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The Watershed

  • The brief involved the conversion of a listed riverside warehouse in Hereford, which flooded regularly, to create a flexible studio, conference and exhibition space. RRA encouraged a radical approach to flood resilience, allowing the building to flood safely with materials and detailing specified to withstand regular saturation. The scheme won a Hereford Conservation Areas Award in 2007 and was shortlisted for the RIBA Awards in 2008.
  • Status: Completed 2006
  • Location: Hereford
  • Value: £400k
  • Contractor: Kevin Mussell
  • Structural Engineer: Drinkwater Ltd
  • Photo Credit: Infinity Unlimited
  • Specialist Glazing: Roman Glass
  • Categories: Commercial, Industrial & Agricultural, Conservation & Heritage
  • Tags: Adaptive Reuse, Conservation Architecture, Flood Resilient Architecture, Glazed First Floor, Hereford Architects, Hereford Heritage Conversion, Herefordshire Architects, listed building conversion, Riverside Architecture, RRA Architects, Sustainable Architecture, Warehouse Conversion
The completed Watershed heritage conversion in Hereford at dusk, showing the restored stone walls, illuminated glazed first floor, tree-inspired steel supports and snow around the riverside landmark building.
Completed front elevation of The Watershed heritage conversion in Hereford, showing the glazed gable, restored stone walls, reflective glass and entrance to the riverside landmark building.
Exterior view of The Watershed in Hereford, showing the completed glass box first floor above the restored stone base, with surrounding trees reflected in the glazing.
Finished first floor of The Watershed in Hereford, showing curved steel supports, oak flooring, aluminium service grid, full-height glazing and views to the River Wye.
Interior of The Watershed in Hereford, showing the staircase, lift shaft pod, yellow tiled wall, concrete wall with timber surface pattern finish, rooflight and steel supports within the heritage conversion.
Material detail at The Watershed in Hereford, showing yellow tiles beside a glass block wall, part of the contemporary material palette used in the heritage conversion.
Close-up of the green oak flooring at The Watershed in Hereford, with a mild steel service duct set into the floor as part of the contemporary warehouse-inspired material palette.
Close-up of the board-marked concrete wall at The Watershed in Hereford, showing the timber grain pattern left by the shuttering after the concrete was poured.
Interior of The Watershed’s glazed first floor in winter, showing tree-like steel supports, oak flooring, glass block wall and snowy parkland beyond the glazing.
The Watershed in Hereford after renovation and restoration, showing the completed glazed first floor, restored stone walls, snow-covered ground and warm lighting inside the building.
Exterior of The Watershed before conversion, showing the original stone warehouse with RRA Architects sign, bricked-up doorway, moss-covered roof and mature tree beside the building.
Interior of The Watershed in Hereford before conversion, showing the dark, open warehouse space with exposed roof structure, rough walls and little natural light before RRA Architects began the heritage conversion.
Side view of The Watershed before conversion, showing the original single-storey stone storage building beside parkland in Hereford before it was transformed into a glazed riverside landmark.
The Watershed during construction, with the original roof removed to expose the timber roof structure and stone walls before the new glazed first floor was added.
Stone wall restoration at The Watershed in Hereford, showing masons repairing the original warehouse wall during the heritage conversion works.
Timber shuttering for the poured concrete pod at The Watershed in Hereford, showing temporary formwork being built during the heritage conversion.
Glazing installation at The Watershed in Hereford, showing the new glazed first floor being fitted above the retained stone walls during the heritage conversion.
  • The completed Watershed heritage conversion in Hereford at dusk, showing the restored stone walls, illuminated glazed first floor, tree-inspired steel supports and snow around the riverside landmark building.
  • Completed front elevation of The Watershed heritage conversion in Hereford, showing the glazed gable, restored stone walls, reflective glass and entrance to the riverside landmark building.
  • Exterior view of The Watershed in Hereford, showing the completed glass box first floor above the restored stone base, with surrounding trees reflected in the glazing.
  • Finished first floor of The Watershed in Hereford, showing curved steel supports, oak flooring, aluminium service grid, full-height glazing and views to the River Wye.
  • Interior of The Watershed in Hereford, showing the staircase, lift shaft pod, yellow tiled wall, concrete wall with timber surface pattern finish, rooflight and steel supports within the heritage conversion.
  • Material detail at The Watershed in Hereford, showing yellow tiles beside a glass block wall, part of the contemporary material palette used in the heritage conversion.
  • Close-up of the green oak flooring at The Watershed in Hereford, with a mild steel service duct set into the floor as part of the contemporary warehouse-inspired material palette.
  • Close-up of the board-marked concrete wall at The Watershed in Hereford, showing the timber grain pattern left by the shuttering after the concrete was poured.
  • Interior of The Watershed’s glazed first floor in winter, showing tree-like steel supports, oak flooring, glass block wall and snowy parkland beyond the glazing.
  • The Watershed in Hereford after renovation and restoration, showing the completed glazed first floor, restored stone walls, snow-covered ground and warm lighting inside the building.
  • Exterior of The Watershed before conversion, showing the original stone warehouse with RRA Architects sign, bricked-up doorway, moss-covered roof and mature tree beside the building.
  • Interior of The Watershed in Hereford before conversion, showing the dark, open warehouse space with exposed roof structure, rough walls and little natural light before RRA Architects began the heritage conversion.
  • Side view of The Watershed before conversion, showing the original single-storey stone storage building beside parkland in Hereford before it was transformed into a glazed riverside landmark.
  • The Watershed during construction, with the original roof removed to expose the timber roof structure and stone walls before the new glazed first floor was added.
  • Stone wall restoration at The Watershed in Hereford, showing masons repairing the original warehouse wall during the heritage conversion works.
  • Timber shuttering for the poured concrete pod at The Watershed in Hereford, showing temporary formwork being built during the heritage conversion.
  • Glazing installation at The Watershed in Hereford, showing the new glazed first floor being fitted above the retained stone walls during the heritage conversion.

