VELUX Commercial brings daylight to a converted Cornish jail.

All that was left of the powerful looking Victorian Bodmin Jail in Cornwall was a ruin without a roof, with vegetation slowly taking over. In 2015, Mallino Development appointed the services of Twelve Architects to undertake an impressive redevelopment project, turning the building into an aesthetically pleasing hotel. To deliver the modern comforts hotel guests expect during their stay and the thermal efficiency required for sustainable operation, a holistic system using VELUX Glazing Panels was specified. It took 214 VELUX Glazing Panels, formerly known as Vitral A98 Glazing, to recapture the original rooflights located above the two historic wings.

The building comprises two wings containing prison cells organised around a central atrium. Connecting the two wings is a tall chimney that was part of the historic ventilation system. The floors and roofs in both wings had mostly collapsed, but the feeling of height and light within the atrium, together with views of the sky and the chimney above remained. The architect’s intention was to retain this magical feeling of space and light with as many historical features as possible, whilst introducing a clarity of intervention between the old and new. A large rooflight area was envisioned to provide the connection of history, light and space.

While the plan was to create an aesthetically outstanding project, the building’s grade II listed status combined with poor thermal efficiency and a colony of bats on the site, meant that there were many challenges to overcome. The design for the new slate roof contained a large rooflight area, and the architect was keen to specify thermally-efficient, opening rooflights that would complement the hotel’s energy strategy, provide summer comfort ventilation and fulfil the necessary smoke clearance and fire strategy. Importantly, the rooflights needed to resemble the original historic roof windows, complete with thin glazing bars to satisfy the planning requirements and fit within the clear lines of the new design.

VELUX Glazing Panels were the only solution capable of delivering all these requirements. Project architect Hannah Baker explains, “the specified product allowed us to maintain the light and views up to the historic ventilation tower, capturing the atmosphere we were after.”

Find out more about the project here or download VELUX Commercials latest white paper ‘Building considerations for commercial rooflight refurbishment’