Commercial Heritage - Purifier House

Smart Architectural Aluminium’s Alitherm Heritage window system has been installed in Linden Homes’ redevelopment of the Grade II listed Purifier House, located at the heart of Bristol’s Harbourside area.

Originally built in the 1820s, the building was in regular use as a gas purifying station up to the 1960s, at which point it fell into a state of disrepair and became derelict in the 1970s. Despite the fact that all that remained of the building was its existing walls (which were strapped and braced to avoid further deterioration) as it was situated in the City Docks Conservation Area, it was listed to Grade II status in 1985.

Linden Homes’ redevelopment has transformed Purifier House into elegant waterfront homes in what has become one of Bristol’s most vibrant locations. 28 apartments have been created above ground floor retail and café space which overlooks the Harbourside and provides a valuable addition to the area. However, due the building’s listed status, the specification of the doors and windows was a crucial element in securing planning approval, with a requirement to mirror the traditional aesthetics of steel fenestration that is typical of heritage buildings.

Fabricated and installed by Salisbury Glass, one of Smart’s specialist partners, the selection of Smart’s Alitherm Heritage system provided the perfect solution. The system allowed the buildings iconic arch-headed and bullseye windows to be re-created in modern materials, maintaining its distinctive appearance while delivering the benefits of an aluminium window system.

Commenting on the development, Smart Managing Director, Eddie Robinson said: “Purifier House is one of the real landmark buildings on Bristol’s Harbourside, and it is fantastic to see Linden Homes return this iconic building to its former glory.

“This is another great example of our Alitherm Heritage system being used in a sensitive location, enabling the developer to achieve the traditional aesthetics that are required, while at the same time being able to realise the thermal, programme and performance benefits that are associated with modern aluminium solutions.