A firm of Bradford architects has gone back to the drawing board to the days of Sir Titus Salt to launch an expansion marking 21 years in business.

Rance Booth and Smith Chartered Architects has revamped its Saltaire offices at a cost of £125,000, including the replacement of the shop front in Victoria Road.

The new look is designed to reflect the original appearance of the premises as they would have looked in the days of the great mill owner who built the village for his workers which has now become a world heritage site.

The architects studied old photographs and details of the shop front to determine the true original appearance and drew plans accordingly. The parade down Victoria Road is listed and so works had to be designed and carried out with the greatest attention to detail.

The works comprise a new conference room and staff facilities to the ground floor. A light well has been created into the lower ground floor area and there is also a translucent bridge.

The expanded premises will enable the company to continue its recent growth, with plans to expand the current staff of 25 to more than 30.

The work was carried out by local contractors, Allerton Construction Ltd, Thirteen Twenty Shopfitters and Airedale Mechanical and Electrical Ltd. Rance Booth and Smith has been located in Saltaire since 1989 and was the first to refurbish one of the units within the parade along Victoria Road.

The practice currently undertakes works in numerous sectors including health, education, and public authority. It recently completed work on the £3.5m Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation for the University of Bradford, and is developing plans for the new £10m police headquarters at Nelson Street, Bradford.

Partner Linda Hollings said the new premises would enable the company to expand as it moves into new areas of business.

"We are moving into more specialised areas, particularly in design and project management, allowing us to offer a greater variety of services to our clients," she said.

The firm celebrated the opening of the premises with a themed night of celebrations open to clients and members of the Saltaire community. The company also organises the annual Saltaire Backyard Competition and sponsored the recent Saltaire Festival.