Austin-Smith:Lord is currently leading a consultant team, appointed by Glasgow City Council, to prepare an Action Plan and Framework for the regeneration of Townhead.

Townhead, alongside Cowcaddens, the Learning Quarter and the Merchant City, is the focus of the current phase of (Y)our City Centre District Regeneration Frameworks, and now is the time to have your say.

Work to Date has included talking to the community and stakeholders and finding out what you think the priorities and opportunities are. From over 5,000 comments we have pulled together emerging priority projects listed below. You can check out what’s been said so far and contribute your thoughts online at https://yourcitycentre2020.commonplace.is/ and http://www.yourplacemap.org/.

How To Get Involved

Sign-up for the event on the 18 March, pick the bits that interest you most and work with the project team to develop proposals and ‘co-design’ ideas. All events are free to attend and will be held on Zoom. Session information and signup in links below;

(Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshop – Co-Design Day Launch Tickets, Thu 18 Mar 2021 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

(Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshop – Getting Around (Workshops) Tickets, Thu 18 Mar 2021 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

(Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshop – City Centre Communities (Workshops) Tickets, Thu 18 Mar 2021 at 13:00 | Eventbrite

(Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshop – Reimaging (Y)our Townhead Tickets, Thu 18 Mar 2021 at 15:30 | Eventbrite

(Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshop – Report Back : Priorities + Pledges Tickets, Thu 18 Mar 2021 at 18:30 | Eventbrite

Please feel free to share these events within your network to ensure we have as many attendees as possible. For further information on the Townhead Proposals Workshops and the other North East Districts please go to the City Centre Strategy website – https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/city-centre-workshops

We are delighted to announce that Emily Harper of Austin-Smith:Lord has earned the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP^TM) credential through the International WELL Building Institute^TM (IWBI^TM), placing her amongst a group of leading professionals who are dedicated to supporting human health and well-being in the built environment.

The WELL AP credential is the leading credential signifying advanced knowledge of health and well-being in the built environment and specialisation in the WELL Building Standard^TM (WELL).

WELL APs have successfully passed the WELL AP exam, an assessment based on the expertise of leading practitioners in the field of design, health and wellness in the built environment. Developed using GBCI’s rigorous test development best practices, the WELL AP exam is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge and proficiency in building wellness and the principles, practices and applications of the WELL Building Standard.

“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues to make the happiness, health and wellbeing of people a priority in our projects and contributing to a holistic sustainability approach” (Emily Harper, Architect, Austin-Smith:Lord).

The WELL Building Standard is the first building standard to focus exclusively on the health and wellness of the people in buildings. WELL is an evidence and performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment, through air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.

The WELL Building Standard and more information on the WELL AP is available at www.wellcertified.com.

Austin-Smith:Lord has recently been awarded a place on three residential frameworks to provide architecture services:

• • South East Consortium Framework. Set up in 2005, SEC was originally established to support the housing sector but now runs frameworks that can be used by any public sector organisation
  • Abri (formerly Radian) Framework. Abri was formed in October 2020 when Housing Association Radian Group was joined by the Yarlington Housing Group
  • Accent (East Region) Framework. This framework has been set up as part of Accent’s strategic objective to develop more than 2000 new homes over the next 4 years.

“We are delighted to have secured a place on these frameworks to provide architectural services. We are in a very exciting phase as we rethink the design of the home in the context of sustainability, flexible working arrangements and health and wellbeing. We look forward to building a great relationship and supporting these affordable homes providers to develop much needed homes and thriving communities” (Tope Balogun, Director).

Austin-Smith:Lord has achieved Investors in People Silver Accreditation.

For 30 years Investors in People has been recognised internationally as a leading people management accreditation. Achieving this award is a fantastic milestone, demonstrating our commitment to developing our people, improving our ways of working and service excellence.

Commenting on the award, Graham Ross, Chief Executive, said, “Our talented team are Austin-Smith:Lord’s greatest asset. It is vital that we invest in our staff development so we can continue to attract and retain a highly skilled and motivated team.

