This commercial Sports and Leisure project involved the conversion of a historic bank building into a Gym, Spa, Community Cafe and Wellness Centre.  Located in Calverley Road in the heart of Tunbridge Wells, the listed building was formerly a Barclays Bank. 

Meeting the Client’s Brief
The client for this project is a long standing and very important one for Kent Structures having worked with Daniel on several self-storage buildings previously. As the first wellness centre in an expanding portfolio, Bank House was quite a challenge to take on as a first project!

Key Project Challenges
As the building had formerly served as a bank, the existing concrete construction was extremely heavily reinforced. The steel and concrete had to be cut out and removed to create the ground floor spa including swimming pool and hydro pool.

The steel structure was extensively altered to accommodate the requirements of the revised layout of the building. The building fabric also had to be upgraded to meet current standards to ensure the building would be as efficient as possible. The team worked closely with a conservation officer throughout.

Modernising and Maintaining Historical Integrity
Much of the original design and detail of the building was maintained. The existing steel structure was kept on the first floor to demonstrate the original design intent. Intelligent lighting and highly-specified wall and tiling finishes allowed the client to realise his vision for his first wellness centre.

The project started in November 2018 and continued through the pandemic to completion in June 2020. 

Services provided: Design and Build, Groundworks, Construction, Steel Frame Building, Refurbishment, Fit Out

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