Sensitive Conversion in Conservation Area Berkshire House

Berkshire House is the conversion of a former three-storey office building in the heart of Newbury into 13 contemporary one and two-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor retail units. Located within Newbury Town Centre Conservation Area, the development brings new residential use to an existing commercial building while retaining its established architectural character.

Working with Highfield Developments, OA Architecture delivered a scheme incorporating air-conditioned apartments with Japanese and Scandinavian design influences, alongside associated amenities including allocated parking, cycle and bin storage. External alterations, including replacement windows and reconfigured entrances, improved the building's functionality, natural light and energy performance.

The project's turnkey delivery presented significant challenges, with construction progressing in parallel with planning and Building Regulations approvals. A carefully coordinated planning strategy was required, with consent for external alterations secured ahead of the change of use prior approval application to address daylight and sunlight requirements.

The retention of the existing building fabric also required substantial fire engineering, particularly in relation to the central atrium and openings within boundary walls. Close coordination between the design team, contractor and statutory authorities was essential to resolving these technical challenges and delivering the residential conversion. We are no working with the developer on phase 2, which will include the change of use of existing office buildings into 2no. flats and 4no. townhouses