Crafty!

The office became a model making workshop this month, with various projects being explored in 3D. A concept model for a potential new project got us experimenting with plaster of paris and copper:

Concept model components

Model workshop in the office meeting room

With a bit of help from a few friends including Simon Windley Specialist Woodworks to make the base, we were really pleased with the outcome and hope to be developing the concept further soon.


On site at the Olde English the steelwork is complete, floor decks laid and concrete pour has commenced. With the site being only a short walk away from the office, we've been keeping a close eye on progress!

Steelwork construction at the Olde English, Matlock

At South Field house in Fritchley, the lower ground floor has been dug out of the hillside, with steelwork reinforcement underway, the concrete foundation should be poured later this week.

Lower ground floor level for the new house at Fritchley

At a slightly earlier stage, we have just completed our set of tender information for the new classroom block for Littleover Community School. The project will be going out to tender soon and hopefully starting on site later this year. This drawing shows the plan section detailing for the two storey concrete arches to the curved front elevation.

Concrete detailing for Littleover Community School

We're bricking it!

Its been a busy month on site -

Nethergate School in Nottingham is moving swiftly towards completion of the Phase 2 works, with the refurbished existing buildings looking much improved. All the existing classrooms have been re-vamped with new lighting, heating, IT equipment, blinds, full redecoration, new external doors to outdoor play areas, and plenty of built in storage ready for the school to fill in September!

Nethergate School before and after

At the Olde English site the steel frame is beginning to take shape. Next job is to help the client think of a name for the building - any suggestions welcome!

Steel frame for the Olde English

Work at Fritchley is on pause for summer holiday's and awaiting approval to relocate a sewer that runs underneath the new building, but the building has been set out, beginning to show the long linear form running along the new boundary.

South Field, Fritchley - set out on site

At earlier stages, a design for a house extension near Matlock has been granted planning permission and we're starting to work on the building regulations application.

We've also had some good news about a completed project - R&K Jepson Funeral Directors in Wirksworth has been shortlisted for a Brick Award in the Best Commercial Building category! Looks like some tough competition in the shortlist though...

Model Students.

It was great to see some of the students projects that were reviewed by the office in their final form at the Nottingham University School of Architecture exhibition. Some of the fantastic work on show was inspirational, particularly the two examples from second year students below - the detail of the some of the black and white hand drawings was highly skilled and it's refreshing to see colour and activity being used to bring architectural drawings to life.

Nottingham University Department of Architecture - Second year exhibition drawings.

Back in the office we are hoping to inspire work experience students who are visiting us from Highfields School in Matlock. Last week the student took on the redesign of Matlock railway station as his design project and came up with some great ideas that were developed in this model:

Work experience student model - Railway station by Logan

This week another student is looking to redesign the boathouse for the pleasure boat lake in Hall Leys Park, hopefully some more models and drawings will be produced to include next time.

Out on site, groundworks for the new house at Fritchley has commenced. British summertime weather conditions haven't helped so far, but at least it's a start!

Groundworks starting for new house in Fritchley

Work has also started on the site adjacent to the Olde Englishe hotel. We're currently finalising details with various sub-contractors, including steelwork and external lighting designs.

Olde Englishe Sub-contractors drawings:
External lighting by Concord Sylvania and Steelwork by Templemill Engineering Ltd

Lastly - many thanks to Maria Valentina for sending us a comment on the blog - we're not sure why it didn't appear with the post, but we did receive it and it's nice to know someone out there is reading!

Showtime!

Work on the School extension in Derby is developing well. The project is currently being worked up into a tender package of information. We are currently developing the detail of the front facade that includes a curved concrete beam supported on concrete fins to allow full height windows to the first floor and recessed doors opening into a Common Room on the ground floor that overlooks the school sports field.

Overall site model

Detailed facade design

We are also working on a further classroom block project that is at a much earlier stage. We are currently developing feasibility models of the scheme that includes a central social space and links a hard playground area at ground floor to soft landscaping at the north of the site, accessed from the first floor level. On either side of the social space, two blocks provide additional classrooms and teaching resources spaces over two floors.

Classroom block development model

We're also attending a few of the architecture school end of year shows in the next few weeks. The University of Sheffield show opened last Friday and had on display a number of good models, particularly from a second year project for a U-boat visitors centre, which included rotating sections of the boat to allow views from all angles. 

Nottingham University show opens tomorrow evening and we're looking forward to seeing the finished work from students who have been tutored by Rob, Dan and Andy from the office this year. And we're also hoping to get along to Sheffield Hallam University Creative Spark exhibition, particularly to see some work by Emily who completed her RIBA Part 1 work experience at our office and is now completing the Part 2 course at the university.

The office is getting into the Summer of Sport - Rachel was one of the 27,000 participants in the London to Brighton bike ride last Sunday raising money for the British Heart Foundation. In two weeks time Andy is completing the second of 3.5 marathons he is running this year, this time over some hills in the Lakeland trials marathon. So far he has raised over £350 for Cancer Research UK - if you can help him to reach the £400 mark before the next race, you can sponsor him at www.justgiving.com/AndyThomas1979.

Growing ideas

We've been working on a concept design for a potential new project this week, developing ideas in the office in a number of evening workshop sessions in which we produced a number of sketch models. We can't say much about the project at this stage, but we've really enjoyed the process so far and fingers crossed we'll be developing it further in the future!

We've also been developing the garden plans for Ashgate Croft ILU. The school's preferred garden design came from Emma Cheyne, an architecture student at Nottingham University who attended the workshop day at the school last month. Having just completed the second year of her studies Emma met with us yesterday to discuss how to take the project further. Hopefully we will have a landscape layout plan to pass back to the school soon, and we can then begin to implement the scheme over the school's summer holidays.

As the weather improves a couple of projects are moving towards starting on site. A new house in Fritchley now has a contractor appointed who is gearing up to start works over the next couple of weeks, and a church hall extension in Derby has returned from tender. Hopefully the Client will be in a position to appoint a contractor soon with the intention to start works shortly. We're looking forward to seeing a few of our details being built!

Fireplace construction detail for new house in Fritchley

Picture window detail for new church hall in Derby