One of Cardiff’s most iconic buildings which recently benefited form a £3m investment has been recognised with a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) award.
The Maltings, a Grade II listed Victorian Malt House, at East Tyndall Street, was picked out for special recognition at the influential RICS awards.
The Maltings, a privately-owned mix of serviced, owner managed and storage space provision, was highly commended at the RICS Wales and South West Awards.
The annual award recognises outstanding work in conservation or a single building or group of buildings or structures bringing the premises to a new or original use.
The building conservation category was the most fiercely contested of the awards with a total of eight projects shortlisted from throughout Wales and the south west.
Chairman of the RICS regional judging panel, Kevin Thomas, of Hart Thomas, a Chartered Building Surveying practice based in Cardiff, said: “The Maltings is a major conservation achievement, now the only set of historic buildings retained in the north of the Cardiff Bay area.
“The developer has preserved the most important features with 90 per cent of the main structure retained. The design to incorporate modern use sustainability features within the constraints of the existing structural envelope shows high levels of success in adaptability.
“The conservation project has provided for a better future than when the building became vacant 30 years ago and The Maltings now has potential for full use – its success proven by current level of occupancy, which is at 65 per cent since initial completion.
“The scheme also deserves special consideration due to the fact that it is a privately funded conversion of a building that would otherwise have limited or no use.”
Kathy Fox, Managing Director of The Maltings, said: “We’re thrilled and honoured to have received such important recognition for the work we have done at The Maltings from the RICS.
“The project surveyors, Bowen & Partners, architects, Davies Llewellyn Jones and building developers Knox and Wells Ltd, all deserve immense credit for their combined efforts in taking the initial design concept and delivering what we can see today.”
The £3m investment, completed 18 months ago, saw the creation of a range of suites within the landmark building transforming it into one of the most distinctive office locations in Wales’ capital city.
Aimed squarely at satisfying the needs of business start ups and also those of SMEs the new offices, with easy in and out and all inclusive, cost-effective, lease and rental arrangements, are designed to cater for growth.
With 24 hour on site security, CCTV cover, secure on site car parking and internal lifts providing 24/7 accessibility to all areas, The Maltings offers the total business package.
The Maltings has a fully equipped, on site modern gymnasium, a café/coffee shop and meeting rooms. Conference and video conferencing facilities have also been created along with ‘hot-desks’, fully fitted and equipped communal kitchen areas, male, female and disabled toilets, shower rooms and “break-out” seating areas.
The provision of a 17-seater courtesy bus service to and from Cardiff city centre running throughout the day adds to the attraction of The Maltings as an environmentally friendly business location.
Established for thirty years as a centre for records management and storage with additional rented office space The Maltings provides services for a variety of professional firms and businesses.
The Maltings now provides some 17,000 sq ft of contemporary suites of offices of varying sizes ranging from 208 sq ft up to some 1,500 sq ft all in an historic setting of the former malt house.
Ms Fox said: “Due to the architecture and quirky nature of this fine old building each office has its’ own individual characteristics, some even have balconies. All are kitted out to the same exceptionally high standard with carpeted floors, air conditioning, lighting and communications fittings and all in a very appealing and attractive setting.
“The communal facilities, such as the reception, the café/coffee shop and modern, fitted kitchens offer occupiers the chance to network with others while they can also ensure they keep fit in our fantastic new fully equipped gym.
“The courtesy bus service, which runs at regular intervals throughout the day to and from the city centre , is very popular as it cuts office occupiers car use and thus reduce cost and perhaps more importantly their carbon footprint.”
The winner of the award was The Town Hall, Cirencester.
