Architects Archives - Page 8 of 8

Backing Becketwell

16th May 202230th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

At Planning & Design we are pleased to see our peers amongst the business community, together with stakeholders such as Marketing Derby, providing their support to the redevelopment plans for the Becketwell area, a site which has been crying out for revitalisation for a long time, having been earmarked for development in the Local Plan since 2006.

This recently submitted planning application for a £200m mixed use development covering the former Debenhams store, Pennine Hotel, NCP Car Park and Laurie House at Becketwell is the culmination of many years of hard work and the council should be congratulated for its work in acquiring over 200,000 square feet of land in various different ownerships to make this whole project possible.

Phase one of the ambitious regeneration scheme comprises plans for 342 Build to Rent apartments and a new public square on the site of the current United Reform Church, bringing new professionals and footfall to the city centre.

The residential development will comprise of two buildings, the tallest of which will extend up to 19 storeys in height. This building will contain 246 apartments above a ground floor café and restaurant that overlooks the new square. The smaller building will house 96 apartments with a convenience store at ground floor fronting Victoria Street.

The outline planning application is supported by a request to include a range of other complementary uses of the site, including up to 25,000m2 of new grade A offices, innovation centre and leisure to complement the apartments and a planned multi-storey car park, with a smaller courtyard public square called Summerhill Yard that reflects that part of the site’s historic street name.

“The problems of the high street are well documented and Derby will only thrive as a city if more people can be attracted to live and work in the city centre. The Plans for the redevelopment of the Becketwell area of the city centre will allow well designed modern buildings to sit alongside some of our fine old buildings, champion good architecture and will help Derby compete with other cities, both within the UK and around the world,” said Richard Pigott, Director of Planning & Design.

“It is also worth recognising the benefits that the development will bring to the wider area. Surrounding historic streets like Victoria Street and Macklin Street, which have fine old buildings in need of investment, will also benefit. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the scheme to view the application documents on the council’s website and register your views.” The planning application reference number is 19/01245/OUT and a decision is due by 21st November 2019.

The scheme includes £8.1 million in Local Growth Fund investment from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and received 89% support in a recent public consultation, demonstrating the public’s appetite to transform this derelict area which has stood as a symbol of neglect for decades.

Planning & Design have worked on numerous commercial projects which have involved changing the existing use of buildings located within the city centre. The long-term vitality of town centres is an important planning concern and diversifying the uses of retail and leisure units can make significant contributions to the street scene and the local economy. For more information or to discuss your development proposals please get in touch.

Apprentice Opportunity – Join our Architectural Design team

28th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

We are looking for an apprentice to join our Architectural Design team. Our team consists of Architects, Part 2 Architectural Assistants and an Architectural Technician

This is a junior role within the team and training will be given on AutoCAD, REVIT and Photoshop. The applicant should have a strong interest in building and building design and be seeking a career in Architecture or Architectural Technology. Applicants should be computer literate and some knowledge of Adobe suite would be an advantage.

Your workload will be varied and to begin with the job holder will be doing many different tasks including:

Preparing simple plans and drawings
Manipulating images using Photoshop and downloading images
Submitting fee quotes (prepared by others) to the client
Filing & printing of plans
Working on social media – company Twitter/Facebook and monthly newsletter
Taking incoming calls
Chasing council officials, such as planning officers
Admin tasks
Any other appropriate work requested by colleagues and company directors.

We support continuing professional development and there is opportunity to attend CPDs regularly. We encourage further learning, therefore the right candidate could be supported to go on to university and return to the company during holidays or work part time.

Working at our practice could see you become an Architect, an Architectural Technologist, a Town Planner or lead you in to other Construction related job roles.

We would encourage applicants to undertake an apprenticeship course, however we will consider applicants who wish to go straight into work prior to starting a university degree.

If you are selected for an interview, we would like you to bring a portfolio to show your interest in the profession or GCSE/A-level Art, Design or Technology coursework.

For more information on the practice please get in touch by phone or email.

To be considered for interview please provide a cover letter, CV and examples of your work to: enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk. If called for an interview you will be required to bring a portfolio

We look forward to hearing from you.

Queen’s Speech plans on climate change welcomed

15th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

The government has unveiled plans on building safety, the National Infrastructure Strategy and a goal for the UK to lead global action against climate change in the Queen’s Speech of Monday 14 October.

Given the very real issues around climate change and the environment Planning & Design are very pleased to see the following in the Queen’s Speech yesterday.

