Architype

Architype’s innovative £8m Archive and Records Centre, commissioned by Herefordshire Council, has this month completed on the Enterprise Zone in Rotherwas, Hereford.

Providing state-of the art accommodation for the county’s historical artifacts, the new centre is the first building of its kind in the UK to be designed and built to the rigorous Passivhaus standard, as well as the new guide for the storage and exhibition of archival materials, PD5454.

We have designed a dynamic building offering an innovative, simple solution to the complex nature of archiving that houses over three storeys of archival documents. The repository offers perfect conditions, with the airtight building thermally isolated and environmentally controlled internal space that has been tuned and optimised for this specific purpose.

Designed not only as a provision for storage, but as a central service for the county; the public area provides a dramatic open-plan space incorporating the reception, research rooms, exhibition space, refreshment area, information stations, WC’s and lockers, all set in a flexible, stimulating, fresh environment.

As well as preserving our histories for future generations, the high level of quality and sustainable design of the Archive and Record Centre seeks to inspire the future of civic buildings and providing flexible facilities that answer a range of local needs.

For more information on this project please visit the HARC project page.