The subject premises were originally constructed as six buildings which were altered to form a single building for the manufacture of soft drinks and was subsequently divided to form a shopping mall. In 1997/1998 the building was stripped internally and refurbished to form a single retail unit with a large footprint to accommodate the existing tenant.
The building which is grade II listed (HB26/50/177) is a number of different structures comprising of timber framed, part cast iron, part steel and part masonry structures supported off timber piles. The open-plan nature of the existing building was achieved by the introduction of further steel picture frames supported by new concrete piles adjacent to those existing.
The main external elevations are of old loopring masonry with the main roofs having been recovered in manmade slate with the pitched areas supported by timber and steel trusses. There are a number of small flat roof areas, particularly concentrated at the Arthur Street Entrance to the unit.
Internally the building at ground floor is of split level which has been incorporated by a series of internal ramps and steps. The upper floors are of timber construction supported off primary steel and we believe have been upgraded to provide a minimum floor loading of 6Kn/square metre.