“We are delighted to have secured Investors in People reaccreditation. It is testament to the immense teamwork across the Practice that we have been able to sustain and improve our ways of working. I’m especially proud that we’ve been able to achieve this level of accreditation despite a national lockdown and whilst working from home. That demonstrates our collective resilience.

“We are grateful for the advice and insights Investors in People have provided throughout the assessment process. We will be embedding this best practice guidance to ensure we adapt to new ways of working and continue to promote a supportive Studio culture that enables us to be at our best, so we can do our best.”

Bonnie Clarke, Interim Chief Executive of Remarkable, who undertook the Investors in People assessment and accreditation, said, “This is a fantastic achievement for Austin-Smith:Lord;  congratulations! Investors in People recognises organisations who are truly committed to their people, continuous improvement and customer service. We have supported Austin-Smith:Lord since 2017 and we’re delighted to see their ongoing dedication recognised with this Silver award. Many congratulations!”

We are pleased to announce Rob Firman as our new Sector Lead for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Rob joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2008 and was promoted to director in 2009. With more than 30 years’ experience in Arts, Culture and Heritage projects, and having worked both domestically and internationally, Rob reinforces the practice’s position as a market leader in this field.

Rob is highly skilled in the design and delivery of large scale, high profile projects and to this end his experience is as varied as it is striking. Rob believes passionately that buildings serving the arts should engage directly with the local community and, as such, economic development and regeneration have been paramount in all of his work.

“It’s a great honour for me to take over the Sector Lead role for Arts, Culture & Heritage within Austin-Smith: Lord. We are delivering some amazing projects across the UK in this sector, with Shakespeare North in the North-West, and the new Collections and Research Centre for the V&A in East London now on site, and the design work for the restoration of the Grade I listed Old College, Aberystwyth and Grade A listed National Records Office in Edinburgh ongoing.

 “I’m relishing the challenge of leading our team, to continue expanding our portfolio of wonderful projects such as these and to building upon the legacy of innovative and creative Architecture inherent in all of our work in Arts, Culture & Heritage projects”.
Rob Firman, Sector Lead for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Austin-Smith:Lord

We are delighted to announce that Anna Blamire-Brown and Oliver Goddard have both achieved Certified Passive House Designer status, bolstering our longstanding commitment to sustainability.

Anna joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2019 and is based in our Bristol studio. In the time since her Masters, she has delivered prominent education and residential projects with an emphasis on sustainable design.

Oliver joined the practice earlier in 2020. Based in our Glasgow studio, he has a passion for sustainable design and in 2015 was nominated by Building as one of the top 50 rising stars of sustainability.

Our congratulations go to both of them, and we look forward to seeing these skills put to use in our forthcoming projects.

---

Passive House Institute profile pages:

Anna Blamire-Brown
Oliver Goddard

We are delighted to announce that Matthew Dyer has been promoted to Head of Conservation for Austin-Smith:Lord, and becomes an Associate of the practice.

Matthew joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2018 and is based in our Bristol studio. An accredited conservation architect, he has worked on conservation and regeneration projects across sectors, for public and third sector clients. His expertise in the conservation of historic building fabric extends to stonework, brickwork and timber repairs and internal decoration as well as introduction of sensitive interventions in historic settings.

Prior to joining Austin-Smith:Lord Matthew developed repair strategies for major projects including the revitalisation of the former Central Police Station, Hong Kong, St. George’s Hall, Liverpool and a major research project into the causes of deterioration of the dalle de verre lantern at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

“I am delighted to hear the news of my promotion to Head of Conservation and am grateful to Austin-Smith:Lord for entrusting me with this position. Since joining Austin-Smith:Lord two years ago, I have been given the opportunity to work on some of the UK’s most diverse historic sites such as Old College in Aberystwyth, the General Register House in Edinburgh and Newport Transporter Bridge.

 “Austin-Smith:Lord has an incredible conservation portfolio, including the Great Pagoda at Kew, Llanelly House in Carmarthenshire and the Bluecoat in Liverpool. I look forward to building on this legacy with colleagues and securing our built heritage for future generations.”
Matthew Dyer, Head of Conservation, Austin-Smith:Lord

We are delighted to announce that Tope Balogun has been promoted to Director of Austin-Smith:Lord.

