Wells Cathedral is a complex, busy and much-visited building. The practice was commissioned by the Dean & Chapter to prepare a masterplan for the Cathedral and its precincts.
The aim was to consider the Cathedral in its entirety and to reconcile a number of competing objectives: to enhance the Cathedral's daily mission; to clear the cloisters and other historic spaces of recent inappropriate accretions; to provide facilities for the Cathedral's departments, including Education, Music and the Works Department; to increase visitor access and improve the welcome facilities.
Following detailed negotiation with the Local Authority, the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England and English Heritage, the practice gained approval for four new buildings within the heart of the historic precinct. The recently completed, award-winning buildings have enhanced the daily life of the Cathedral and improved the visitor experience by rationalising the complex of spaces. The project also enabled previously inaccessible areas, such as the magnificent octagonal Chapter House Undercroft, to be opened to visitors for the first time.