Multi Use Community Hub – King’s Lynn

King’s Lynn Multi-User Community Hub (MUCH) A Sustainable Vision for Community Architecture

Client

Norfolk County Council

Architect

Hudson Architects

Location

46 New Conduit Street, King’s Lynn

Contractor

Mace Group (Construction)

Sector

Leisure

Wide staircase leads to an open, modern atrium with wood panelling, glass walls, built-in shelves, and multipart fixed rooflights in a large skylight ceiling providing natural light.

Aerial view of a building rooftop with a large multipart fixed rooflights rooflight at the centre, surrounded by gravel, vents, pipes, and rectangular structures.

A glass ceiling with white grid beams and multipart fixed rooflights covers a building interior, showing a cloudy sky above.

Aerial view of a modern square building with a patterned facade, featuring solar panels, multipart fixed rooflights, and HVAC equipment on the flat rooftop.

Modern three-storey building with a patterned tile façade, large ground-floor windows, and square upper windows featuring multipart fixed rooflights, located on a paved street corner.

Aerial view of a building roof with multipart fixed rooflights centred around a glass skylight, all set amid brickwork and equipment. Pedestrian street visible on the right.

View looking up at a modern wooden staircase with angular lines, beneath large multipart fixed rooflights with a grid pattern that let in natural light.

A rooftop structure with multipart fixed rooflights and a glass-panelled ceiling, surrounded by gravel and adjacent to mechanical equipment and other rooftop installations.

A view of a modern building's interior courtyard with light-coloured wood walls and a large glass roof featuring multipart fixed rooflights that let in abundant natural light.

Project Background

The King’s Lynn Multi-User Community Hub (MUCH) is a sustainability focused regeneration. Located at 46 New Conduit Street, this project saw the repurposing of a redundant retail building into comprehensive facility that sits at the heart of the community. Opened in March 2026. The flagship facility features a completely redesigned main library alongside bespoke spaces for children, young people and businesses, quiet study areas and more.

The client Norfolk County Council wanted sustainability as core value and Hudson Architects strategy focussed on a low-carbon renovation. By retaining the original concrete frame and selectively adapting the structure, they minimised the carbon footprint generated whilst creating a high-performance community space. The defining feature of this transformation is a dramatic central atrium, designed to provide natural light deep into the building’s footprint and create a “light-filled hub” for the community.

Project Brief

The main construction contractor Mace Group (Construction) worked with Next Generation Rooflights to design, supply and install a comprehensive multipart fixed rooflight package to help deliver the natural light component. The brief required a solution that could cover a significant structural opening while meeting the stringent safety and thermal requirements of a building at the heart of the community.

A key focus of the installation is a significant multipart atrium rooflight covering $58\text{ m}^2$ in total. This is supported by two additional raftered units ( $4.0\text{ m}^2$ and $3.8\text{ m}^2$ ), creating a consistent aesthetic and performance for the buildings roof.

High-Performance Glazing and Safety

Given the community needs of the hub, safety and durability were crucial. All units were engineered as CWCT Class 2 non-fragile assemblies. This specification ensured that the glazing provides essential protection against foreseeable falls onto the roof, a critical safety standard for large-scale installations where maintenance and proximity to other roof levels need to be taken into account.

The glazing configuration was specifically designed to balance the natural light requirements with environmental control:

Solar Control: Advanced outer panes reduce solar heat gain, preventing the atrium from overheating during summer months.
Site-Glazed Precision: The raftered multipart rooflight systems were site-glazed to ensure a seamless fit with the new structural elements of the repurposed frame.

A Light for the Community

Completed in March 2026, the King’s Lynn MUCH is an excellent example of adaptive reuse. The integration of Next Generation Rooflights’ systems has helped transformed a formerly dark, enclosed retail environment into a bright, welcoming, and accessible landmark. By combining safety-rated engineering with high-specification solar performance, the project delivers a comfortable environment for learners, business, and visitors alike.

Contact Your Next Generation Rooflights Trusted Advisors Now

In an ever-changing architectural landscape, we strive to remain at the forefront with our versatile and innovative rooflights that give you flexibility and unique design possibilities. Connect with us at 01223 792 244 or reach out to [email protected] and discover a whole new dimension to your architectural design with Next Generation Rooflights.

In our clients words:

We recently had the pleasure of working with Next Generation Rooflights on the design, manufacture and installation of a large bespoke mono pitch atrium rooflight. From start to finish, the experience was exceptional. The team demonstrated outstanding professionalism, expertise, and attention to detail throughout the entire process. The rooflight itself was perfectly tailored to our specifications and enhances the natural light in the space beautifully. The quality of the materials and craftsmanship is evident, and we have received numerous compliments on the stunning design. We were particularly impressed with the team's commitment to meeting our deadlines and their ability to navigate the complexities of the project with ease. Their communication was clear and consistent, ensuring that we were always informed and confident in the progress. Overall, we couldn't be happier with the result and highly recommend Next Generation Rooflights for any rooflight installations. Their dedication to excellence and customer satisfaction is truly commendable.

James Hunt, adt workplace

We've been working with the team for quite some years and find their customer care second to none. The products are always on point and manufacturing is flawless. Communication is always swift and informative. All we really want in the rooflight world is, quick answers, good prices, great products, and delivery on time. They tick all these boxes.

Sam Goodwin, Alpha Structures

The Hurlingham Club project demanded a sensitive and technically complex approach, and Next Generation Rooflights proved to be a good partner throughout. From early design development to installation, the NGR team worked with us to deliver bespoke rooflights that both complement the Club’s historic character and improve the quality of the internal spaces. Their technical capability, collaborative approach, and attention to architectural detail were key to the success of the project. We would happily use their expertise on our future projects.

Howard Pye, Associate Director, Jestico+Whiles

The Hurlingham Club was a highly detailed project that required careful coordination across all trades. Next Generation Rooflights proved to be a reliable partner on site, delivering bespoke rooflight solutions to a very high standard. Their team’s professionalism, proactive approach, and commitment to meeting programme requirements ensured the installation was completed safely and efficiently working closely with the Knight Harwood project team and interfacing sub-contractors. We valued their collaborative attitude and the successful outcome, and would be pleased to work with them again on future projects.

Peter Howe, Director, Knight Harwood

We had the pleasure of working with Next Generation Rooflights on The Harrison renovation. They designed, manufactured, and installed over 220 m² of bespoke rooflights and specialist glazing, including contemporary structural glass boxes for the new roof terrace, self-supporting pyramidal lanterns, and multi-section rooflights for office and lightwell areas. From the outset, they proactively collaborated with the design team, using their extensive knowledge of overhead glazing to develop details that integrated with the historical and new build elements on this challenging refurbishment. They demonstrated exceptional professionalism, a strong commitment to quality, and an ability to deliver on time and to specification. The project was completed to a high standard and handed over snag free, and their dedication and expertise made the process smooth and efficient. We would highly recommend NGR for any projects requiring premium specification rooflights, delivered with precision, teamwork, and reliability.

Matt Coleman, Senior Project Manager, RED Construction Group

We have been working with the team for approximately 3 years now. Their sales and technical team are always very proactive and helpful with any request to quote for projects or alter technical drawings. We use them as their quality of product is unmatched, we look forward to continuing to build the partnership with them over the coming years

Luis Evitt, Rooflight Solutions

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