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Restoration of St Dunstan’s House – Glastonbury Town Hall

St Dunstan’s House Restoration, Glastonbury

Glastonbury

O2i Design completed the restoration of St Dunstan’s House and Glastonbury Town Hall, alongside the design of a new glazed atrium known as the Glastonbury Festival Hall. The project created a fully accessible Health and Wellbeing Community Hub within a Grade II listed building in the centre of Glastonbury, Somerset.

Delivered as part of the £23.6 million Glastonbury Town Deal, the scheme revitalised a prominent historic building while introducing sustainable contemporary architecture to support long-term civic use.

Heritage Restoration

O2i Design carefully renovated St Dunstan’s House using traditional natural materials to preserve and enhance its historic character. The external timber-framed balcony was reconstructed to restore public access and views across the sensory garden towards Glastonbury Abbey.

The design balanced conservation with modern intervention. The new atrium replaced a previously underused yard and created a light-filled civic space linking St Dunstan’s House with Glastonbury Town Hall. Its glulam timber frame, formed from sustainably sourced laminated timber, provided a contemporary yet sympathetic architectural contrast within the historic town centre.

Accessible Community Architecture

The refurbishment brought the entire building up to current building regulations, ensuring full accessibility. Lifts, ramps, automatic doors and step-free circulation routes were installed throughout. New accessible WCs were provided on both floors, along with a fully compliant Changing Places facility directly accessed from the car park.

The Glastonbury Information Centre returned to the renovated building, with a new reception coordinating room bookings for health professionals, wellbeing services, community groups and business support organisations. The atrium also functions as an additional event space, increasing capacity for Town Hall fairs, markets and public gatherings.

Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Public Building Design

Sustainability was integral to the architectural strategy. Both buildings were re-roofed and insulated to improve thermal performance, with refurbished windows and new double glazing to reduce heat loss. High-efficiency LED lighting was installed throughout.

Heating is provided by air source heat pumps, with underfloor heating in the atrium and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in internal rooms. Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels were incorporated into the atrium roof to offset electricity demand.

Stormwater management was addressed through large underground attenuation tanks designed to accommodate a one-in-100-year storm event plus climate change allowance.

Ecological Design in Heritage Buildings

An ecological survey identified bat activity within the existing roof space. A dedicated bat loft was created, and specialist bat-friendly roofing membranes were installed where ventilation was required. External lighting was carefully designed to preserve dark corridors and foraging routes.

Regenerating Glastonbury’s Historic Core

This completed heritage and community architecture project demonstrates how listed buildings can be sensitively adapted to meet modern accessibility, sustainability and community needs. The scheme strengthened Glastonbury’s civic infrastructure while preserving its historic character — a benchmark project for rural and town-centre regeneration in Somerset.

O2i Design specialises in rural architecture, heritage restoration, and sustainable community buildings across Somerset. Explore our portfolio of community architecture projects. For more information about the project, please visit here.