Planning permission has been granted for a landmark new Business School and Growth Hub building at the University of Gloucestershire’s Oxstalls campus.  Designed by Austin-Smith:Lord,  the building reflects the success of the existing Business School and the projected expansion of students enrolling in forthcoming years.

In addition to being the new home for the University’s Business School, which is currently located in Cheltenham, the flagship building will provide expanded space and facilities for the Growth Hub which is already based at Oxstalls.

Growth Hub is a partnership between the University of Gloucestershire and GFirst LEP to provide start-up businesses support and expertise to help businesses to grow. Since its opening in October 2014, the Growth Hub has welcomed 7,000 visitors, and is working with over 500 high growth/high value businesses.

The new 5500m2 building will incorporate a trading room (to simulate a trading floor); moot court; innovative collaborative lecture theatre and a social learning space.

Neil Farquhar of architects, Austin-Smith:Lord said: “As a flagship building for the University, the design of the exterior seeks to be bold and dynamic in appearance, with sharp, clean lines to give prominence and presence in a location that is relatively discreet.

“The internal design has been developed to maximise visual and spatial interconnectivity between spaces and from inside to outside, to align with the objectives of the University pedagogy.”

Externally, the building will feature metal cladding; insulated render; aluminium framed curtain walling and European oak timber cladding.

The key focal point of the scheme is a triple height atrium space, with generous rooflights and clerestorey lighting; distinctive curved balcony fronts; extensive glazed screens providing a high degree of transparency and interconnectivity and a feature stair wrapping between levels.

The design has been developed to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating.

Duncan White, Executive Director of Estates Strategy at the University of Gloucestershire commented: “Austin-Smith:Lord have worked well alongside a challenging client to deliver an outstanding design that we are all looking forward to acting as a new home for the Business School and Growth Hub and a catalyst for future planned investment at our Gloucester campus.”

The goal of the new building is to bring business education, applied research, economic development, and business support services all together under one roof, with benefits for students, businesses and the wider community in Gloucestershire and beyond.

The planning permission includes additional car parking, landscaping and a redesign of the Cheltenham Road/Oxstalls Lane junction.

The Business School and Growth Hub will be one of a series of developments taking place at the Oxstalls Campus, which include new student residences and a sports complex, all planned for completion during 2018.

A two year project to bring the handsome Grade II listed Lower Lodge Gatehouse, which was originally the main entrance to Bristol’s Ashton Court Estate, back to its former glory has completed.

The restoration of the Gothic revival Lower Lodge, which was formerly on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register, was led by Austin-Smith:Lord on behalf of client Bristol City Council.

Situated within the Bower Ashton Conservation Area and on one of Bristol’s busiest gateways, the A370, Lower Lodge has also been given a new lease of life as a community hub and heritage learning centre. The new centre will be managed by Ashton Park School.

Lower Lodge is the last of the five estate lodges to be restored by Bristol City Council through grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and funds raised by Bristol Buildings Preservation Trust.

The gatehouse was conceived in 1805 by Sir John Hugh Smyth, one of Bristol’s largest and wealthiest landowners, as part of his ambitious plans to update Ashton Court Mansion as a Gothic showpiece.

Built by Henry Wood, the fanciful Gothic Lower Lodge, which originally opened onto a sweeping drive leading up to the Mansion, has a castellated bathstone exterior and heraldic entrance.

Original features include the wrought-iron gates and bell pull, which together evoke the period of carriages and servants at the time of construction.

Other original features retained and restored include the stone flagged floors and stairs, plastered vaulted ceiling and Gothic doors.

Martin Roe, Partner, Austin-Smith:Lord says:“As the main town gatehouse to the Ashton Court Mansion and Estate in the early nineteenth century, Lower Lodge has a fascinating story to tell. We are very proud to have been able to play a role in retaining the important historic character of Lower Lodge and ensuring that visitors can discover and immerse themselves in this story for many, many years to come.”

Stephen Ashman, Building Practice Team Manager and Project Executive, Bristol City Council, adds:

“Austin-Smith:Lord has done an amazing job, transforming a derelict building into a stunning, usable space that will give much delight to both the school and the community and secure its future for many years to come.”

Ashton Court Estate was home to the Smyth family for 500 years up until 1959, when it was purchased by Bristol City Council.

Two Austin-Smith:Lord projects have been shortlisted in the international BREEAM Awards which celebrate ground-breaking sustainable building design – South Lanarkshire College’s Low Carbon Teaching Building and Ysgol Ffwrnes Primary School.

Both projects have been short-listed in the Education & Health category of the BREEAM Awards which recognise the achievement of those involved in the specification, design, construction and management of the ‘best of the best’ BREEAM certified buildings.

The projects achieved two of the highest scores internationally in 2017.

Ysgol Ffwrnes Primary School in Llanelli, which was designed and built for Carmarthenshire County Council, was the first primary school in Wales to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating, at design stage.

