Lister Mills in Bradford was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 7 November 2022 at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to a jury comprising, Marion Baeli, Sarah Allan, Deyan Sudjic, Roger Harrabin, Ben Derbyshire, and Chair Catherine Burd. Read about how the project has stood the test of time, below.
Bradford’s skyline is dominated by Lister Mills and its 250-foot chimney, inspired by St Mark’s campanile in Venice. Credit: David Morley Architects
Once the largest silk mill in the world, Lister Mills is a magnificent collection of grade II*-listed buildings that dominate Bradford’s skyline, with a soaring 250-foot chimney inspired by St Mark’s campanile in Venice, completed in 1873 by Andrews & Pepper for entrepreneur Samuel Cunliffe-Lister. After decades of neglect, Urban Splash, with Bradford Council and Yorkshire Forward, began work to bring the structures back to life and to address the challenge of making the project viable in an area of low land values and decline. Three practices were commissioned: Latham Architects for the Silk Warehouse, David Morley Architects (DMA) for Velvet Mill, and Shed KM for the courtyard.
Penthouse pods provide additional accommodation on the rooftop. Credit: David Morley Architects
The thick stone walls provide excellent thermal mass and the ‘loose-fit’ Victorian shell lent itself to conversion: reusing as much of the historic fabric as possible saved around 20 per cent of the embodied carbon of a typical residential development. Exposed brick, cast iron columns, vaulted ceilings and stonework were cleaned and repaired. The original windows – set high to minimise distraction – were not ideal for flats, but 4.3-metre ceiling heights meant the floor could easily be raised, creating space for services. The windows were replaced with high-specification double glazing. Local materials, craftspeople and businesses were used wherever possible. Slicing through the building to create an atrium retained the original grandeur and scale, while subdividing and adding to the remaining space to create 297 homes and 1,980-square-metres of office, retail and community space. Arup built a transfer structure on which Price & Myers designed parametric pods formed from double-curved timber frames clad in-situ with zinc, inspired by skeins of wool.
The project demonstrates the benefits of investing in heroic industrial structures, including enhanced residential values and social and environmental wins.
Plans showing the form of the penthouse pods, inspired by skeins of wool. Credit: David Morley Architects
