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The General - Engineering Services

Originally built in 1853 as the Bristol General Hospital, The General is a Grade II listed building that had suffered from unsympathetic modern extensions and ultimately fell into disrepair, closing in 2012. However, specialist heritage developer City and Country acquired the site and set out to undertake a discreet and aesthetically pleasing restoration. They engaged us to provide civil and structural engineering services for this effort.

Working within the constrictions of an early 20th century concrete frame building, we based our design approach on the importance of heavy work being discreet or aesthetically pleasing. We designed primary structural alterations to allow column walls to be removed to free up usable floor space. To reduce the amount of complex or risky temporary works, we delivered structural works that could be installed before any existing structure was removed.

The hospital had suffered from severe fire damage during WWII, following an incendiary device being dropped on the roof, which destroyed the mansard roof and the octagonal tower in the south-west corner. The roof and the top floor were subsequently removed and replaced with an asphalt flat roof. Using historic photographs and drawings, we helped to restore the mansard roof along with the two-storey, zinc clad, timber Ogee dome on top of the octagonal tower, which is now designed as a penthouse apartment.

We also designed a complex three-storey basement car park and negotiated with a number of parties, including the harbourmaster, to resolve drainage issues. Additionally, we assessed the design implications of pedestrianizing a street adjacent to The General to create outdoor eating areas and improve the communal space.

Today, The General provides 205 one- to four-bedroom new and converted apartments. The homes in the listed part of the site include a converted chapel, triplex apartments with glazed upper floors, and a penthouse apartment in the unique octagonal tower. Three new restaurants at street level help bring a vibrant social scene and an economic boost to this part of Bristol.