Manresa is a community residence and Spiritual Retreat Centre run by the Jesuit order. When we were commissioned, it consisted of the following:

• The “Castle” (a mixed use building which is a protected structure); 
• The Retreat House (a 40 bedroom residence) and Pedro Arrupe Chapel, both designed by Andrew Devane; 
• Cardoner House, which was in use as an educational centre for members of the Jesuit order.

Our brief was to provide modern Reception and Dining facilities while refurbishing the 3 existing buildings listed above. Our concept was to create a landscaped, sheltered courtyard or cloister on the site of what was a surface car park; using the existing Castle, Retreat House and Chapel buildings on three sides, with the fourth side of the “cloister” being formed by a new Reception / Dining structure to house flexible dining and function spaces; reception, book shop, kitchens and other ancillary spaces.

The form of the new building appears as a colonnaded facade to the cloister, using tactile materials such as charred larch and buff coloured bricks; this is linked via covered walkway to the existing buildings. It addresses views and routes in varying ways. The courtyard or cloister is landscaped with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces with opportunities for relaxation, seating and contemplation.

The Castle’s external fabric was refurbished with roofs, windows and facades being upgraded.

Cardoner House was repurposed as a residence for the Jesuit community with full accessibility; 6No. comfortable suites were created with upgraded services and thermal performance.

The Retreat House facades and windows were upgraded while all bedrooms and bathrooms were completely revamped. In addition, new meeting and breakout spaces were created, along with an accessible suite.

Sustainability permeated all aspects of the brief. The existing buildings have been adaptively reused and all received thermal and services upgrades. The new building is served via efficient heating systems with a combination of solar thermal and solar PV being employed to provide hot water and power. Surface Water is collected into a new pond and integrated into the existing landscape.