The refurbishment and extension of the listed post office building on Whitby Street in Hartlepool is aimed at graduate capture, retaining knowledge in the city and helping to nurture new business enterprise, offering studio spaces for start-ups and small businesses. The interior quality is established by the strength of the existing fabric. Interventions and architectural alterations required to appropriate the building for its new use will be clearly articulated as new insertions. The intent is to create a conversation between new and old, where the original structure is the dominant feature. The existing building is extended by providing a fourth wing, enclosing the central area to create a common social space, which links new and old, unifying the spaces into a single facility. The proposed building is distinct, modern and clearly separate but complementary to the existing building. Regeneration Master Plan Working directly with Cushman Wakefield and Hartlepool borough Council group ginger developed a masterplan vision for the Innovation and skills Quarter and the church street conservation area. The study identified key built assets and areas for public sector investment which resulted in successful grant applications and the refurbishment of a former GPO post office to deliver a business and innovation skills centre focussed on graduate retention and new business start-ups. The masterplan vision and asset strategy evaluated the area and key assets that could drive regeneration. A key strategic building identified was the former GPO post office, a grade II listed building. Group ginger along with Cushman Wakefield prepared a number of feasibility options and developed a preferred proposal along with a key town centre partner, Cleveland college of art and design. The initial design appraisal developed the business case and investment strategy to demonstrate a viable and sustainable long-term use for the building which would enhance the economic regeneration and sustainability of the building and its role in the church street conservation area. Working with the existing fabric The refurbishment and extension of the listed post office building on Whitby Street in Hartlepool provides a serviced facility offering studio spaces for start-ups and small businesses.  The project complements the existing innovation district and is aimed at graduate capture, retaining knowledge in the city and helping to nurture new business enterprise. The existing building interior has previously been stripped of nearly all historic features and taken back to the structure of the building.  The interior quality is established by the strength of the existing fabric. Interventions and architectural alterations required to appropriate the building for its new use are clearly articulated as new insertions.  We have considered carefully building adaptation, only intervening where completely necessary to make the building function and work seamlessly as a whole entity. This approach helps preserve a raw freshness that architecture normally edits out.   As Architects of adaptation we are one of multiple authors; the original Architects, the previous occupiers, the owners, the new occupants, the visitors, and the artists. Each author contributes to the overall composition. The design approach of retention, adaptation and addition creates a conversation between new and old, where the original building is the dominant feature.  The existing building is extended by providing a fourth wing, enclosing the central area to create a common social space, which links new and old buildings unifying the spaces into a single facility. The proposed massing of the new build extension complements the existing building by presenting a gable end elevation to Hope Street and Exeter Street. The gables are two storeys high with an inhabited attic.  The new extension is smaller in bulk and mass to the building fronting Whitby Street and consequently deferential respecting the hierarchical arrangement of buildings where Whitby street is the main street linking into Church Street and the station. The proposed building is distinct, modern and clearly separate but complementary to the existing building.