“My Ministers remain committed to protecting and improving the environment for future generations. For the first time, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures will be introduced to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive. Legislation will also create new legally-binding environmental improvement targets. A new, world-leading independent regulator will be established in statute to scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints and take enforcement action [Environment Bill].”

This means, that for the first time, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures will be introduced that improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive, increasing biodiversity. Legislation will also create new legally-binding environmental improvement targets. A new, independent regulator will be established in statute to scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints and take enforcement action.

This commitment to the environment is endorsed by the RTPI but they make the point that without well-resourced planning teams it will be difficult to deliver on this pledge.

RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said “The Royal Town Planning Institute welcomes the government’s intentions announced in today’s Queen’s Speech for a white paper on more decision-making powers to be devolved in England, to deliver a national infrastructure strategy, to create a new scrutiny body for environmental ambitions and to lead global climate change action.

“We remind Government that the planning system and planning professionals are essential to make all these intentions a reality, and that local authority planning needs to be resourced appropriately.

“The RTPI, which represents 25,000 planning professionals, looks forward to working with the Government to find the spatial solutions to deliver its ambitions.”

At Planning & Design we have seen a real reduction in the planning service available to us and our clients, but we hope that this will improve as we move forward and embrace the formidable challenges and additional responsibilities ahead of us.

“As architects and planners we are in a good position to use our professional skills and experience to design buildings which can better cope with climate change, which is going to affect everyone, says Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“This means being aware of the latest research, developments and materials in order to design buildings which are highly insulated to be warm in winter whilst cool in summer, generate energy through solar power, have heating systems which use very little energy and do not use gas, oil or burn coal or wood.”

Planning Design invests in Sheffield

29th October 20199th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design have made a significant investment to their presence in Sheffield with a move to new premises and several key appointments.

Housed in a former 1930s’ car showroom, Planning & Design now reside in The Workstation, Sheffield’s leading business centre for creative talent and innovation in the heart of the city’s thriving Cultural Industries Quarter.

Located less than five minutes from Sheffield train station, The Workstation is home to some of Sheffield’s most exciting cultural, creative and digital businesses with Planning & Design joining renowned design studios, high growth tech firms, award winning theatre companies and filmmakers.

Proximity to the train station also affords easy access to both the group’s main office located in Derby city centre, and clients nationwide.

Leading the Sheffield office will be Michael Bamford. A chartered town planning consultant, Michael started with Planning & Design in 2015 and carved out his early career with the group. Having left the company in early 2018 to work with a National Consultancy based in Sheffield, he returned to Planning & Design this summer and takes the lead on the operation of our Sheffield Office.

Transferring from the Derby office to join Michael will be Graduate Planner Harry Capstick. Having completed his undergraduate degree in Town Planning and Geography at Sheffield Hallam University, he initially joined the team in June 2017, where he completed a 6-month work placement. Upon finishing his degree, Harry re-joined the team in July 2019.

As well as both Harry and Michael having worked and studied in the city, Planning & Design also has a close connection with Sheffield, having long maintained an office in the city and with numerous clients and projects in the region.

“The Sheffield City Region provides real opportunities for growth and development. The city has close links with the Peak District National Park and a long history of high tech engineering. We are excited to be opening a larger office in the city to meet the demand for town planning and architecture. The Region is forward thinking, it is looking for sustainable growth and is open to meeting the challenges of Climate Change and Brexit.” says Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

Comprising town planners, architects and architectural assistants the staff at Planning & Design bring a wealth of experience from a range of backgrounds and various parts of the UK. Our planners have worked in the public & private sectors, and have excellent working relations with Local Planning Authorities. Our team of RIBA Chartered Architects and Architectural Assistants have a wealth of experience working with homeowners, developers and the public sector.

“We are looking forward to welcoming existing clients to our new home in Sheffield, and to creating new relationships in the city, and across the region, says Michael Bamford.

“Sheffield is home to a rich architectural heritage, with iconic developments such as Park Hill as well as innovative urban renewal, as demonstrated by developments such as can be seen at Kelham Island and at the Workstation. We are looking forward to being a part of Sheffield’s future development.”

Please contact Michael if you require assistance with planning applications, appeals or local plan representations or require advice on lawful development certificates or development appraisals, michael.bamford@planningdesign.co.uk or telephone 0114 221 0618.

Photo (L-R): Harry Capstick, Richard Pigott, Jonathan Jenkin, Michael Bamford, Jon Millhouse.

Heritage Open Days Celebrate 25th Anniversary

12th September 2019 by Gary Stringer

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, bringing together over 2,000 organisations, 5,000 events and 40,000 volunteers. Every year in September, places across the country throw open their doors to celebrate their heritage, community and history. It’s a great chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all free, including a number of sites that usually charge an admission.

