The Melville Building at Plymouth’s Royal William Yard site is one of the last buildings to be renovated by developer Urban Splash and will be converted into office, retail and leisure space.
Regeneration specialist Urban Splash is one of the largest developers in the UK. Founded in 1993 by entrepreneur Tom Bloxham and architect Johnathan Falkingham and headquartered in Manchester, Urban Splash has since expanded across the UK, undertaking more than 60 regeneration projects and earning over 400 awards for architecture, regeneration, marketing and enterprise.
Over the past 26 years, Urban Splash has invested over a billion pounds in regeneration and created over 5,000 new homes and 2 million sq foot of work space. Design is a major priority for the company, which employs well respected architects such as Foster and Partners, ShedKM, Will Alsop, FAT Architects and Glenn Howells to help them rescue many great industrial landmarks of the past.
One such landmark painstakingly revived by Urban Splash is Royal William Yard in Plymouth, southwest England. The Grade I Listed ex-naval victualling yard was formerly used by the Royal Navy to process food, drink and supplies. Constructed between 1825 and 1831, Royal William Yard is considered to be one of the most important groups of historic military buildings in Britain and the largest collection of Grade I Listed military buildings in Europe. The 15-acre site has its own marina and dramatic views across Plymouth Sound.
A reimaging of the old naval site as an up-market mixed use development was first conceived by award-winning architects Ferguson Mann. Ferguson Mann designed the modern office, retail and restaurant environment to retain as many of the original features of the historic buildings as possible.
Work is now being undertaken by Gillespie Yunnie on the Melville Building, the striking centrepiece of Royal William Yard and one of the last remaining buildings to be completed on the waterside site. The 90,000 sq. ft building will host a mixture of office, retail and leisure space from 300 to 10,000 sq. ft.
The scheme retains the Melville building's original Georgian features, from the timber double loading bay doors to the historic warehouse and timber sash windows. Urban Splash commercial director Emily Handslip explains: “This is such a special building and we want to embrace all of the original features it has to offer, sensitively restoring the exposed timber beams, cast iron columns and historic limestone and granite facades to create spectacular, well-designed spaces for businesses.”
“This is such a special building and we want to embrace all of the original features it has to offer, sensitively restoring the exposed timber beams, cast iron columns and historic limestone and granite facades to create spectacular, well-designed spaces for businesses.”
Over 55% of the available space has already exchanged or is under offer, but it won’t be long before the iconic architecture and unique coastal destination draw in more businesses. Hanslip says: “Royal William Yard is a destination that pushes the boundaries of creativity, innovation and discovery, resulting in a unique community in which people want to live, work and play. We look forward to welcoming even more businesses to that mix as we complete Melville.”
“The Yard is a destination that pushes the boundaries of creativity, innovation and discovery, resulting in a unique community in which people want to live, work and play. We look forward to welcoming even more businesses to that mix as we complete Melville.”
