The Herman Miller Factory

The Herman Miller Factory

A factory built in 1976–7 to a design by Nicholas Grimshaw of Farrell & Grimshaw Architects for the American furniture company Herman Miller Inc.

The building consists of a six-metre high steel structure with primary and secondary beams and columns set on a 10 metre by 20 metre grid, all gloss painted in yellow. An aluminium cladding frame holds two rows of 6 millimetre thick vertically set rectangular, interchangeable panels of cream painted fibreglass (glass reinforced plastic) moulded with a slightly raised profile. The building is fenestrated with brown tinted glass windows, louvres and doors, while the roof fascia is clad in cream GRP with curved edges. The GRP panels were repainted in cream in the early 1990s.

The plan is single storey open plan with offices situated on enclosed L-shaped mezzanine floors positioned in the south-west and north-east corners of the factory. Both mezzanines were inserted in the early 1990s and further extended in the early 2000s.

The visitor's entrance is located in the three-bay wide west elevation, which is distinguished by a full height indentation with curved corners. This curved corner treatment extends across the entire building. The south elevation, facing the River Avon, is currently clad in glass, louvres and GRP panels. Until the late 1980s it was broken up by two full height indentations functioning as external break areas. When panels are removed to create alcoves on the south elevation, one of the yellow columns (to the left) and part of the ceiling beam of the steel structure become exposed.

The north elevation along Locksbrook Road is also currently clad in glass, louvres and GRP panels, with goods entrances to the left and right. Until the late 1980s a central indentation contained a staff entrance which, after falling out of use, was closed off using the flexible panel system. The east elevation contains three central loading bays set at an angle. To the right, the GRP cladding panels are pierced to accommodate pipes serving a large dust extracting plant installed in the later twentieth century.

The interior is plain with concrete floors and an exposed steel roof structure painted bright yellow. Hanging from the ceiling beams is a central steel catwalk painted in blue, providing access to services. Extensive ducting and extraction points link to the external dust extraction plant, with some services now modernised. The majority of the original aluminium lampshades hanging from the ceiling beams survive. Toilet facilities were originally provided by moveable pods that could be plumbed into services at various points across the manufacturing floor; these were replaced with permanent facilities in the early 1990s when the mezzanine floors were inserted, and none of the original pods survive.

Six of the ten original circular outdoor tables and stools along the south elevation survive, each fixed on a concrete paved circular base, though some have been repaired.