Squirrel Works, Birmingham

 

 

Squirrel Works is the repurposing of a grade II listed Edwardian former silver factory in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Layers of unsympathetic adaptation have been stripped back to reveal the original fabric and deliver a series of apartments, giving the building a new lease of life. Larger spaces have been retained, with the circulation reinterpreted by reopening the central courtyard to provide a communal covered outside space with apartments gathered around it. Details are simple and well resolved while the materials are predominantly industrial. The rooftop extension, which replaced an earlier structure, makes use of the panoramic views across the city for a penthouse apartment.