Location
Barbican, Plymouth

Client / Professional Team
Sutton Harbour Group

Construction Value
£2M

Our Role
MEP design & infrastructure

The Old Fishmarket is occupies one of the most historic and prominent locations within Plymouth’s historic Barbican. During the WW2, Plymouth sustained substantial bombing, destroying substantial areas of this historic and militarily important city. Fortunately, the Barbican mains largely intact, allowing residents and visitors alike to enjoy the narrow- cobbled streets and notable buildings, all sited within a working fishing harbour.

Constructed in 1896, the Old Fishmarket had been previously been enclosed to allow it to be converted into a large single lettable unit. However, this conversion was unsuited to modern retail and with the previous tenant vacating, Sutton Harbour instructed Design Foundry with Void Studios to modernise the building. Our brief was to divide the until into three appropriately sized units to yield an enhanced retail experience, augment the electrical infrastructure to support air source heat pumps, separated utility services and the provision of tenant handbooks to facilitate the marketing of the units.

Our design proposals were developed closely with Void Studios to ensure the preservation of the building’s heritage was maintained, along with its unique character. We surveyed the building extensively to minimise fabric alterations, reusing existing horizontal service routes and agreeing the fire segregation between units. We ensured that all existing non- compliant MEP services were replaced.

Extensive negotiations were undertaken with the Distribution Network Operator to obtain a new electrical supply to the building with minimal disruption to this busy area of Plymouth. The resultant was that all three units were let before site works were completed. The discrete routing of services avoid the full height glazing, combined with the innovative location of ASHP using existing timber louvers and roof space has left the Old Fishmarket appearing unchanged but fully modernised. The result is a revitalised space that serves its new tenants efficiently, offering a seamless blend of heritage and innovation.