Ashfield House's glazed stair core and the cantilevered white edge of the second-floor pavilion, photographed at dusk

Office and training HQ

Ashfield HouseAshfield Healthcare HQ extension claddingAshby-de-la-Zouch · Leicestershire LE65

Dmitro Facades Ltd is credited with cladding on the 2011-12 extension to Ashfield Healthcare's headquarters, a cantilevered pavilion designed by shedkm above the company's original 2002 building in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.

01 · The glazed stair core beneath the cantilevered pavilion, photographed at dusk.

At a glance

Package: HQ extension cladding
Location: Ashby-de-la-Zouch · Leicestershire LE65
Client: Ashfield Healthcare
Main contractor: John Sisk & Son
Architect: shedkm
Extension completed: January 2012

Dmitro Facades Ltd is credited with cladding on the 2011-12 extension to Ashfield Healthcare's headquarters in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. shedkm, project architect Alex Flint, designed the cantilevered rooftop pavilion above the company's 2002 original building for main contractor John Sisk & Son, on a scheme published at £4.5 million. The project's phase-specific record credits the extension's cladding to 'Dimitro', the company's historic spelling.

Part of: Cladding packages across the UK

Ashfield House's entrance elevation after the extension, showing the curved stone-clad drum of the original 2002 building beside the glazed atrium stair and the cantilevered pavilion above

A cantilevered pavilion added above the 2002 headquarters.

The 2011-12 extension added a second-floor pavilion on an open steel support frame, continuing the original building's internal boulevard while introducing a distinct rooftop form.

Two people walking along a timber-decked balcony beneath the cantilevered white soffit of Ashfield House's extension, a curved stone-clad drum to the right

The first-floor walkway, cantilevered out beneath the pavilion above.

Ashfield House's cantilevered upper floors and open steel V-column support frame, seen through bare birch trees

The open steel V-column frame carrying the cantilevered floors above the car park.

The café and restaurant space inside Ashfield House's rooftop pavilion, with steel-framed servery counters and floor-to-ceiling glazing

A training reception, restaurant and breakout space above the original building.

The extension's second-floor pavilion added a training reception, an enlarged kitchen and restaurant, and open-plan breakout space, lit by circular rooflights set into its exposed steel roof structure.

A circular rooflight in the exposed steel roof structure of Ashfield House's rooftop pavilion, seen from below

One of the pavilion's circular rooflights, set within its exposed steel roof structure.

Photo: Michael Jones Architects

A white-clad wall meeting a timber slatted screen on the roof terrace of Ashfield House's rooftop pavilion

Cladding and timber screening on the pavilion's north-facing roof terrace.

Photo: shedkm

History

Extending a 2002 landmark, without disturbing its language.

Ashfield House was originally completed in 2002, a landmark headquarters for Ashfield Healthcare designed by shedkm and Michael Jones Architects: open-plan offices, a training centre and a café raised above parking on exposed V-shaped columns, built in white steel, glass, concrete and marble. The original building won a RIBA award and a Civic Trust award in 2003. Both awards belong to the 2002 building and its design team, not to the 2011-12 extension or to Dmitro.

shedkm returned to design the extension itself, developed under planning references 08/01646/FULM, approved May 2009, and 10/00760/VCU, approved November 2010, continuing the original building's internal boulevard and architectural language into the new rooftop pavilion.

The 2011-12 extension's phase-specific record credits cladding to "Dimitro", using the company's historic spelling. Dmitro Facades Ltd is the delivery entity recorded for this project.

2003 RIBA AwardOriginal 2002 building
2003 Civic Trust AwardOriginal 2002 building

Ashfield House's cantilevered upper floor and angled roof edge photographed at dusk from street level, with light trails from passing traffic

The extension's cantilevered form seen from street level at dusk.

Ashfield House, cladding credited to Dmitro.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire LE65

Project architect: Alex Flint, shedkm
Structural engineer: Fairhurst
M&E consultant: Progressive Services Design
Quantity surveyor: Banks Wood and Partners

Photography: shedkm; Michael Jones Architects

Part of: Cladding packages across the UK