Our team joined Armada Property UK in London for the 2026 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards, where Brampton House in Torquay was shortlisted in the Decarbonisation at Scale category.
Held at The Troxy on 24th September, the awards brought together architects and project teams working to make better use of existing buildings. For us, it was a chance to celebrate a project that has given a former hotel a new life as homes for local people.
From hotel to homes in Torquay
Brampton House, formerly the Brampton Court Hotel, has been transformed into 14 homes through Torbay Council’s Hotels to Homes programme. Working with Armada Property UK and the wider project team, we sought to retain and improve the existing building while creating comfortable homes suited to modern living.
The project brought together several aims: responding to the need for housing in Torbay, improving the building’s energy performance and respecting its place within the Belgravia Conservation Area. The work included restoring the character of the frontage and upgrading the building for its new residential use.
Keeping an existing building in use is rarely straightforward. It calls for careful design and close coordination as the team works with the structure and spaces already there. At Brampton House, that approach has allowed a prominent Torquay building to serve its community again.
Recognition for retrofit in the South West
The AJ shortlisted Brampton House alongside Dolphin Square by GRID architects, Lambeth Palace Masterplan by Wright & Wright Architects and The Sutton Estate by HTA Design. We were proud to see a project from Torquay recognised among such strong national work.
Congratulations to HTA Design, whose Sutton Estate project won Decarbonisation at Scale, and to Wright & Wright Architects, whose Lambeth Palace Masterplan was highly commended. Congratulations also to IFDO, whose Eagle House project was named Retrofit of the Year.
Although Brampton House did not take home an award, the shortlist is meaningful recognition for everyone involved. It reflects what can be achieved when a client, council, designers and delivery team share a commitment to making an existing building work harder for its community.
Thank you to Armada Property UK for inviting us to be part of the project and to the AJ for recognising Brampton House. We came away from the evening encouraged by the range of ideas and care being applied to retrofit across the UK.
Read the 2026 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards shortlist and winners, or explore our Brampton Court project in Torquay.
