A SOMERSET-based design team has won a competition with a scheme that transforms the old Debenhams building in Taunton.

The design, titled Apartment Store, repurposes the disused Art Deco building on Taunton's North Street and has won The Davidson Prize 2024. The design project was led by Somerset and India-based architecture practice Studio Saar. 

Taunton's redundant Debenhams building, which has been empty since May 2021, was remodelled into new homes and a "buzzing circular economy hub" for the competition concept.

On the first floor, it would offer "community-owned stepping-stone homes".

The 'Apartment Store' concept in Taunton.The 'Apartment Store' concept in Taunton. (Image: Studio Saar)

The ground floor would be "dedicated to amplifying concepts of repair, making and biomaterials" - including a tools library, education space, and common room for "local decision-making about the circular economy".

The roof of the building would "be transformed into a garden for collective food growing".

In a first for the Prize, the winning project also bagged the People’s Choice Prize–with almost a quarter of around 1,800 public votes going to the redesign of Debenhams.

The Davidson Prize is an annual design ideas competition recognising "transformative architecture of the home". 

A common room on the ground floor of the 'Apartment Store'.A common room on the ground floor of the 'Apartment Store'. (Image: Studio Saar)

This year’s brief was ‘Rethinking Home–Adapt and Reuse’. It encouraged teams to explore solutions to the housing shortage in the context of climate change, and creating housing for ‘generation rent’.

Also collaborating on the Taunton-based project were developer Stories, placemaking consultant BAS, landscape architect Landstory, and filmmaker Megaphone Creative.

Amandeep Singh Kalra, Chair of the 2024 Davidson Prize jury, said: “Although choosing the winner was tough, we felt that Apartment Store would not only provide new, sustainable homes but would also address the challenge that high streets throughout the UK are facing, turning them back into thriving hubs for the community.

"The jury could all see themselves living there – and clearly those voting in the People’s Choice agreed with us!"

The former Debenhams on North Street, Taunton. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Taunton’s Debenhams store closed its doors for the last time on May 2, 2021, after nearly 60 years of trading, when the retail brand entered administration. The store has remained vacant ever since.

At present, there's no indication that StudioSaar's design concept will be picked up by a developer for the Debenhams store on North Street. 

A planning proposal from Ropemaker Properties to transform the store into 92 flats was withdrawn in May 2023.

However, Debenhams' back office at Bedford House on Park Street is set for development.

Daejan (Taunton) Ltd. was granted permission by Somerset West and Taunton Council back in September 2021 to convert the vacated offices into 69 flats.

Chestnut Property Developments Ltd. was given conditional approval to make further alterations to the buildings in November 2023, before the flats can be sold on the open market.