RIBA Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Planning Design Ltd

Building on our International Architectural Expertise

19th June 202315th July 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd are excited to announce new additions to its architectural team, as we look beyond lock down, embrace the “new normal” and the opportunities that this may present for our homes, high streets and workplaces.

Our approachable and experienced team comprises architects, architectural assistants, designers and technicians. Our architects have true international expertise having worked on large scale projects in Russia, Germany, Spain and the United States as well as across the UK.

We offer a comprehensive design service through all the RIBA work stages from concept through to completion.

Planning Design believe in good architecture, to improve our quality of life, create real value and to drive sustainable development, creating robust, resilient homes and buildings to face the challenges of climate change.

Joining our team is Senior Architect Siegfried Doering (Dipl.-Ing. Architecture, AKH, ARB, RIBA). Prior to Planning & Design Siegfried was Senior Architect/Project Design Manager as part of a team of 25 architects and engineers, and also Quality Manager in the department for a company offering technically sophisticated and customized infrastructure, mobility and transport solutions internationally.

Siegfried’s personal philosophy is to practise and understand architecture as a creative compromise between budget, function, quality and aesthetics – all tailored to the client’s needs.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design said:

“We are pleased that Siegfried has joined an expanded architectural team at Planning Design. He is an experienced architect with 35 years of professional practice working in the UK, Middle East and Europe including Germany, and Russia. He has worked on an enormous variety of projects from single dwellings, apartment blocks, conservation, education, care homes, office buildings, data centres, industrial, retail, and railway infrastructure through to major logistics centres and has the on-site experience that will ensure that projects can be delivered on time and on budget.

His experience and professionalism will be invaluable to our collaborative team and to our clients and will allow us to deliver a wider range of architectural projects here in the UK. His appointment is part of our ambition to create a leading architectural practice which combines the skills of a the conservation architect, the knowledge of low carbon design, the flair of creative minds and the practical experience of delivering projects at any scale. We believe that our mix of skills and experience sets us apart from other practices here in the Midlands and South Yorkshire in delivering both excellence and creativity.”

Also joining Planning Design, we are pleased to welcome Architectural Technologist Joseph Cattmull. Studying the built environment at Cambridge Regional College and then graduating from The University of Derby in the summer of 2018, Joseph brings an interest in listed and traditional architecture and how they can be modernised.

Siegfried and Joseph join a team that includes Lindsay Cruddas, a RIBA accredited Specialist Conservation Architect, of which there are currently only 122 in the country. In addition they join ARB registered architect Fernando Collado Lopez, who qualified at the higher School of Architecture in Seville and also studied at the Fakultät für Architektur und Landschaft in Hannover, Germany and Part II Architectural Assistant Tina Humphreys, a graduate of De Montfort University in Leicester with a Master’s in Architecture, and who is now working towards becoming an RIBA Chartered Architect.

At Planning Design we believe that good design is a crucial part of the planning process. Getting the design of a project right is critical to gaining a successful planning consent and avoiding unnecessary delay and costs.

Our team of RIBA Chartered Architects and Architectural Assistants have a wealth of experience working with homeowners, developers and the public sector, both here in the UK, across Europe and the United States.

We can help you to establish your brief and work through your design ideas, whilst bringing solutions to make your building a successful place to live or work in.

Our architectural team are based across Derby, Matlock, Macclesfield and Sheffield. For more information, or to discuss your dream project please get in touch.

Top Image: Bespoke New Dwelling, Darley Dale, Matlock

Engaging with NDSA

30th November 202215th July 2020 by Gary Stringer

As current office holders of the NDSA, we are committed to providing a progressive, inclusive platform through which we can positively engage the architectural profession and broader community. We hope that by directly involving our membership with key stakeholders within our industry, we can stimulate critical and constructive debate to ultimately make meaningful contributions towards the betterment of the places we all live.

We have been working towards realising these goals by developing a number of mechanisms around active contributors of The Committee, drawing on intellectually engaging guest speakers with local connections. We have reviewed, replaced and reinvented some established NDSA traditions along the way.

This has manifested itself in a number of ways, some of which are outlined below.

