PATNA & ST XAVIER’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Amalgamation of two local primary schools onto a shared campus with nursery and shared community

Patna & St Xavier's Primary Schools

Patna and St Xavier primary schools, which were developed in conjunction with East Ayrshire Council, amalgamates two local primary schools onto a shared campus with nursery and shared community. The design also links the new facilities to an existing library and community centre, which have been refurbished to create an integrated campus.

The design provides a main admin entrance for the school and separate entrances for library and for the community centre but there are also separate canopy covered pupil entrances. The shared facilities of science, arts, gym and dining areas are designed to be used by the community outwith school hours.

Patna and St Xavier are two stream schools that have been developed to allow both schools to continue to operate independently whilst maximising opportunities for integration through shared facilities and carefully designed external spaces.

The Education department, teachers and most importantly the children of both schools have been involved with all aspects of the design development as well as monitoring progress on site where they attended the topping out ceremony at the beginning of March.  Feedback from everyone involved in the project been extremely positive, and exemplifies how such a project can galvanise and reinvigorate the community.

The children were all delighted with their new school, especially how everywhere had lots of natural light

Head Teacher – St Xavier’s Primary School

LOCATION: AYRSHIRE

CLIENT: EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

VALUE: £8M

COMPLETION: 2012
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: HERON BROS

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: URS SCOTT WILSON
SERVICES: DAVID MCCULLOCH
COST CONSULTANT: ARMOUR CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE OFFICES

Collaboration with American architectural firm Interior Architects (IA) on a major office conversion and fit-out at HPE’s Erskine Campus

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Offices

Austin-Smith:Lord have collaborated with American architectural firm Interior Architects (IA) on a major office conversion and fit-out of assembly and storage space at HPE’s Erskine Campus.  The new office space provides a high density, high quality working environment for one of HPE new business groups which requires the full integration of ‘official sensitive’ their designated IT infrastructure.

The new office accommodates 450 desk spaces within a former warehouse shell and is subdivided in a number of work zones with a variety of centralised meeting spaces organised around a central island mezzanine.  The project also includes dedicated ancillary spaces such as tea points, pantries, toilets and admin support zones.

A new ‘grab and go’ café with additional welfare spaces built within the Campus’s main Atrium thoroughfare was also included within the overall commission.

As IA concentrate exclusively on interior architecture, ASL supported them with statutory approvals, modifications to the building fabric and the design of the external 217 car park and landscape.

Image credit: SG Photography / Overbury

LOCATION: ERSKINE

CLIENT: INTERIOR ARCHITECTS

VALUE: CONFIDENTIAL

COMPLETION: 2017
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: COMMERCIAL
CONTRACTOR: OVERBURY

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: AECOM
SERVICES: AECOM
COST CONSULTANT: BRUCE SHAW

MIGDALE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

New-build hospital on a Greenfield site in Sutherland, design to provide treatment for elderly care

Migdale Community Hospital

Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed as Lead Consultant for the NHS Highland to build a new £6.2m hospital in Bonar Bridge on a Greenfield site in Sutherland to replace Migdale Hospital.

The hospital is designed to provide treatment for elderly care and includes 22 inpatient beds, 12 of which are designed to EMI standards.

The University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre provided guidance on the hospital design and their recommendations assisted in the choice of colours, fixtures, materials and lighting strategy.

Sutherland Access Panel would like to highlight the ease of access throughout the hospital and the way that access although secure is easy to negotiate by disabled members of the community. From the time that a disabled person arrives and parks their car, the flow through the hospital is clear and easy to follow, unlike some hospitals where people need escorts to be able to find their way around. We would also like the thank those involved in the garden design as these have also been designed disabled friendly, something that most projects overlook.

