Category: News

Planning approval has been granted for the new Wigan Bus Station, designed for our client Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Austin-Smith:Lord is responsible for the architecture, masterplanning and urban design of the new facility which will provide a much-needed improved concourse layout as well as new public, staff and operator facilities.

These new facilities will include a Travelshop and retail units housed within the striking building which will feature a structural roof, taking the form of a lantern or beacon, and two large roof lights adding further visual interest to the amenity.

Construction is planned to start in 2017 with an anticipated 18 month construction period.

The new Wigan Bus Station will be constructed on the site of the current bus station, close to the main shopping district and near key education establishments.

Austin-Smith:Lord Partner Richard Cronin says: “We are delighted to work with TfGM on the new Wigan Bus Station which will create a hugely improved amenity and experience for those living and working within the town as well as staff and operators.”

Wigan Bus Station is one of a number of high profile transport projects for Austin-Smith:Lord. We are also currently working with TfGM on the new £32m Tameside Interchange (Ashton-under-Lyne) and with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) on the Glasgow Subway Modernisation project. Our previous work has included GMPTE Phase 3a Metrolink in Manchester and Blackburn’s landmark railway station.

Helensburgh’s revitalised town centre public realm, designed by Austin-Smith:Lord, has won a Scottish Design Award.

The bold regeneration project, which forms part of Argyll and Bute Council’s CHORD regeneration initiative, was created to improve economic activity and enhance the visitor experience in the town by creating attractive, usable and flexible public space which can also upport community events, festivals and markets.

Completed in summer 2015, the project includes an innovative ‘Outdoor Museum’ in Colquhoun Square, the civic heart of the town, as well as the redevelopment of all of the principal surrounding streets and the West Bay Esplanade.

The award is in the Public Realm/Landscaping category of the Scottish Design Awards which rewards top architecture firms and design agencies for their contribution to the country’s historic and contemporary design culture.

The project has been short-listed for six awards to date, including the prestigious RIAS/RIBA Awards 2016, which will be announced in June. It was also recognised by short-listings in the FX International Design Awards, the Civic Trust Awards, the RICS Awards and the Scottish Property Awards.

Graham Ross, Austin-Smith:Lord Partner, says: “It is great for this project to receive such an accolade. The vast array of people involved in making this project a success should take immense satisfaction that it has received national recognition. Community consultation and collaboration was vital in taking project forward. So this Award recognises both the vision of Argyll and Bute Council’s CHORD regeneration project as well as the hopes and ideas of local people to transform their town for the better.”

Councillor Ellen Morton, Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Infrastructure, said: “This is wonderful news. We are absolutely delighted that this major improvement project continues to gain national recognition.

“Now we have an attractive, usable and flexible public space for general enjoyment and to support community events, festivals and markets.

“Awards like this are a real vote of confidence in the council’s regeneration work.”

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The full project team includes WAVEparticle, Robinson Low Francis, O’Connor Sutton Cronin and Transport Planning Ltd. The main contractor was Maclay.

Austin-Smith:Lord’s conservation team has partnered with specialist interior designer Julia Grant to bring the B Listed auditorium at The Gaiety in Ayr back to its former splendour on behalf of the Ayr Gaiety Partnership.

The restoration of the auditorium is part of a wider, £2.4 million renovation and remodeling of the historic and much-loved B Listed Gaiety, which has been made possible by funding from the Social Growth Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland and Scottish Government (People and Communities Fund).

Over the next few months, the team will re-create the colours and feel of the Edwardian auditorium which was one of the country’s most popular variety showcases in its time, welcoming a host of stars such as Sir Harry Lauder, Ken Dodd and Johnny Beattie.

Austin-Smith:Lord has delivered the architecture and interior design for the wider, two phase project which is scheduled for completion later this year.

Phase 1 of the refurbishment of The Gaiety, which is one of Scotland’s oldest theatres, included upgrading of the ticket sales area and restyling of the entrance and foyer, improvements to the bar and café area ventilation and heating together with remodelling of the kitchen and additional back of house facilities.

Phase 2, which is now underway, includes improvements to the main foyer, front and back of house technical upgrades as well as the restoration of the auditorium, which also includes improved heating, ventilation and new lighting.

David Millar, Austin-Smith:Lord Director, says: “The Ayr Gaiety Partnership has bold ambitions to redevelop The Gaiety as the leading performing arts venue in south west Scotland and encourage performing arts and culture across the town and wider South Ayrshire region. We’re thrilled to play a role in this very exciting new chapter in the life of the much-loved Gaiety.”

The Gaiety, which opened in 1902, is especially notable for its decorative Rococo interior, which will be preserved and enhanced by the current project.