NDSA – Digital presence

We have expanded our social media presence, with a distribution of responsibilities across various Committee members. We are currently expanding our outreach capabilities by working with proven online platforms in an effort to deliver quality content. Please like, share, connect, subscribe or follow our profiles and content wherever possible, it directly helps us to grow our audience and fulfill our mission to promote local talent. We also readily welcome contributions from our membership, so if you would like to write an article, present a project or something else, please get in touch. We are currently active on the following platforms:

YouTube
LinkedIn
In stagram
Twitter

Urban Room

This is a critically useful facility used by the NDSA for a range of functions throughout the year. Through a local partnership (involving Nottingham City Council, English Heritage, Historic England, University of Nottingham & Nottingham Trent University) we make use of Nottingham’s Urban Room, an initiative derived from The Farrell Review (http://www.farrellreview.co.uk), a blueprint for a successful civic space, the goals of which are to help further progressive surrounding urbanism through community engagement. As designers we utilise this space to challenge the consequences of our role in the development of, and participation in, our Urban Realm.

For the Website of the Urban Room please visit https://www.38carringtonstreet.org.uk

Exhibits

NDSA Chair Joshua von Fragstein hosted the inaugural Derby Architecture Celebration (link). The event was well attended with many guests bracing the terrible weather and traffic chaos from the sudden closure of Clifton Bridge in Nottingham. Hosted at the Derby Museums and with guest speakers travelling nationally to deliver presentations on their exceptional Derby & Derbyshire based projects, the evening set a new standard for the NDSA. We aim to build upon the success of this exhibition to host more like it in the future

A snapshot article of the event can be found here on our website:

Student Awards

The NDSA Committee agreed to discontinue the £300 one off cash prize traditionally handed out annually to a student at UoN & NTU each year, replacing it instead with an annual event centred around winning students, chosen from a Values & Principles based selection criteria.

The proposal was successful in being awarded RIBA Local Iniative Fund finances to host. It took the format of a set of presentations of winning projects by successful students, accompanied by local, regional or national intra-industry professionals whose expertise and areas of research interests have clear cross overs with the themes within the winning projects.

The presentations were followed by a period of networking, affording the students the opportunity to meet with and speak to the industry wide professionals invited to the event.

The event was successful in bringing together the students at the conclusion of their studies, with professionals from complementing disciplines who provided positive, progressive feedback on the projects. The students obtained an extended avenue of professional advice and support with digital records of their presentation being hosted online by the NDSA.

Education Officers Michael Hodgson & Ayesha Batool worked tirelessly with the supporting Work Group members Joshua, Rory and myself to shortlist the end of year projects from multiple courses across both Nottingham Based Universities and coordinate the subsequent event.

A brief clip capturing reflections from our Guest Panelists can be found here.

History

Work is under way to digitally archive the full history of the NDSA. Chinzia Russo, Mark Jermy & Josh von Fragstein have begun a long term effort to catalogue and make freely available the history of the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Society of Architects. This archiving exercise has doubled as a research project, with Michael Hodgson unearthing notable NDSA officers and the respective roles they had in society. This work will be hosted and maintained on the NDSA website.

Solvency

Committee member Rory Wood has worked hard to reconnect the NDSA with construction industry partners, enabling us to obtain the necessary finances to maintain operations. A Summer BBQ was held, acting as a kick starter for the new committee. Many society members and industry partners met to offer suggestions and pledge their support. Sponsorship’s for forthcoming events were a key indicator of the successes from this event. Having started out this tenure with no capital surpluses and only minimal reserves, the work of Rory has been instrumental in securing the functionality of the NDSA. We offer sponsorship opportunities for our events, publications and online platforms in order to secure the short, medium and long term future of the NDSA. While the NDSA is run on the goodwill of volunteers, who give up their time to be part of something bigger than themselves, there are resource costs that need to be met annually. Please get in touch with us if you would like to sponsor the NDSA.

Considerable contributions from Andrew King and Thomas Dichmont in particular were key to laying the groundwork for much of the above.
We encourage you to reach out, get involved and become empowered to positively influence the development of our environment. If you have ideas for events, seminars, lectures or articles then we are here to work together to help take them forward. To stay up to date with the NDSA please subscribe to our mailing list here https://www.ndsa.org.uk/join-us

Paul MacMahon
Honorary Secretary NDSA

The Importance of Good Architecture

18th March 20204th March 2020 by Gary Stringer

What is a home in the UK? It is a place that give shelter, it is warm and dry in winter and cool in summer. It is a refuge, a place to return to, and a place where we can feel safe. It is also a place where we can feel happy, a place we can be proud of and a place that reflects our values and says something about who we are. It is also a place that functions well. It must have the capacity to accommodate our family, friends, we must be able to cook, eat meals, clean ourselves, and increasingly a place we can communicate from. The area around the home must be pleasant, where we have neighbours and where we have easy access to facilities and amenities.

