THE BRIEF

Manresa House is owned by the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) and functions as the provincial novitiate for the UK, Ireland and the Low Counties ,where novices spend the first two years of their training to become brothers or priests. The building is also the permanent residence to several senior members of the Jesuit community . H.H Smith were awarded the contract to provide updated, improved and sustainable accommodation that will allow the novitiate to grow and thrive into the future.

The works included the demolition of all existing buildings, other than the main Villa (built circa 1840), which was refurbished. Along with the construction of a new 2 storey residents wing, a single storey guest wing, a new commercial kitchen with dining/sitting area, a connecting knuckle building with meeting rooms, and a new place of worship/chapel building, plus all associated drainage and landscape works.

KEY POINTS

Sustainability was a fundamental part of the project and issues of energy reduction, generation, orientation and flexibility were key drivers of the project. The works included a significant hard and soft landscaping package, and a number of ornate bespoke finishes were required to the building envelope, which included zinc roofing and terracotta rain screen cladding.