Perched on the side of a steeply sloping headland, overlooking the Exmoor coastal town of Lynmouth. Tors Park Apartments replaces the former Tors Park Hotel, providing 33 spectacular apartments.

A quarter of the original building has been retained and refurbished with the remaining parts being demolished after much deliberation. Recognising the sustainability of reusing buildings and respecting the embodied carbon in their fabric a critical design exercise was undertaken to see if the existing structure could be remodelled and the cliffs around the buildings stabilised. However due to subsidence and the quality of the original construction, this part of the building had to be demolished and replaced.

Retaining the style and scale of the original architecture was key to maintain the character and the sense of place. It also provided an opportunities to remodel the cliff face and crucially develop a design that could maximise the views and orientation to create a mix of stunning apartments.

APG were appointed after the original planning application was granted. Working collaboratively with the client and the design team the original design has been developed to increase the overall floor area and reimagined the layouts and architecture to capitalise on the light and stunning coastal views.

The site constraints drove the need for a lightweight construction methodology. A primary steel frame with light gauge steel infill has been designed using steel with a 70% Recycled content, and is 100% recyclable. The thermal envelope significantly improved from the original Victorian fabric. Slate from the original building has been retained and reuses along with additional slate quarries onsite to minimise the environmental impact of transporting materials.

Currently the project is on site with a completion date of Q3 2022. The site team are producing quality construction on a very challenging site.