Many of the houses and flats built today barely function. The homes are bland, they are often smaller than we would want; the attention to detail is poor, outside space is limited. The outside environment is often dominated by the car; limiting social intervention with our neighbours and limiting the opportunities for children to play outside.

Good architecture can really improve our quality of life. It starts with a site and a location and the wishes and requirements of the client. This does not just mean the bespoke house for the individual client but it can be the community land trust, the house builder, the local authority or the housing association.

Good architecture can create real value. A well designed home in a well-designed neighbourhood can make us feel good about our lives, it can affirm that we are providing for those who depend on us and it can make us happy. Good design makes the best use of space. It makes the most of natural light, it links the inside environment with the outside. It functions; not just for the young and the able bodied but for everyone. It accommodates the needs of the young and the elderly with the challenges of climate change. Good architecture must also use resources prudently to minimize CO2 emissions but create a robust home that is resilient and increasingly a home that generate its own power.

In our ever increasing digital age, good architecture also means strong appeal on Instagram and other social media platforms, with striking and unique images generating debate and acting as a showcase for new work and new practitioners. With an estimated one billion people using Instagram every month, content is king and architecture is accessible to the general public as never before, creating trends and influencing how we perceive and experience our built environment.

At Planning & Design we really believe in good architecture. Our team comprises of RIBA Chartered Architects and Architectural Assistants who have a wealth of experience working with homeowners, developers and the public sector. These skilled professionals have vision but also the practical experience to deliver buildings.

We believe that good design is a crucial part of the planning process. Getting the design of a project right is critical to gaining a successful planning consent and avoiding unnecessary delay and costs. We can help you to establish your brief and work through your design ideas, whilst bringing solutions to make your building a successful place to live or work in.

For more information, or to discuss a specific project please get in touch.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Recent Flooding

13th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

Recent heavy rainfall resulted in numerous flood alerts being issued across Derbyshire, and South Yorkshire and the weekend saw the River Derwent burst its banks, with the resultant flooding causing travel chaos, widespread disruption and a tragic loss of life.

Derbyshire was hit with more rainfall in 24 hours than it normally receives in a month. The Environment Agency’s gauge in Glossop, a market town on the edge of the Peak District, recorded 114mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 4am. On average Derbyshire receives 90.7mm of rain during the month of November.

This is just months after the evacuation of the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge, when thousands of residents were evacuated amid fears a dam could collapse after being damaged by floodwaters.

Heavy rainfall saw concrete panels on one side of the dam on the Toddbrook Resevoir, which holds 300 million gallons of water, partially collapse, creating a crisis that has cost Derbyshire County Council in the region of £700,000.

At the height of the situation, a Chinook helicopter from RAF Odiham, was engaged for a combined 72 hours over several days to drop more than 600 tonnes of aggregate on the damaged dam to prevent it breaching.

In a report published in May 2018, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) state that the government needs to do to help create homes and communities that are resilient to flood damage. In the report, titled “The Value of Flood Resilient Architecture and Design” RIBA stresses that the UK can no longer base its approach to managing flood risk on simply keeping the water out, and highlights the following statistics:

Currently 1 in 6 homes in the UK are at risk of flooding – a number that is expected to double by 2050
Flooding causes an average of £1.4 billion of damage each year to businesses and households

Meanwhile a new report from the Royal Town Planners Institute (RTPI) has said that sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are not being delivered at either the pace or scale that is required to cope with the challenges posed by climate change.

The systems are considered an important way of managing surface water runoff in built developments. National planning policy has encouraged their use in all major developments since their introduction into the English planning system in 2010.

However, 96% of local authorities report that the quality of planning submissions for SuDS are either ‘inadequate’ or ‘mixed’. Furthermore, 25% of local authorities have no formal SuDS policies in place, nor any immediate plans to implement any.

According to officials at Derby Council, closing the flood gates at Haslam’s Lane and Darley Fields for the first time saved around 1,140 homes from flooding in the Chester Green and Darley areas during the recent deluge. The gates are part of the city’s £95 million flood defences – part of which are still under construction.

Whilst the successful implementation of the flood defences offers reassurance, with more heavy rainfall forecast, the Council, together with home, business and landowners will be anxiously watching the weather forecasts as we head into the winter months.