Judges short-listed the project, which achieved a BREEAM score of 85.9%, for pushing beyond the BREEAM rating of Excellent required by the Welsh Government to become an exemplar for future school buildings.

South Lanarkshire College’s Low Carbon Teaching Building was the first project in the UK to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating for the design stage under the 2014 standards. The building achieved a score of 90.4% at both design and post-construction.

In addition to Solar PVs, an energy-efficient external envelope, and a ground source heat pump, innovative features include solar chimneys; recycled paper insulation; re-used cycle racks from the Commonwealth Games and an integrated bicycle repair station.

Austin-Smith:Lord Partner, Iain Wylie commented “We’re delighted to be short-listed for these two trailblazing projects. Both exemplify our passion for sustainability and expertise in applying exciting new technologies to relevant projects across the varied sectors we work within.”

The 2017 BREEAM Awards will be announced on 7^th March.

We are delighted to be working with Bell Building Projects Ltd on a new contract award for Glasgow Clyde College at their Langside Campus. 

The project involves the construction of a 585 sq.m Horticulture Teaching Block with associated offices, external works and existing car park reconfiguration. 

We look forward to working closely with project partners Bell Building Projects and Will Rudd Davidson Engineers. Glasgow Clyde College is represented by Mott MacDonald (PM) and Currie & Brown (QS).

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Inette Austin-Smith, whom along with her husband Mike, was one of the founding Partners of Austin-Smith:Lord.  Until recent health prevented it, Inette kept in close contact with the Practice, as she has across many generations of the Partnership, and retained a keen interest in our work and in architecture generally. 

Inette truly was a remarkable lady and so very highly thought of not only over the many generations of the Partnership but within the wider architectural community. 

The current Partners and all at Austin-Smith:Lord would like to pass on our sincere condolences to Inette’s family and friends. 

A new low carbon teaching building designed by Austin-Smith:Lord, which was the first in the UK to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating under the BREEAM (2014) design and construction assessment process, has been awarded a prestigious Green Gown Award. These awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives that are being undertaken by universities, colleges and the learning and skills sectors across the UK and Ireland.

The South Lanarkshire College Low Carbon Teaching Building was successful in the Built Environment category with Judges commenting: “It has inspired students and other users to adopt more sustainable behaviours and approaches, reflecting the College’s philosophy to “mainstream sustainability”.

In addition to Solar PVs, an energy-efficient external envelope, and a ground source heat pump, innovative features include solar chimneys; recycled paper insulation; re-used cycle racks from the Commonwealth Games and an integrated bicycle repair station.

This is a step change in design to produce a low-energy, low-carbon, low-resource building, informed by helpful lessons learned from the College’s own award-winning, low-energy, low-carbon house initiative.”

Meanwhile, pupils have started to occupy a new £30 million secondary school in Carmarthenshire designed by the firm which has been rated BREEAM excellent at design stage.

The Bro Dinefwr school at Ffairfach near Llandeilo will cater for 1,200 pupils in the area, including a 200-pupil sixth form and a 30-place specialist provision for children with additional learning needs. It was delivered in partnership with the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools programme.

Austin-Smith:Lord Partner, Iain Wylie commented: “These education projects reflect the integrated approach to sustainability that we apply to all our work across different sectors of the built environment. With each new project, we develop our knowledge and expertise in passive sustainable design, embracing and incorporating the latest technologies, where appropriate.”

Austin-Smith:Lord, in collaboration with Dutch architecture and planning practice MVRDV, has organised a lecture by MVRDV’s Winy Maas in Glasgow on Tuesday 7th February 2016 from 6pm-8.30pm.

MVRDV is the Dutch architecture and planning practice involved in the transformation of Glasgow city centre. But who are these Dutch architects and what is their philosophy?

MVRDV’s founding partner Winy Maas will explain the working methods and scope of the practice driven by the faith in technologic innovation and the warnings of the Club of Rome regarding the end of resources. How to create an intimate city, how to build a boutique made of glass bricks, how to stack Dutch landscapes and how to advance research in a nano-tech that might one day replace concrete as a construction material. In-between, parallels are drawn with Glasgow and its current development.

This lecture will take place in one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the city: The Glasgow City Free Church on St. Vincent Street. The church is an Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson masterpiece. Built in 1859 it is widely regarded as one of the finest neo-Classical churches in the world. Austin-Smith:Lord’s Glasgow studio is located on St Vincent Street, directly opposite the church.

On the night we would invite attendees to make a donation to the Glasgow City Free Church, to cover their costs for hosting the event and for the upkeep of the famous church.

Prof. Winy Maas’s lecture will commence at 18.30.