A Dawson – Secretary, Sutherland Access Panel

LOCATION: BONAR BRIDGE

CLIENT: NHS HIGHLAND

VALUE: £6.2m

COMPLETION: 2011
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: HEALTHCARE
CONTRACTOR: ROBERTSON CONSTRUCTION HIGHLAND

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: SCOTT WILSON
SERVICES: HULLEY + KIRKWOOD
COST CONSULTANT: GARDINER + THEOBALD

AWARDS: 2011 NHS SCOTLAND DESIGN AWARD, COMMENDATION

BURNS WYND

These multi award-winning properties are staggered to reflect their hillside topography opening out views toward the Southern Uplands

Burns Wynd

The 13 properties at Burns Wynd, Maybole, are staggered to reflect their hillside topography opening out views toward the Southern Uplands. They consist of nine two-bedroom and four three-bedroom homes, each designed to accommodate a range of needs through features such as downstairs bathrooms. The triangular site has road frontage along the northern edge with the road rising steeply from east to west.

The steep slope makes road access into the site difficult therefore it was decided to utilise the road frontage with narrow frontage deep plan houses fronting the road, leaving the remote south corner of the site for landscaping. The change in level across the site is such that each house steps up the slope by 600mm per house.

We’ve been a regular client of A-S:L for over 10 years. At Burns Wynd, they have once again created a site specific design which belies the tight cost limits that we work to. Best of all though, the tenants are delighted with their new homes.
Jim Whiston – Director, Ayrshire Housing

I’m delighted with this the latest partnership between the Council, the Scottish Government and Ayrshire Housing. The houses have been carefully designed to meet the needs of the tenants and with energy efficiency in mind. The architects Austin-Smith:Lord and the builder Ashleigh (Scotland) have done an excellent job.
Helen Moonie – Provost of South Ayrshire

LOCATION: AYRSHIRE

CLIENT: AYRSHIRE HOUSING

VALUE: £1.3m

COMPLETION: 2014
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL
CONTRACTOR: ASHLEIGH (SCOTLAND) LTD

STRUCTURES: SCOTT BENNETT ASSOCIATES
COST CONSULTANT: POOLE DICK ASSOCIATES

AWARDS:
2014 SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARD, AFFORDABLE HOUSING
2014 SALTIRE HOUSING DESIGN AWARD
2014 CIOB GOOD BUILDING AWARD

DAN-Y-COED CHILDREN’S RESIDENTIAL & SPECIALIST SCHOOL

Group of buildings designed to expand Orbis’s care facilities for children/young adults with Autistic Spectrum Condition

Dan-y-Coed Children's Residential & Specialist School

Orbis Education & Care Group have acquired the site of Dan-y-Coed House in West Cross, Swansea. The site contains a Georgian style period property which was previously used as a training centre by the Local Authority with a 2 storey dormitory wing with activity hall, separate coach house and demountable structures all within the site boundary. The main building is of character, however is not listed or protected and has been unsympathetically extended over time.

A full scale refurbishment and extension of the existing Georgian building aims to provide the client with a school building for Autism Spectrum Condition pupils aged 5-19, a separate block of accommodation for pupils who require residential care and associated staff and office accommodation. These works aim to produce a group of buildings in which Orbis can expand their specialist provision of registered children’s care and education to children and young adults with Autistic Spectrum Condition, learning disabilities and complex sensory, social and communication difficulties.

At Orbis Group we work diligently to ensure that every child under our care has access to a socially valued and fulfilling life, irrespective of the complexity of their condition, and we are proud to be able to provide our service users with truly outstanding facilities that meet their needs. In order for our expert staff to provide the highest level of specialist education, care, and clinical support, it’s crucial to create an environment that caters to the complex requirements associated with autism. We are confident that the team at Austin-Smith:Lord will support us in transforming Dan-y-Coed House into a top-quality school and residential service for children and young people with autism.

Mike Currier – CEO, Orbis Group

LOCATION: SWANSEA

CLIENT: ORBIS EDUCATION & CARE

VALUE: £2.5m

COMPLETION: SCHEDULED 2018
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: EDUCATION /HEALTHCARE
CONTRACTOR: ANDREW SCOTT

STRUCTURES: SHEAR DESIGN
SERVICES: NEIL RICHARDS PARTNERSHIP
COST CONSULTANT: RPA

PEARCE STREET

Multi award-winning residential development for a tight urban site in the historic core of Govan, Glasgow

Pearce Street, Govan

Bield Housing Association (now Bield Housing & Care) specialises in providing homes for the elderly in Scotland. They had acquired a small tight site in the historic core of Govan, a site surrounded by A-listed buildings but adjacent to the site of now demolished former ship building yards. The height of the adjacent listed building limited development to seven storeys and required very compact economical planning to accommodate the brief for 27 flats with 69 bed spaces.

