The Grade Two listed former Moravian Church of Malmesbury was acquired by the Athelstan Museum of Malmesbury in 2016, following 50 years of misuse and disrepair. The Museum intended to convert the building to expand its exhibition space, provide learning resources for schools and community groups, and offer a state of the art space for lectures, music events and screenings. Most importantly, the museum required climate-controlled archiving and storage facilities for its ever expanding collection of Malmesbury artefacts.
We were appointed by the client team to work collaboratively in developing an energy efficient design which respected the building form externally and internally, and provided the facilities required to safeguard the long-term viability of the building.
The building was fully refurbished, with the addition of a low-carbon Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system to ventilate the space for up to 100 people to remain in comfort for long periods of time.
We strongly believe in creative collaboration, so worked with a series of local craftspeople and artists, introducing them to the project as required. The result was a cohesive scheme which both respects the original building and complements it with modern design elements.
Rixon Architects were deeply involved at every stage of the process, from early sketches, achieving Listed Building Consents, developing the design in detail, selection of a Contractor, and monitoring works on site.
The building was officially opened in December 2018 by the Duchess of Cornwall.