Heritage Open Days 2019 will be from 13-22 September.

Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days is England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, having grown into the country’s largest heritage festival.

In fact with over 5,700 events, 2019 is officially the biggest year yet, with over 3 million visitors expected to take part across the 10 days of the festival. To celebrate the festival’s 25th anniversary, 25 new places are opening their doors, from country houses, museum archives and gardens, to theatres, wildlife reserves, distilleries and even a solar farm.

Heritage Open Days is coordinated and promoted nationally by the National Trust with support from the People’s Postcode Lottery, and is run locally by a large range of organisations (including civic societies, heritage organisations, and local councils, community champions and thousands of enthusiastic volunteers).

Highlights for 2019 include the Vajrapani Kadampa Buddhist Centre in Huddersfield where visitors have an opportunity to join a short meditation session with the resident teacher, the chance to take a tour of one of the few remaining Brutalist offices in Newcastle, Commercial Union House and a behind the scenes tour of the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, one of the filming locations for the Blockbuster ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ film.

Closer to home there is a chance to visit St Thomas Church in Pear Tree Derby. Designed by the London-based architect Joseph Peacock in the neo Norman style, and opened in 1881, there are stunning mosaics and a gallery of stained glass windows by different designers to be seen.

With its roots dating back to 1852, W. W. Winter’s photography studio is the oldest running photo studio business in the UK, and has been operating continuously on the same site at 45 Midland Road, Derby since 1867.

Last but by no means least there is a the chance to walk on the wrought iron Bennerley Viaduct some 60 feet above the Erewash Valley. As well as enjoying the magnificent views, there is the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of this “Iron Giant”.

To find out about more open days near you please visit: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

At Planning & Design we recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas.

We have worked on numerous schemes affecting Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and design team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

We use our experience to provide the right level of detail to accompany applications for planning permission and listed building consent.

RIBA announces shortlist for Inaugural Neave Brown Award for Housing

19th August 201930th July 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced on Thursday 25 July the shortlist for the very first Neave Brown Award for Housing, named in honour of the late Neave Brown (1929 – 2018).

Neave Brown was a socially-motivated, modernist architect, best known for designing a series of celebrated London housing estates. In 2018, he was awarded the UK’s highest honour for architecture, the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, which is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen.

The four housing developments in the running for the 2019 Neave Brown Award for Housing are:

Brentford Lock West Keelson Gardens, London, by Mae Architects

Thoughtful canalside development comprising six large apartment buildings, with distinctive saw-tooth roofs reflecting the site’s industrial past, linked with rows of four storey townhouses.

Eddington Lot 1, Cambridge, by WilkinsonEyre with Mole Architects

Designed for the University of Cambridge, this new residential quarter is an exemplar of integrated urban design. Incorporating a variety of housing types including generous apartments, some wrapped around a new supermarket and integrated with a new doctor’s surgery.

Goldsmith Street, Norwich, by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley

Large development of 105 highly energy-efficient homes for social rent, designed to Passivhaus standards for Norwich City Council.

The Colville Estate, London, by Karakusevic Carson Architects with David Chipperfield Architects

Bold regeneration of a Hackney Council housing estate, designed and delivered in close engagement with residents, to provide 925 new homes in a neighbourhood of legible streets and open spaces.

The shortlist was selected from the 2019 RIBA Regional Awards winners by an expert panel of judges: RIBA President Ben Derbyshire; Director at Levitt Bernstein Jo McCafferty; and Professor Adrian Gale, formally of the School of Architecture at the University of Plymouth.

On the shortlist, Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design Practice Ltd said

‘It is good to see public housing and public bodies such as the University of Cambridge being recognised. All the schemes are exemplars and aim to provide high quality accommodation on difficult sites. Good quality public housing is essential if we are going to raise the quality of housing generally and meet the challenges of housing which is fit for purpose and long lasting and housing that meets the challenge of climate change’.

To be considered for the 2019 Neave Brown Award for Housing, projects needed to be a winner of a 2019 RIBA Regional Award, be a project of ten or more homes completed and occupied between 1 November 2016 and 1 February 2019 and one third of the housing needed to be affordable and should demonstrate evidence of meeting the challenge of housing affordability.

The winner of the Neave Brown Award for Housing will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony on Tuesday 8 October 2019.

Congratulations to Ciarán – Chartered Architectural Technologist

19th June 202323rd July 2019 by Gary Stringer

Congratulations to Ciarán – Chartered Architectural Technologist

We are celebrating in the Planning & Design offices, with the news that Ciarán Spalding has been awarded his Chartered Status from The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists.