Tope joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2008, progressing to Associate in 2015 and leads our London studio and Residential Sector. He is a key member of our design team and the breadth and depth of his portfolio ensures the knowledge and experience essential for success.

His projects include a ground breaking development at Loudoun Square which innovatively combines affordable housing, healthcare, local retail and community use, delivered through innovative public sector partnerships and the National College for Nuclear (Southern Hub) at Bridgwater and Taunton College.

“I am delighted to have been appointed as a Director and look forward to my growing role in an organisation steeped in such a rich seam of history. I will continue working with our Creative Collective to improve the quality of our work and service delivery to our clients and collaborators with a particular focus on leading the Residential Sector.”
Tope Balogun, Director, Austin-Smith:Lord

We are delighted to announce Graham Ross as Austin-Smith: Lord’s new Chief Executive.

Working through these strange and difficult times has really focused our attention on our core beliefs and company culture. At the heart of this is always putting people first. So, keeping this central tenet intact and looking at new ways to nurture it for the future, we have taken the opportunity to redefine how we work and restructure the business around this goal. Leading us in this fresh endeavour, we are delighted to announce that Graham Ross will take on the new role for the practice of Chief Executive.

Graham joined the practice in 1998, and became a Partner in 2010. Graham has led many of our projects in urban regeneration, arts and culture, housing, transportation and education.

“It is a great honour to be asked to be Austin-Smith:Lord’s new Chief Executive. I’ve been immensely proud of the way our talented multi-disciplinary team, located across the UK, have worked together as One Studio throughout the Covid pandemic to progress some amazing projects for great clients. That team spirit, collective resilience, commitment to design quality, knowledge sharing and professionalism stand us in good stead for the future.

“I look forward to being inspired by the collective creativity and knowledge of colleagues, clients and communities as we explore how best to design sustainable and healthy buildings and landscapes that enhance quality of life and respect our planet, people and places.” Graham Ross, Chief Executive

The new purpose designed Mental Health Facilities, which include therapeutic courtyards and gardens, on the Stobhill Hospital campus in north Glasgow, have been handed over to the NHS. The gardens, and wider landscape setting for the new facility, were designed by Austin-Smith:Lord to assist in the treatment of mental health patients at Stobhill.

Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed by hub West Scotland for their partner, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, in November 2016 as landscape architects for the new Stobhill Mental Health Facility. The scope included the delivery of design proposals for the external spaces (courtyards & gardens) for the new Acute Admission Unit (AAU) and Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care Unit (CCC). The building was designed by Keppie Design, and features internal patient courtyards, as a central part of the wider therapeutic facilities on site. The project was constructed by BAM Construction.

Siobhan Vernon, Director of Landscape at Austin-Smith:Lord said, “The patient gardens and courtyards were developed to provide high quality external spaces to encourage outdoor physical activity, create a sense of calm, a place for relaxation and provide seasonal interest. The spaces were designed in close collaboration with the client’s clinical staff, to ensure the outdoor spaces could support and enhance the therapeutic care. The gardens provide a practical environment whilst avoiding the appearance of a clinical setting.

“The design of the gardens and courtyards take cognisance of how they can be enjoyed by the range of patient users. This may be through passive benefit, providing visual interest from within the building’s day spaces or bedrooms or active benefit through encouraging use of the outdoor spaces to enjoy fresh air, daylight or engage with a range of activities. External space has also been provided for the staff.”

The landscape design included consideration of the building’s setting within the Stobhill Campus context and the proximity of the development to listed buildings and the notable landmark B-listed Water Tower.

---

Note to Editors

Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary design practice that provides landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, masterplanning, conservation, planning, sustainability design and interior design services to a wide client base throughout the UK.

Stobhill Acute Mental Health Wards was delivered in partnership with hub West Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). The building was designed by Keppie Design, and main contractors were BAM Construction. Engineers were Baker Hicks and RSP. The project delivers a high quality facility that will enhance the quality of health and social care services in the Glasgow area.

The purpose of the unit will be to provide acute inpatient mental health care, including an assessment and admission function, to a large part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde catchment area as a component of the Board’s overall mental health services strategy.