Work is now underway on a £3 million healthcare centre in Swansea which Austin-Smith:Lord has designed for a partnership of developer Healthcare Property Company Wales, Brynhyfryd Surgery and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.

The new Brynhyfryd Primary Care Health Centre, which is also supported by the Welsh Government and being constructed by WRW, has been designed to meet the changing demands and increasing number of patients in Swansea.

Replacing the current Brynhyfryd Surgery, the new building will accommodate both primary care and community services to achieve better health outcomes and improved access to services from within the heart of the community.

Brynhyfryd Primary Care Health Centre, which will extend over 1,080 square metres, will include Brynhyfryd Surgery, a treatment room and support spaces for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, training space for future GPs, shared waiting space and Lewis Pharmacy.

The new facility will also include purpose-built accommodation for community nursing teams and health board-led community services as well as improved car parking and disabled parking facilities.

Martin Roe, Austin-Smith:Lord Partner, says: “We are delighted to have designed the new Brynhyfryd Primary Care Health Centre. This new, high quality, inclusive and sustainable building will make a big difference to healthcare provision in the community by being designed to be both welcoming to patients and stress-free and easy to use for both visitors and staff.”

Robert Williams, Managing Director of WRW, adds: “We are delighted to be working with Austin-Smith: Lord, Healthcare Property Company Wales and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board in delivering this high profile scheme for the community of Brynhyfryd. The new Primary Care Health Centre is an exciting development for WRW and will develop our experience and knowledge in this sector. We look forward to continuing our longstanding working relationship with Austin-Smith: Lord on this high quality scheme.”

Brynhyfryd Primary Care Health Centre, which is located on Llangyfelach Road in Swansea, is scheduled to open next year.

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Please contact Joanna Harrison (07884 187404) or  Ilya Scott (07799 416476) of Real PR with any press queries.

 

The Curve, Teesside University’s iconic new £20m flagship learning and teaching building designed by Austin-Smith:Lord has taken top honours – ‘Project of the Year’ – at the RICS 2016 Awards, North East.

The Curve also won two out of the remaining eight categories – ‘Design through Innovation’ and ‘Regeneration’.

It overcame stiff competition from over 60 of the North East’s most impressive developments to take the top award which is presented to the scheme which demonstrates overall outstanding best practice and an exemplary commitment to adding value to the local area.

Judges praised The Curve for being visually striking and offering vibrant and flexible learning space over four floors, along with a 145-seat theatre, auditorium and roof terrace as well as delivering the highest level of sustainability.

The Curve forms part of Austin-Smith:Lord’s design for the Campus Heart, which includes an extensive public realm, innovative lighting, a living wall with giant LED screen and landscaping across the newly pedestrianised campus.

Austin-Smith:Lord Partner Neil Chapman says: “We are thrilled that The Curve has been recognised with such a hotly contested and highly regarded award, Project of the Year, as well as in two subject categories which were so important in the design of this cutting edge education space and revisioning of the campus.

“The brief from Teesside University was bold. They wanted a striking building in a compelling setting, which would be both an exemplary environment for students and staff and an iconic building, to convey the University’s values and ambitions and attract students over decades to come. Austin-Smith:Lord is proud to have been involved in delivering such an outstanding project.”

Chief Operating Officer at Teesside University Malcolm Page added: “Campus Heart was the biggest programme of investment the University has undertaken and The Curve is the jewel in its crown and it’s fantastic it has been recognised as the best project in the North East.

“To continue to grow as a university and to provide a first class student experience, we have to keep investing. To receive recognition of this nature is fantastic and reinforces that the ambitious decisions we are taking are the correct ones for our students and everybody involved with Teesside University.”

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Please call Joanna Harrison at Real PR (07884 187404) with any press queries

Glasgow City Council have appointed a team led by MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord, supported by Space Syntax and a multidisciplinary team, to embark on the design of District Regeneration Frameworks for four districts of Glasgow City Centre. These Regeneration Frameworks will look to create a clear urban structure to realise Glasgow’s economic, cultural and social potential.

The project will focus on the areas comprising Broomielaw, Blythswood, St Enoch and Central as part of the city’s ambitious City Centre Strategy.

Winy Maas of MVRDV said, “We have an incredibly exciting opportunity to further elaborate Glasgow centre’s potential on every scale. For the residents it is to make the city a vibrant and exciting place to live in at this moment. But we have to look ahead as well and create the plan for a city that can adapt and change in response to whatever the future throws at it; whilst at the same time capturing and developing the identity of the city and its people and further stimulating programmatic and economic development.”