After years of hard work and passing through the CIAT Application and Professional Interview stages, Ciaran is now officially recognised as a competent Architectural Technologist qualified to offer design services and manage projects from inception to completion.

As a Chartered Architectural Technologist, Ciarán will lead the technological design of a project; forming the link between concept, innovation and realisation.

The team at Planning & Design also includes Chartered Town Planners, Associate members of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Chartered members of the Royal Institute of British Architects and ARB registered architects – meaning we can provide our clients with expert advice on a comprehensive range of services.

Architectural Influences Part II: British weather boarding origins and evolution overseas

19th August 20193rd July 2019 by Gary Stringer

Fernando Collado Lopez, from the PDP Design Team, writes about how 17th Century British architectural influences plus construction and engineering techniques boosted timber construction in the second part of a two-part article on English heritage in Southern Spain.

When it comes to weight, cost, upcycling and prefabrication, timber construction is at the top of the list.

From 17th Century Great Britain, new engineering techniques and tools boosted timber construction until the great fires of London pushed for the introduction of brick and mortar as the new standard.

Having a closer look at the construction scenario at the time, we could narrow down the timber construction types to a) Cruck House, b) Square Frame, c) Ornament house, d) Cladding house and e) The Weather-boarded house. The latter type was chosen for Punta Humbria in Spain.

Weather-boarding was widespread by the end of the XVIII century in Hampshire, Berkshire and Essex and in some areas of Pembrokeshire and Herefordshire. The construction method was composed of boards of a standard length and uneven thickness so the bottom of the boards was thicker than the top which was fixed back, by wooden pins early on, and later on replaced by copper nails; copper which was often extracted at the mine in Huelva.

Due to their resistance to decay and durability, oak and cedar were the preferred timber. Later on, cheaper timbers were also used but these had to be treated with a coat of tar, like the original fishermen’s houses in the southern coast of England.

As mentioned earlier, the weather-board house type was rapidly replaced by brick and mortar in the UK, but it was still in widespread use across the Atlantic in North America.

This expansion on the American continent and the use of cheaper timber types, created the need for a protective coating for the timber. As a result of this, in London dozens of white lead paint factories sprung up across the river Thames to provide for the market.

In Huelva, this light, cheap and versatile construction method was implemented and altered with elements influenced by practices in the western colonies, so porches and verandas were added as well as stilt structures lifting the house above ground level, reminding the company officers of their colonial bungalows in the tropics.

Stilts and verandas suited the dunes and the maritime context on which the buildings where erected, so the concept was adopted rapidly and developed further by their inhabitants and by J.Clayton in 1957 for the Rio Tinto company. Making them perhaps better suited to the local weather by enclosing some of the verandas and adding new internal partitions.

Sadly, today none of the buildings erected have survived. But the character, and typology still resonates perhaps on the still existing beach bars ‘chiringuitos’ dotted across the southern coast of Spain.

Below: Original layout (Left) Re-designed layout (Right)

Fernando Collado Lopez is an ARB registered architect who joined Planning & Design Practice in February 2019. Previously working in the private sector in a variety of practices and locations including United States of America, Spain and London.

New team member – Fernando Collado Lopez

20th August 20193rd April 2019 by Gary Stringer

Fernando is an ARB registered architect who joined Planning & Design Practice in February 2019. He has previously worked in a variety of practices and locations including the United States, Spain and London. He has worked on high rise residential, education, religious, and retail projects. Currently he is working on a variety of vernacular domestic projects developing further his interest in conservation.

As well as having a strong interest for the multiple aspects of the design process, he is also passionate about landscape architecture and sustainable landscapes, art, culture, heritage and the outdoors. In his spare time Fernando takes the opportunity to participate in art exhibitions, displaying some of his many paintings and sculptures.

Comprising town planners, architects and architectural assistants our staff bring a wealth of experience from a range of backgrounds and various parts of the UK. Our planners have worked in the public & private sectors, and have excellent working relations with Local Planning Authorities. This often proves invaluable and is a key to our success.

Backing Becketwell

Apprentice Opportunity – Join our Architectural Design team

Queen’s Speech plans on climate change welcomed

Planning Design invests in Sheffield

Heritage Open Days Celebrate 25th Anniversary

RIBA announces shortlist for Inaugural Neave Brown Award for Housing

Congratulations to Ciarán – Chartered Architectural Technologist

Architectural Influences Part II: British weather boarding origins and evolution overseas

New team member – Fernando Collado Lopez

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