We're hot down under!

Further working drawings and tender packages are being drawn and compiled together in the office currently. The Olde English Hotel building that we showed some model photos of in our blog in November is moving towards construction. Currently we are discussing the finish on the stonework and trying to find a tooling that works over the large areas of stone on the elevations, provides a contrast of finishes between the 'frame' and infill panels and also adds to the contemporary design whilst not appearing overly commercial. It's a tricky task. Luckily we have a client with a quarry on hand to provide us with lots of samples!

A tender is being issued this week for the restoration of a series of local historic barns. The information includes detailed survey sketches recording damage to the original structure:

Rob and Andy have both now joined the OPUN design review panel. OPUN promote good design practice across the East Midlands. The review panel meet regularly to critique local schemes and offer advice on improving design quality. Last week Andy attended a workshop in Leicester that explored changes in the planning system and what the National Planning Policy Framework implies in respect of neighbourhood planning and community engagement and the difference roles for Design, Support and Enabling.

Lastly, we received a package from Australia in the post today, including a copies of a new book, 'Best Coastal Homes'. The book contains some great new houses in some beautiful locations, and features on page 100 our design for Sea House, Portloe! We're honoured to be included and will no doubt be looking at the books other projects for some future inspiration!

Detailed design...

Its been a hectic couple of weeks in the office. The working drawings for The Cow Shed drawings have been completed, including a little detail for a sliding ventilation panel door that allows for ventilation and views between a first floor bedroom and the double height entrance hall.

Sliding ventilation door detail

We've also been looking at some designs for fitted furniture. In the Cow Shed, this included a stone hearth for the woodburning stove, with fitted cupboards adjacent in oak with leather handles, and on a Church Hall project a secondary hall space has been developed to include storage units including pull out toy boxes for the Nursery that will occupy the space frequently.

Toy box storage unit for Community Hall

Early design work has also been progressing on several projects, including an extension for a house in the Peak district, which is looking to extend at the rear to include a contemporary Kitchen and Sunroom alongside the traditional cottage.

Sketch model options for house extension in the Peak District

We're currently looking at options for how best to extend to the rear to provide maximum daylight into the Sunroom and existing house, whilst not allowing the extension to effect the village streetscene - more models needed!

Model behaviour...

We have recently started work on a new extension for a secondary school in Derby. The project is for a new block to include vital additional classrooms adjacent to the entrance to the existing school. Our development models are currently exploring means of linking into the strong existing geometry and axis of the site and school.

The working drawings for the Cow Shed barn conversion in Stanton are now almost completed. Alongside the drawings for the underground extension and interventions into the existing barn we have been exploring the detail as a computer model to walk-through with the client. We're hoping this project will start on site in the Spring.

As winter is almost over, we've started thinking about how the sponsorship money we raised last year for Ashgate Croft can help in the gardens of the Independent Living Unit. We started discussing the possibilities with Architecture students from the University of Nottingham and we're looking forward to developing ideas with them and Ashgate Croft School so we can start planting as soon as the weather improves!

Playful incidents...

We posted our Expression of Interest for the Kedleston Hall 'Playful Incident' competition last week. We're waiting to hear if we have made the shortlist of 3, but our hopes are fading as time goes on. Still, we had great fun making this model to show our initial concept for the project with two towers projecting from the woodland canopy on axis with the Hall and facing each other across the valley.

We've also been busy working on a planning application for a site in Matlock Green. The scheme is for a new apartment block to sit in the grounds of a former pub that is already being converted into flats. On the other side of the site are a pair of semi-detached Art-Deco style houses, so our proposal had to balance between the historic pub and white rendered Art-Deco style houses.

The Horseshoe site, Matlock Green

Finally, progress from Nethergate  - with the windows almost complete and scaffolding removed from the roof of the new Assembly Hall, the new school entrance is starting to take shape.

Nethergate Special School, Nottingham - new entrance

Happy New Year!

It was a hectic week for the start of the new year in the office, straight into meetings to check on site progress. In Nottingham works on Nethergate school have advanced greatly in the last few weeks, the high level clerestory windows and roof to the new build are being installed, and the refurbished areas of the existing building are now being painted.

Interior view of the new Assembly hall

View of new canopies outside refurbished classrooms.
Nethergate School, Nottingham

The new extension is scheduled for completion in April to allow the school to transfer across before works on the remaining existing building commences in the second phase of the project.

A couple of us also went out for a walk in the Derbyshire countryside at the weekend to check out the site for a new competition. The entry deadline is fast approaching though - hopefully we will make some time later this week to work on the idea and will post some images soon! Here's a little teaser for now - see if you can recognise where it is...