Commercial & Leisure Highly Commended 2017

Location: Historic Dockyard Chatham
Architect: Baynes and Mitchell Architects
Client/Owner: Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
M&E Engineers: Skelly & Couch
Experiential Design: Land Design Studio
Project Management: Artelia UK
Main Contractor/Builder: W W Martin
Joinery Company & Wood Supplier: Egoin
Wood Species: German Whitewood Spruce

In 1995, the timbers of an unknown ship were discovered beneath the Historic Dockyard Chatham. Hailed as the most significant naval archaeological discovery since the Mary Rose, they became the focal point for a project that aimed to preserve and interpret the dockyard’s history. The scheduled monuments have been renovated and adapted for gallery, catering and retail spaces. A new visitor entrance building, knitted between the existing buildings connects hospitality areas with exhibition spaces and an under-croft gallery to view the timbers. The primary structure of elegant glu-laminated timber columns and trusses complements the heavy oak structures of the surrounding listed buildings.