The Chestnuts Foyer Project

The Chestnuts project is a major development within the heart of Bodmin town centre. The project is located on the site of a former Grade II Listed hotel which has a frontage onto the main high street.

The scheme, for Devon & Cornwall Housing Association, provides a new Foyer with six bedrooms and a number of self contained Move-on-Flats with associated management facilities. The demolition of the existing hotel, due to safety concerns, made way for a new office building with the occupancy of a youth provision service provided by Connexions.

The site is within the Conservation Area and therefore the designs are respectful of their historical context. The scale and form reflects other traditional buildings in the town centre. The design is based around a courtyard that forms the heart of the complex, to provide a social gathering area and a sense of place. The site is relatively steep and the design has taken advantage of this to create differing changes in height, which adds visual interest to the elevations. It also adds interesting changes of levels within the courtyard.

The Foyer is separated from the Move-on-flats for management reasons, but as not to lose the integrity of a cohesive scheme, the division has been created by making the most of the level changes. A large red painted retaining wall provides a physical divide whilst maintaining a visual cohesion. All the living accommodation has direct access from the courtyard, with the upper storeys accessed by external metal staircases which provide focal points. The use of external stairs also avoids problematic communal areas and reduces building costs.