Morton House

Refurbishment and adaptive reuse of historic building for innovation hub

The Morton House project involved the comprehensive fit-out and renovation of a historic building dating back to the early 1900s, spanning approximately 33,000 square feet.

Originally owned by Vauxhall Motors, the building was acquired by Luton Rising with the vision of transforming it into a vibrant skills, innovation, and business hub in Luton. The primary objective is to revitalise the space to accommodate various activities aimed at fostering economic growth and job creation, targeting the generation of 200 new employment opportunities.

The existing structure was comprised of clay hollow pot floors, supported by a steel frame encased in concrete/brickwork. Walsh conducted intrusive investigations to identify the existing structure, particularly the condition and dimensions of the steel beams within the concrete encasement. We evaluated the existing steel’s suitability for accommodating new load and new steel to existing steel connections.

We also undertook the design and implementation of necessary alterations to the building. This included in-filling existing lightwells to optimise the interior space and creating riser voids to facilitate utilities and services distribution throughout the building. Additionally, we provided strengthening in areas where heavier loads than the intended design was applied.