Old baths refurbishment makes a splash

Work has been completed on the refurbishment of Ashton (old) Baths in Manchester, which has turned a building that has been derelict for 40 years into a £3M business hub.

The interior of the former swimming pool building now includes a free-standing steel-framed pod that contains three levels of contemporary office accommodation.

Working on behalf of main contractor H H Smith & Sons, BD Structures fabricated, supplied and erected approximately 65t of steel for the job, all of which had to be fed into the Grade II Listed building via a narrow existing doorway.

As well as transforming the Victorian structure’s interior, the works have also included repairs to the brick and masonry elevations, window and door repairs and a new timber roof, all of which have helped the project achieve a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating.

The project has been funded in part by Tameside Council and the English Regional Development Fund along with specialist developer PlaceFirst.

David Smith-Milne, managing director of PlaceFirst, said: “Ashton Old Baths is such an iconic building and we are thrilled to offer a unique working environment, providing the flexibility new businesses need.”