviewed and a more pedestrian friendly solution arrived at with reduced parking and the prioritisation of the use  of electric vehicles.

The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) was used to initially model the buildings and to allow initial sizing of heat loads with proposed fabric improvements. A proposed outline design was developed for a centralised heating system using air source heat pumps and mechanical heat recovery systems to serve each floor together with extensive use of solar panels across the existing roofs on the site.

Client:	John Brooke & Sons
Services Provided:	Sustainability advice, Architecture, M&E Design
Dates:	June 2020 – May 2021
Construction Value:	Approx. £3.5m