REGISTER HERE

MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord, supported by a multidisciplinary team, have recently been commissioned by Glasgow City Council to develop with stakeholders and local communities, Regeneration Frameworks for four districts within the City Centre. Entitled (Y)our City Centre this project is progressing throughout 2017. This exciting opportunity will focus on districts of Broomielaw, Blythswood, St Enoch and Central as detailed in the Glasgow City Centre Strategy and Action Plan 2014-2019. Further information is available at www.yourcitycentre.com

Austin-Smith:Lord has been appointed to design two new buildings for the award-winning Bridgwater & Taunton College in Somerset, as part of the College’s strategy to deliver world class facilities and curricula to address the need for higher level skills regionally, nationally and internationally.

One of the new buildings will form the southern hub of the Government’s flagship National College for Nuclear (NCfN), which was announced earlier this year and is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with additional finance coming from the Heart of the South West LEP.

Due to open in November 2017, the NCfN building will revolutionise the way in which higher level professional and technical training for the nuclear sector is delivered, utilising innovative technology and virtual reality simulators to replicate a nuclear working environment, whether in nuclear new build/operation/decommissioning, defence or medicine.

Austin-Smith:Lord has also designed the College’s Advanced Engineering Centre (currently under construction), which is based at its Bridgwater Centre and planned for completion in the summer of 2017. The number of engineering students at the College has seen a five-fold increase in the past five years, and it is now widely recognised as a centre of excellence for the sector, with clients that include EDF Energy, Rolls-Royce and the Ministry of Defence.

Both facilities will be set up with industry-standard equipment and resources to replicate, as far as possible, a ‘live’ working environment. By enabling learners to see and understand workplace safety, cultures and behaviours alongside job-specific skills, the College is able to deliver work-ready graduates who are fully inducted in the requirements of a licensed site and fully understand the expectations of the world of work.

Lead architect, Rob Firman of Austin-Smith:Lord commented: “This has been an exciting and innovative project. The NCfN is destined to play a critical part in the Government’s workforce strategy for nuclear, and as such does not conform to traditional educational designs, which have changed little for centuries. With wi-fi throughout, and advanced simulator technology, this College will completely transform the way in which professional and technical training is delivered.”

Our appointment follows our recent completion of the College’s Performing Arts Centre, Agriculture Innovation Centre and Biosecurity Centre.

A regeneration project, designed by Austin-Smith:Lord on behalf of Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and North Ayrshire Council, to enhance Saltcoats Town Centre, North Ayrshire, and help boost the town’s economy is now underway.

Austin-Smith:Lord is leading the design team on the Saltcoats Town Centre Public Realm project which will create a new, improved public realm on Countess Street, the strategic artery which links the town’s main railway station on Vernon Street with a key retail area on Dockhead Street.

As well as linking the railway station, retail area and seafront, the enhancements to this ‘gateway’ street will create an improved environment for the Town Hall.

A feature of Countess Street since the 1890’s, the Town Hall reopened in early 2016 as a vibrant new community and civic hub following a £3.7m redevelopment.

The Saltcoats Town Centre Public Realm project is part of the Saltcoats Town Regeneration Plan, which is, in turn, part of the visionary masterplan for the five towns making up the Irvine Bay area.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, local member for the Saltcoats and Stevenston ward and Cabinet Member for Place, said: “These public realm works mark another major milestone in a vitally-important regeneration project for the town of Saltcoats.

“The town hall and Countess Street are central to the history of the town, and their revival is something the local community has long wished to see.

“It’s been wonderful to witness the heart of the town being returned to its former glory – the town hall is once again bustling with activity and has quickly become a popular and stunning wedding venue.

“The new public realm works on Countess Street will enhance the environment outside the town hall and we all look forward to seeing these improvements progressing.”

Patrick Wiggins, Chief Executive of Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, added: “We are delighted this project is now underway. This kind of public realm work brings genuine improvements and significant opportunities, as evidenced by the positive impact of work in both Kilwinning and Irvine.  Irvine Bay continues to work with its partners to deliver a strong and lasting legacy of improved physical infrastructure for the five towns, along with job creation and increased business opportunities.”

Siobhan Vernon, Associate at Austin-Smith:Lord, concluded: “We are proud to be working with Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and North Ayrshire Council on creating this high quality public realm which will help animate Saltcoats town centre to the benefit of local citizens, businesses and visitors now and into the future.”

The new convivial urban space which will feature high quality public realm, streetscape and lighting improvements, will encourage community and civic activity, support the increased footfall to the newly refurbished Town Hall and create an attractive setting for weddings and other events set within the revitalised building.

The project, which was informed by a local consultation, will also benefit the retail, office, leisure and residential inhabitants of Countess Street.

Building upon the success of the initial phase of regeneration activity associated with the Town Hall and the refurbishment of the old station building on Vernon Street, the project will take approximately 26 weeks to construct and is expected to complete in Spring 2017.

The full team includes:

Mechanical & Electrical Engineers: Harley Haddow
Civil & Structural Engineers: Harley Haddow
Cost Consultant: Neilson Partnership
Transport Consultant: Transport Planning Ltd
Art Strategy: WaveParticle
Main Contractor: Land Engineering