Velvet Mill
- Status
- Completed 2018
- Client
- Urban Splash
- Value
- £20m
- Procurement Method
- Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant from Inception to Completion
- Scale
- 14,000m²
Awards
- Yorkshire Residential Property Award 2019 – Best Design Project - Winner
- Structural Awards 2019 – Commended
- Wood Awards 2019 - Shortlisted
- Retrofit Awards 2012 - Shortlisted
- Aluminium in Building - Shortlisted
- Architecture Today Awards 2023 - Finalist
Velvet Mill was part of a fantastically robust complex of derelict weaving mills in a formerly deprived area of Bradford in the North of England but now a major focus of regeneration led by developers Urban splash in conjunction with Bradford City Council and Yorkshire Forward.
- Status
- Completed 2018
- Client
- Urban Splash
- Value
- £20m
- Procurement Method
- Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Consultant from Inception to Completion
- Scale
- 14,000m²
Awards
- Yorkshire Residential Property Award 2019 – Best Design Project - Winner
- Structural Awards 2019 – Commended
- Wood Awards 2019 - Shortlisted
- Retrofit Awards 2012 - Shortlisted
- Aluminium in Building - Shortlisted
- Architecture Today Awards 2023 - Finalist
Velvet Mill is the second phase in the regeneration of Lister Mills. David Morley Architects converted the Grade II listed mills into 190 apartments, including a new two storey roof top extension, and 6,500 sq ft flexible community and commercial space at ground floor level.
Originally completed in 1873 and once the world’s largest silk mill, Lister Mills is an architecturally stunning collection of Grade II* Listed mills and warehouses dominating the Bradford skyline, located within the deprived area of Manningham. Lister Mills were commissioned by the Samuel Lister who was a great innovator, securing more UK patents than any of his contemporaries. The philosophy of the restoration was to build on Listers example of innovation by using the very best technologies currently available, and by creating a visual contrast between the existing fabric and the new, providing clarity to the passage of time of the building.
The penthouse pods were inspired by the building’s history as a textile mill when it provided 1,000 yards of velvet for George V’s coronation. The concept of the penthouse pods was to deliver a provocative design juxtaposition; the roof is a very special place, and the pods not only take advantage of superb views of miles around, but they act as a beacon, making a visual statement about the much needed regeneration of this area in Bradford.
Interior
“This project is transformational. Doing something this interesting in Bradford will be a game changer for the city.”
The restoration also celebrates the building’s heritage, with as much of the original fabric as possible carefully restored and enhanced by the conversion. Also, the existing structure was strengthened to carry the increased weight of the new use, by discretely enhancing the existing masonry piers, by the addition of a reinforced screed overlaid onto the existing Dennet’s arches, which remain exposed beneath, and the careful insertion of a new transfer structure to support the light-weight pre-fabricated timber structured roof top penthouse pods.
Interior
Close up view of the roof pods
The roof structure is like a curvilinear metal fabric wrapped into a plait. This generates a rigorous geometry which harmonises with the structure below and creates space for some generous two-storey apartments that face out diagonally towards the long views. Because the Mill is such a robust massive building the roof structure was made to be light and delicate and of sufficient scale not to become confused with the heavily articulated profile of the stone parapet. From a distance the plait-like appearance of the roof is more legible evoking imagery of both the tradition of weaving and the process of regeneration.
Bedroom
Through a combination of careful local craftsmanship and design, the massive, industrial but ornate character of the building has been retained, along with the sense of innovation of its pioneering commissioner, the latter demonstrated in the design of the roof top pods which result in a logical extension of the existing buildings, working with the grain in a way that perhaps Samuel Lister, if he had been here today, would have wholeheartedly supported.
View of roof pods
