The team behind the transformation of a former hotel in Weston-super-Mare into stylish flats has been recognised in a leading property award.
Bristol-based property developer Sustainable Britain and architects Ascent Architecture worked together to convert the dilapidated former Dorville Hotel into a stylish block of 20 flats now known as Dorville House.
The project reached the finals of the West of England Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards 2017, which took place at the Marriot Hotel in Bristol and celebrates achievements in the construction industry, including excellent buildings and outstanding companies.
Nick Calvert, Development Director of Sustainable Britain, which is part of the Connolly & Callaghan Group, said: “We have been delighted with the positive response we have received to the conversion of the former Dorville Hotel into 20 high quality flats, and being honoured at the LABC Building Excellence Awards has been an additional bonus.
“The property was a concern to the local community in Weston-super-Mare. It had lain empty for over a decade, and had suffered from vandalism, squatters, fire, water ingress and general decay.”
Steve Mardall, director of Ascent Architecture, entered the Dorville development for the award, together with an Ascent Architecture domestic project in North Somerset, which also reached the finals.
He said the Dorville project had presented numerous design challenges including putting in place new party walls to sub-divide the former hotel into flats, and creating new balconies to the rear to exploit the coastal views.
“The Dorville has been transformed from an infamous blot on the landscape to a well-designed building with simple lines, that pays homage to the original building’s Art Deco aesthetic,” he said.
“The converted building has had a significant positive impact on the local area and community, and residents of the building benefit from high-quality flats with external balconies and stunning coastal views, and a building that is now significantly more thermally efficient and airtight.”
Left to right – Steve Mardall, Director of Ascent Architecture; Manjit Kaur, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sustainable Britain; Keith Bartlett, former Contracts Manager at Sustainable Britain; Nick Calvert, Development Director at Sustainable Britain.