Issue 38 Summer web 23 - Flipbook - Page 23
started the process to complete the reordering, and we
were appointed, following an open OJEU tender process,
in 2016 to continue our work which became Leicester
Cathedral Revealed.
We have been ably assisted by a very experienced design
team, including Price and Myers, structural and civil
engineers, Martin Thomas Associates, building services
engineers, Etude, energy and passivhaus consultants, and
Light Perceptions, lighting designers.
The current project will relocate the font to a liturgically
sensible position in the Great South Aisle, and will replace
the floor to remove the various stepped changes of level
and incorporate service routes, insulation and underfloor
heating. It completely replaces the building’s lighting,
electrics and heating, essential given their age, improving
comfort and reducing the Cathedral’s carbon footprint.
Good visitor and back-of-house facilities are accommodated in the HLC.
Our masterplan had identified the need to deliver
substantial floor space within the HLC, on the very
limited footprint available. Developing the brief with the
Cathedral led to the facilities being carefully prioritised:
an education centre, exhibition spaces, vergers’ and
volunteers’ facilities, visitor’s toilets and baby change, and
storage. The HLC is therefore iceberg-like, with two
above-ground and two below-ground floors, offset in
section, worked through with our engineers, Price and
Myers. The team has made huge efforts to mitigate the
constraints of the medieval foundations and older archaeological strata impacted by the basement.
The design of the visible building creates a distinctive,
contemporary presence that sits comfortably with the
historic elevations of the cathedral, but has its own
identity. The HLC is linked to the historic interior
through a new opening in the Great South Aisle, but has
its own entrance so it can be used concurrently and/or
separately from the historic spaces of the cathedral.
Above, HLC basement excavation, with basement
formation slab rebar installed
achieved all the necessary consents after a long and
patient process of engagement and design review,
involving all the statutory bodies and their consultees.
Dean and Chapter and vHH share a determination to
minimise the environmental footprint of the refurbished
cathedral. The works will improve the comfort and energy
efficiency of the historic cathedral and maximise the
efficiency of the HLC. We have done this by adopting a
passivhaus approach for the new building, working
hand-in-hand with Etude and Martin Thomas Associates. This minimises energy use by creating a very good
building envelope, and using mechanical ventilation with
heat recovery. Given the form factor of the building, and
the constrained interfaces with the historic building, the
HLC will not quite achieve the certified standard but will
get close to it, and it will be a pioneering building for the
heritage sector.
Although its form is slightly pulled away from the historic
building, its elevations are of buff sandstone, similar to
that used in the late C19 spire and northern transept, with
its copper-clad parapet reflecting the visible roof slopes of
the old building. The fine vertical fins that punctuate
its main façades will be made of glazed faience, and
provide decorative detail that enriches the elevations and
distinguishes the public spaces inside.
The project required the consents from the Cathedral’s
Fabric Advisory Committee, the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (the Church of England’s national
statutory body), and Leicester City Council (the local
planning authority). Given the different views of these
bodies, and the proposals’ inevitable contentiousness with
several of the statutory consultees, this was a considerable
challenge. Working closely with the Cathedral, we
The project is extremely complex, and our journey with
the Cathedral has involved numerous challenges – some
of which have had the potential to stop the project. So
we are hugely thankful for the patient determination of
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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