Graham Ross, Partner at Austin-Smith:Lord said, “our team is thrilled to have been appointed for this very significant project. The vitality of Glasgow city centre is of strategic national importance. There are opportunities to make small scale interventions to enhance the city for all. There are also areas that require significant transformation to address longstanding issues. We look forward to collaborating with Glaswegians, the Council and stakeholders to shape an exciting future for these Districts”

Today Glasgow’s city centre is a wonderful historical ensemble but it faces – as with many post-industrial cities – challenges including some vacant buildings, under-utilised plots, changes in retail patterns, city centre living, public open space, safety and traffic.

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The full team also includes Urban Tide, Douglas Wheeler Associates, WAVEparticle, Ryden, Arup, Gerry Grams and Gardiner + Theobald.

Please contact Ilya Scott at Real PR (07799 416476) with any press queries.

Helensburgh’s revitalised town centre public realm, which was designed by Austin-Smith:Lord, has been recognised by another national award – a short-listing in the forthcoming Scottish Design Awards which will be announced on Wednesday 25^th May.

The bold regeneration project, which forms part of Argyll and Bute Council’s CHORD regeneration initiative, was created to improve economic activity and enhance the visitor experience in the town by creating attractive, usable and flexible public space which can also support community events, festivals and markets.

Completed in summer 2015, the project includes an innovative ‘Outdoor Museum’ in Colquhoun Square, the civic heart of the town, as well as the redevelopment of all of the principal surrounding streets and the West Bay Esplanade.

The short-listing in the Public Realm/Landscaping category of the Scottish Design Awards is the sixth for the project, which has also been short-listed in the prestigious RIAS/RIBA Awards 2016, which will be announced in June, and the RICS Awards 2016 (Regeneration category), which will be announced later this month.

The project was also recognised by short-listings in the FX International Design Awards, the Civic Trust Awards and the Scottish Property Awards.

Graham Ross, Austin-Smith:Lord Partner, says: “We are thrilled with the national recognition this transformational project in Helensburgh has received. Community consultation was key to the project so these short-listings recognise both the vision of Argyll and Bute Council’s dynamic CHORD regeneration project as well as the hopes and ideas of the local community.”

We are delighted to announce the opening of our new Bristol Studio in the 77StokesCroft creative hub. This new studio is a key milestone in the growth plans of the practice, and will be led by Partner Martin Roe along with returning Austin-Smith:Lord architect Murtaza Rizvi.

From the new Bristol Studio we aim to build on our existing relationships and a number of exciting projects recently won in the South-West region. These projects include design of a state of the art digital media building for the University of the West of England; and, following on from the recently completed Performing Arts Centre, Agriculture Innovation Centre and Biosecurity Centre, commissions to design three further new buildings for Bridgwater College.

We have also been selected to design a new business school for the University of Gloucestershire and are currently on site with a Grade II listed conservation project for Bristol City Council.

Martin Roe, Austin-Smith:Lord Partner and Bristol Studio Principal, says “We are delighted to open a studio in Bristol and play a growing role in supporting the economic, social and environmental success of the South-West, building upon the portfolio of projects we have successfully completed in the region over many years.

“During that time we have established a strong network of clients, co-consultants and contractors and opening a Bristol Studio enables us to expand our ability to deliver our national expertise and experience through local offices and people.

“Austin-Smith:Lord was established in 1949 as a creative collective. In practice, this means that each Studio draws on expertise across a wide range of sectors including transport and infrastructure, education, urban regeneration, arts and culture, conservation, landscape and urban design.

“We look forward to bringing this energy, creativity and expertise to a wide variety of exciting projects across the region from the new Bristol Studio.”

This new studio will also draw on the wide-ranging expertise of the national creative collective based in studios in London, Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow.

Austin-Smith:Lord’s Cardiff Studio has had one of its most successful years, securing a raft of new business contracts with a total construction value of over £90m.

This has enabled us to expand our local operations and undertake a significant employment programme, adding experienced project architects and new graduates to our ‘creative collective’ of talented staff.

New contracts in Wales include two affordable housing developments with a construction value of £20m for Cardiff Community Housing Association; the new £13m Sports Complex on the Cyncoed Campus at Cardiff Metropolitan University; and the development of proposals for the new £11m Aberdare Campus at Coleg y Cymoedd. The practice has recently delivered the £23m Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo and is currently working on a further £45m of school designs.

Martin Roe, Austin-Smith:Lord Partner and Cardiff Studio Principal, says “We are delighted to expand our role in supporting the economic, social and environmental success of Wales and it is extremely encouraging to see not only a continuation of investment in vital facilities such as schools, colleges and affordable housing projects, but also a growing commitment amongst clients towards high quality, sustainable design.

“We look forward to delivering our nationally recognised expertise across a wide range of sectors, from transport and infrastructure, education and urban regeneration through to arts and culture, conservation, landscape and urban design, to more exciting projects in this region over coming years.”