Porter Robson was appointed to develop the transformation of Gerard House, an existing two-storey commercial building, into a 16-bedroom residential HMO, bringing a vacant building back into productive use while significantly improving its architectural contribution to the surrounding streetscape.
The site occupies a distinctive position between two contrasting urban conditions: the industrial and commercial buildings around Dock Road and the established residential streets. Rather than responding exclusively to one or the other, the design was developed as a transition between these two characters, combining the robustness of the existing commercial building with the scale and roof forms of the surrounding residential context.
The existing brick building is retained as the architectural base of the development, preserving much of its embodied structure and giving the project a clear sense of continuity. Above it, a new lightweight upper storey introduces a sequence of pitched and asymmetric roof forms derived from the geometry and rhythm of nearby industrial buildings and traditional housing. This articulated roofscape breaks down the scale of the additional accommodation and creates a more distinctive silhouette.
A deliberately contrasting material strategy reinforces the relationship between old and new. The solid, textured brick base remains visually grounded, while the new upper level is expressed in light-coloured standing-seam metal cladding with dark-framed windows, creating a lighter contemporary addition above the retained structure. The intention is not to disguise the extension, but to allow the two architectural layers to remain clearly legible.
The scheme also extends the existing building laterally with a two-storey side addition over the former service yard, allowing the site to accommodate new residential use efficiently while retaining the established building as the starting point for the design.
Internally, the building is reorganised to provide 16 single-occupancy bedrooms with en-suite facilities, supported by shared kitchen, dining and lounge spaces, utility accommodation, cycle storage and external amenity space. The upper floor incorporates four bedrooms alongside a communal lounge and roof terrace, creating additional shared space within the new architectural layer.
The environmental strategy is based on the efficient reuse of an existing building alongside a fabric-first approach to energy performance, water efficiency and the potential for integrated photovoltaic generation. Its location close to the town centre, local services, bus routes and the ferry also supports a development less dependent on private car use.
Gerard House demonstrates how adaptive reuse can become an opportunity for architectural renewal rather than simply a change of use, extending the life of an existing building, increasing residential capacity on a previously developed site and creating a stronger transition between the industrial and domestic character of its surroundings.

Limburn Heights

Client:

Commercial

Year:

2025

Porter Robson was appointed to develop the transformation of Gerard House, an existing two-storey commercial building, into a 16-bedroom residential HMO, bringing a vacant building back into productive use while significantly improving its architectural contribution to the surrounding streetscape.
The site occupies a distinctive position between two contrasting urban conditions: the industrial and commercial buildings around Dock Road and the established residential streets. Rather than responding exclusively to one or the other, the design was developed as a transition between these two characters, combining the robustness of the existing commercial building with the scale and roof forms of the surrounding residential context.
The existing brick building is retained as the architectural base of the development, preserving much of its embodied structure and giving the project a clear sense of continuity. Above it, a new lightweight upper storey introduces a sequence of pitched and asymmetric roof forms derived from the geometry and rhythm of nearby industrial buildings and traditional housing. This articulated roofscape breaks down the scale of the additional accommodation and creates a more distinctive silhouette.
A deliberately contrasting material strategy reinforces the relationship between old and new. The solid, textured brick base remains visually grounded, while the new upper level is expressed in light-coloured standing-seam metal cladding with dark-framed windows, creating a lighter contemporary addition above the retained structure. The intention is not to disguise the extension, but to allow the two architectural layers to remain clearly legible.
The scheme also extends the existing building laterally with a two-storey side addition over the former service yard, allowing the site to accommodate new residential use efficiently while retaining the established building as the starting point for the design.
Internally, the building is reorganised to provide 16 single-occupancy bedrooms with en-suite facilities, supported by shared kitchen, dining and lounge spaces, utility accommodation, cycle storage and external amenity space. The upper floor incorporates four bedrooms alongside a communal lounge and roof terrace, creating additional shared space within the new architectural layer.
The environmental strategy is based on the efficient reuse of an existing building alongside a fabric-first approach to energy performance, water efficiency and the potential for integrated photovoltaic generation. Its location close to the town centre, local services, bus routes and the ferry also supports a development less dependent on private car use.
Gerard House demonstrates how adaptive reuse can become an opportunity for architectural renewal rather than simply a change of use, extending the life of an existing building, increasing residential capacity on a previously developed site and creating a stronger transition between the industrial and domestic character of its surroundings.