Jonathan Hendry Architects

Holton Studios is located in a small business park on the edge of the village of Holton le Clay. The building is the first phase, comprising 6 workspaces to let, forming the edge of what will eventually become a courtyard space for the community. The existing buildings on the adjacent site are long pitched roof buildings, constructed in brick with concrete tiled roofs and metal roller shutter doors. An important design element was that the building found its language not only from the scale of adjacent buildings but also from a more agricultural typology. The plan of the building remains linear with a pitched roof albeit the roof along the communal courtyard side of the building cantilevers to create a covered public walkway along the length of the building.

Utilising a galvanised steel portal frame allowed the easy form of vaulted ceilings internally and the aforementioned cantilevered external walkway roof, without any requirement for additional cross-bracing.

Each unit is lined internally with birch plywood sheets, giving a warmer feel to the interiors in contrast to the fibre-cement sheets used externally to clad the building. The main workspace is vaulted and generously proportioned. Large timber framed windows with an opening casement for natural ventilation and a door for public access, face onto the communal courtyard. The size of each unit has been designed so that they remain exempt from business rates. Internal party walls have been constructed to allow each unit to be interconnected if a business requires a large space, with the minimum amount of disruption.

Sliding galvanised panels with the same proportions as the fibre-cement panels act as security shutters. Galvanised steel shutters were chosen for their robustness and aesthetic appearance.
Both end gables are clad in fine larch strips, stained Nordic red to make a transition between the surrounding red brick buildings and the semi-agricultural language of our building