“As the effects of climate change become even more apparent new development must become more robust. Land use has a big part to play. The flood allowance for climate change has increased over the past 10 years and the Environment Agency is looking to raise the figure further said Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“As one in one hundred year flood events become common place, locations which we thought would not flood are now flooding. This means that we must have effective surface water run-off measures in place to hold surface water in new developments to prevent run-off adding to flooding elsewhere.

As planners we should avoid building vulnerable developments on floodplains such as housing but in some locations whole towns are liable to flooding. In locations such as this house building needs to take into account flood risk and be built to allow for and accept flooding.

For the government, the wider strategy for climate change resilience must include changes to land use including reforestation of the uplands, retrofit and new build development to zero carbon, a major shift from car use to public transport and a national policy for flood protection, with a national debate over the costs and the benefits of maintaining settlements and communities liable to regular flooding by rivers and near to the sea.”

And the winner is…RIBA Stirling Prize 2019

9th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

And the winner is… congratulations to the RIBA Stirling Prize 2019 winner Goldsmith Street by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley. Awarded to the UK’s best new building, the project for Norwich City Council is made up of almost 100 highly energy-efficient homes and meets rigorous Passivhaus standards.

The scheme comprises rows of two-storey houses are bookended by three-storey flats, each with their own front door, generous lobby space for prams and bikes, and private balconies. The back gardens of the central terraces share a secure alleyway for children to play together, and a wide landscaped walkway for the community runs directly through the middle of the estate. Parking has been pushed to Goldsmith Street’s outer edges, making sure that people, not cars, own the streets.

“We were delighted to see Goldsmith Street win the RIBA Stirling Prize last night. This scheme has been a hot topic in the office, as we strive to make our buildings and communities more sustainable, it is an excellent exemplar of how Passivhaus can be achieved on mass, in a coherent and modern setting for a local authority housing provider” said Lindsay Cruddas, RIBA – accredited Specialist Conservation Architect at Planning & Design.

Remarkably for a dense, mass housing development, Goldsmith Street also meets rigorous Passivhaus standards. A passive solar scheme, designed to minimise fuel bills for residents: annual energy costs are estimated to be 70% cheaper than for the average household. Even the smallest details have been thought about: letterboxes are built into external porches to reduce any possibility of draughts, and perforated aluminium ‘brise-soleils’ provide sun shades above windows and doors.

Goldsmith Street also won the inaugural Neave Brown Award for Housing.

The award, named in honour of the late Neave Brown (1929 – 2018), recognises the best new example of affordable housing in the UK. Projects eligible for the award needed to have won a RIBA Regional Award (Goldsmith Street won in RIBA East); be 10 or more homes completed and occupied between 1 November 2016 and 1 February 2019; and have one third of the housing be affordable and demonstrate evidence of meeting the challenge of housing affordability.

Image: © Tim Crocker

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.

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.

RIBA declares environment and climate emergency

19th August 20191st July 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have formally agreed to join the global declaration of an environmental and climate emergency at the triannual meeting of RIBA Council members.

At the meeting, which brings together elected trustees to debate and discuss the biggest issues facing the profession, the Institute also committed to developing the RIBA Ethics and Sustainable Development Commission’s action plan and a pledge to support the government’s 2050 net zero emissions target.

RIBA President, Ben Derbyshire, said:

“The climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing our planet and our profession. But to have a significant impact we need to do more than make symbolic statements – we need to turn warm words into impactful actions.

The implementation of a five-year action plan we have committed to today will ensure we are able to benchmark change and evaluate the actions that make most impact.”

RIBA Chief Executive, Alan Vallance said:

“With a background in the meteorological sector I have a deep insight into the impact of climate change and the vast and urgent task ahead of us. RIBA Council’s commitment to the climate emergency declaration is an important moment for the institute and the profession – a catalyst for the further action and change that is needed to ensure that architects and the built environment sector are at the forefront of a zero-carbon future.”

Next steps will include the implementation of a five-year detailed action plan to embed sustainable industry standards and practice and use the RIBA’s influence to improve government and inter-government policy and regulation.

The Ethics and Sustainable Development Action Plan will include measurable actions to support a net zero carbon built environment. It will drive change at a national and international level in industry standards and practice; in government and inter-governmental policy and regulation; and in the RIBA’s own carbon footprint.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd welcome the RIBA initiative, and fully support their efforts to identify the steps needed to build all new buildings to a net zero carbon standard and to identify the steps necessary to retrofit existing buildings. However the implementation of all this work while limiting carbon emissions itself will be a significant challenge.