The apartments occupy a whole footprint of the site up to the ownership boundary. Consequently the North and West elevations which front the street are the only elevations where habitable rooms could be located. This is to their advantage however, as all rooms are afforded stunning views across the Clyde.

The common areas, stairs, lifts and circulation spaces are on the South elevation where windows have been recessed back from the boundary to allow extensive sun penetration into small space sitting areas. Open space is provided in a south facing logia positioned over the central boiler plant.

Using a brick similar to the common brick of the back courts and Govan’s industrial heritage, the design expresses it’s structural grid. The plain cubic brick volume and geometric simplicity provides a subtle counterpoint to the eclectic mix of styles of the surrounding 19th century architecture.

Our thanks are due to the architects Austin Smith Lord, and the rest of the design team, and to the main contractor, CCG (Scotland) Ltd, who have exceeded our expectations in developing and executing the design brief for this difficult site.

Alister McDonald – Depute Chief Executive, Bield

LOCATION: GLASGOW

CLIENT: BIELD HOUSING ASSOCIATION

VALUE: £3.2m

COMPLETION: 2010
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL
CONTRACTOR: CCG (SCOTLAND) LTD

STRUCTURES: URS SCOTT WILSON
SERVICES: DAVID R MURRAY & ASSOCIATES
COST CONSULTANT: ARMOUR CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS
SPECIALIST CONSULTANT: ARCHAEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

HAMADRYAD

Affordable housing on former hospital site located close to Cardiff Bay

HAMADRYAD

The Hamadryad Regeneration project involves the provision of high quality affordable housing on a former hospital site located close to Cardiff Bay, alongside the River Taff.

The project presented significant design challenges due to its prominent location when viewed from the Taff river corridor across open playing fields and its proximity to the Victorian, Hamadrayad Hospital building and nearby residential communities. The site also contained a number of mature trees with Tree Preservation Orders and was relatively constrained within an area of land wrapping around the retained hospital building, bounded by iron railings and mature hedges.

Our design solution was to create a high quality central courtyard space, alongside the Victorian hospital, having a shared surface to accommodate pedestrians and cars bounded by terraces of contemporary housing on two sites and a taller apartment building to the west.

The apartment building is orientated north/south and faces directly on to the river and Taff Trail cycle route. A six storey element punctuates the southwest corner and acts as a landmark when viewed from Cardiff Bay against the backdrop of Cardiff City Centre.

CCHA’s vision is ‘providing homes, regenerating communities’, and developing new affordable housing is a key way in which we achieve this. Our Hamadryad development has created 55 very desirable apartments with fantastic views across the city, which the new tenants are thrilled with.

Kevin Protheroe – Chief Executive, CCHA

LOCATION: CARDIFF

CLIENT: CCHA

VALUE: £7.4m

COMPLETION: 2017
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL
CONTRACTOR: MORGANSTONE

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: BLACKBURN GRIFFITHS
PLANNING: ASBRI PLANNING

GIRVAN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

This building set a new standard for hospital design for the NHS in Scotland

Girvan Community Hospital

Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran to provide a fitting replacement to the existing Davidson Cottage Hospital. Our brief was to create a landmark building to provide healthcare service for Girvan and its local catchment area.

The £15.2 million project was developed from the outset with the full involvement of the Client Steering Group and the Local Community. The plan for the hospital was conceived as a series of identifiable buildings unified into a cohesive whole by a curved circulation street.

The stakeholder consultation mainly involved the users. However, the community were also heavily engaged as there was a real (emotional and historical) attachment to the Davidson, the old hospital, and people were concerned about losing this from the town. 