A radical approach to riverside heritage

The Watershed was a dilapidated single-storey listed warehouse beside the River Wye in Hereford. It flooded regularly, which made its future difficult, but also created the opportunity for a much more imaginative response.

RRA purchased the building in 2004 and designed its conversion to be a flexible space and our eventual Head Office when our lease came up. The conversion transformed this old and easily ignored stone shed into a striking, contemporary two-storey space that was practical, flexible and architecturally ambitious. The Watershed operated as an event space, art gallery and then a gym, before it became RRA’s Head Office until the building was sold in 2019 and we moved our Head Offices to Cheltenham.

Rather than try to keep the water out at all costs, RRA encouraged a more radical approach. This Hereford heritage conversion was designed to accept occasional flooding, with materials, services and detailing carefully chosen to withstand saturation and allow the ground floor to recover quickly after a flood event.

Designing for flood resilience

The existing sloped ground floor was maintained to allow flood water to drain out of the building to the river. Electrical and power services were brought down from above, helping reduce risk during flood events and allowing the upper floor to remain dry and separately serviced.

Many original materials were reused during the conversion, reducing waste and helping retain the character of the historic warehouse. The existing stone walls were expertly repaired using lime, with traditional construction methods and locally sourced materials chosen wherever possible.

A flexible and accessible event space

The conversion also created a fully accessible and compliant event space, with lift access, a shower room, bar area and mini kitchen. The design was deliberately flexible, allowing the building to adapt to a wide range of uses, from offices and gallery space to exhibitions, fitness, entertainment and community events.

This flexibility was important. The building needed to work as RRA’s own Head Office eventually, but also to have a long-term future beyond one specific use. By combining practical access, robust materials and adaptable spaces, the design gave the historic warehouse a much more viable future.

A glass box in the trees

Above the restored stone wall plate, a contemporary glazed first floor was added. This new upper level was designed as a glass box, giving the experience of walking within the canopy of the surrounding parkland trees.

From outside, the reflective quality of the glazing helps the additional storey sit lightly within its setting. This was particularly important because the building lies within views towards Hereford Cathedral. The design needed to create new space without dominating the riverside or interrupting the relationship between the warehouse, the trees, the river and the cathedral beyond.

The steel support structure was also shaped by the setting. Its branching, tree-like forms reflect the nearby parkland, while also creating a series of Gothic arch shapes that lead the eye towards Hereford Cathedral across the River Wye.

The Watershed won a Hereford Conservation Areas Award in 2007 and was shortlisted for the RIBA Awards in 2008. For RRA Architects, it remains a memorable example of how conservation, flood resilience and bold architectural thinking can work together to give a historic building a viable new future.

For more on the construction story behind The Watershed, including its transformation in photos from a flood-prone riverside warehouse into an award-winning glazed first-floor space, read our #40Projects40Weeks blog, “The Watershed, From Forgotten Warehouse to Riverside Landmark.“

Project highlights

  • Hereford heritage conversion of a listed riverside warehouse
  • Transformation from a single-storey stone warehouse into a two-storey space
  • A flood resilient design strategy allowing the building to flood safely
  • Sloped ground floor to help water drain after flood events
  • Top-down electrical and power services
  • Repair of historic stone walls using lime
  • Reuse of original building materials
  • A contemporary glazed first floor with low visual impact
  • Tree-like steel supports framing views towards Hereford Cathedral
  • Lift access, shower room, bar area and kitchen
  • Flexible use as offices, gallery space, exhibitions, fitness, entertainment and events
  • Winner of a Hereford Conservation Areas Award in 2007
  • Shortlisted for the RIBA Awards in 2008