Rochdale Town Hall
Rochdale Town Hall: Restoring an historic Grade I-listed building
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We were proud to see the recent feature of Rochdale Town Hall published in the Architects' Journal. The piece tells the architectural story of the restoration of the 1871 Gothic Revival building – described by Historic England as being ‘rivalled in importance only by those contained within the Palace of Westminster’.
But although some of the most important work on this project is not immediately obvious as you walk around the building, it has a huge impact on the accessibility, sustainability and feel of this beautiful hall.
Sustainability and energy efficiency in a Grade I-listed building
Elements such as full roof insulation, double glazing, and better zoning of heating have reduced energy consumption and improved comfort. The conversion of the historic lighting to modern digital addressable and zoned LEDs has reduced energy consumption, and an all-electric kitchen, and air source heat pumps reduced reliance on burning fossil fuels.
We are currently conducting a study using lower heating flow temperatures to maximise the period of time the ASHP runs instead of the boilers, relying on thermal mass to reduce carbon emissions while stabilising the internal temperature and humidity to protect the fabric. Last winter the heating ran at 55°C and maintained comfortable internal conditions.
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Rochdale Town Hall during the construction stage
© James Newton
Lighting design
We restored and reinstated the many historic pendants and chandeliers, whilst also carefully concealing modern uplighters to capture all of the rich detail of the finishes and highlight the artworks. Extensive on-site testing allowed us to find the perfect positioning for lighting the exterior, leading to an installation which celebrates the grandeur and scale of the building from many different vantage points.
All lighting to the building is now LED and a large proportion of the fixtures were recovered from the building, including the beautiful Great Hall pendants, which were fully restored and rehung from the hands of the angels (the original location of the first gas lamps). The fittings in the newly glazed Port Cochere and Clock Tower Entrance were sourced from an architectural salvage organisation and restored.
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© James Newton
Final pendant lights in the Great Hall
Accessibility and compliance
A set of new lifts provide full access to people with all forms of limited mobility as they also act as evacuation lifts. Compliance with modern standards. New fire alarm systems, WiFi, and WiFi-assisted listening systems are all included to make this historic building fit for the future.
This was all integrated into the beautiful historic fabric involving painstaking detailing, investigations and collaboration with the Contractor, HH Smith & Sons Ltd, and M&E Subcontractors, Performance Electrical Ltd and Murray Building Services Ltd, allowing the architecture to shine without the distraction of visible modern services.
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