The refurbishment of the Grade II-Listed former Nicholson & Co. factory building, the Beaumont Works, in St. Albans, is almost complete after a year and a half of painstaking endeavour. Working closely with the developers, Taylor Wimpey, and the St. Albans Conservation Officer, Saunders oversaw the development of 28 contemporary one and two-bedroomed bespoke apartments built within the old factory building, and an additional 30 homes, designed to complement the listed building in two new apartment buildings sitting on land to the rear.

Originally built in the early part of the 20th century, refurbishing this heritage site into modern flats presented unique challenges. As well as regular meetings with the Conservation officer, Saunders liaised with the Hertfordshire Fire Brigade, developing bespoke solutions to satisfy current health and safety legislation.

Retaining many of the original features of the raincoat manufacturing factory was key to this developments’ commercial success. The façade, with its decorative Dutch Gables and elaborate detailing, conceals a traditional factory north-light roof. The north lights were carefully removed and replaced with modern versions, whilst the internal steel trusses and sarking boards were retained and made good to create a striking feature to the properties.

Saunders were appointed to develop the planning approved scheme through the construction phase.