Iain Wylie – Partner, Austin-Smith:Lord

LOCATION: GIRVAN

CLIENT: NHS AYRSHIRE & ARRAN

VALUE: £15.2m

COMPLETION: 2010
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: HEALTHCARE
CONTRACTOR: BARR CONSTRUCTION

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: SCOTT WILSON
SERVICES: RSP
COST CONSULTANT: CURRIE & BROWN

AWARDS:
2010 BUILDING BETTER HEALTHCARE AWARD – BEST SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
2010 HEALTH FACILITIES SCOTLAND AWARD – ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

LOUDOUN SQUARE

A collaboration between Cardiff City Council, Cardiff Community Housing Association, Cardiff Local Health Board and Cardiff and Vale NHS

Loudoun Square, Cardiff

The Loudoun Square regeneration project is a collaboration between Cardiff City Council, Cardiff Community Housing Association, Cardiff Local Health Board and Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust. The site is located between Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay, and was previously occupied by an existing health centre and local shops, together with a vacant area of land.

The area has been regenerated with the creation of new modern facilities to serve the local community and include a new health centre, shops, affordable homes and community facilities.

Sustainability was of paramount importance for the project, with the new Community Centre and Shops designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’. The Health Centre is the first BREEAM Excellent Health Centre in Wales. It was also awarded a Welsh BREEAM Health Care Award.

The 62 new homes are designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes – Level 4 and Level 5. To achieve these stringent environmental targets, the designs incorporate innovative strategies such as harvesting of rain water, Bio Mass fuelled heating and extensive use of ‘A’ rated insulation materials.

Given this is a mixed use scheme with a range of stakeholders, Austin-Smith:Lord’s team managed to take on board the design challenge and inputs of the users, to help deliver a high quality and functional building.

Ken Thomas – Project Consultant, CCHA

LOCATION: CARDIFF

CLIENT: CCCH / CARDIFF COUNCIL

VALUE: £13m

COMPLETION: 2014
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: CIVIC, HEALTHCARE, RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL
CONTRACTOR: LEADBITTER

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: BINGHAM HALL O’HANLAN
SERVICES: SABA CONSULT
COST CONSULTANT: DAVIS LANGDON

AWARDS:
FIRST BREEAM EXCELLENT HEALTHCARE CENTRE IN WALES
HOUSING AWARDS 2014 – UK HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

BRIDGWATER & TAUNTON COLLEGE: NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR NUCLEAR

The new BREEAM Excellent building will form the southern hub of the Government’s flagship National College for Nuclear (NCfN)

Bridgwater & Taunton National College for Nuclear (South)

Austin-Smith:Lord assisted Bridgwater College in its bid to Government for selection for the Southern Hub of the National College for Nuclear by providing a masterplan for its Cannington campus which included the proposed NCfN teaching centre, a Welfare and Recreation Centre, 100-bed student residence and a Food Innovation Centre. The College’s bid was successful and ASL were appointed to undertake the design and delivery of the flagship NCFN Southern Hub.

The new £10.5m BREEAM excellent rated facility revolutionises 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. NCFN will help plug the skills gap that exists in the nuclear industry and will further support the UK’s growing nuclear power infrastructure, closely linked to the new nuclear power station at Hinkley point.

Photos provided courtesy of Midas construction and Julian James photography

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.

Rob Firman – Lead Architect, Austin-Smith:Lord

LOCATION: CANNINGTON

CLIENT: BRIDGWATER & TAUNTON COLLEGE

VALUE: £10.5m

COMPLETION: 2018
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: MIDAS CONSTRUCTION LTD

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: ATKINS
SERVICES: ATKINS
COST CONSULTANT: HILLS

AWARDS:
2019 LABC BUILDING EXCELLENCE SW AWARD, BEST EDUCATIONAL BUILDING 
2019 SOMERSET BCP BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARD, BEST EDUCATIONAL BUILDING
2018 MICHELMORES PROPERTY AWARD, PROJECT OF THE YEAR (OVER £5M)
2018 SOUTH WEST BUILT ENVIRONMENT AWARD, DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT/INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR