Competition-winning design for the heart of Teesside University’s campus
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- TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY: THE CURVE
Teesside University: The Curve & Campus Heart
The Curve is a competition-winning design for the heart of Teesside University’s campus. Our winning entry envisaged a central piazza, the Campus Heart, defined by two dynamic complementary buildings, The Curve and a new conference centre, and further framed by the existing library and students union building.
The Curve is now the centre piece of the University’s campus and has been a regenerative spur for both the University and the wider community. There are three floors of collaborative general teaching spaces. A new Vice Chancellor’s Suite occupies the upper two floors with a boardroom, conference facilities and office space commanding panoramic views across the city and campus, including the iconic Tees Transporter Bridge.
The Curve is a stunning building and the campus as a whole has been transformed – it is completely unrecognisable compared with how it looked 18 months ago. The Curve and Campus Heart signal an exciting new chapter for Teesside University, providing state of the art learning and teaching facilities as well as an environment for students, stakeholders and the whole community to be proud of.
Malcom Page, Chief Operating Officer – Teesside University
CLIENT: TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY
COMPLETION: 2016
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: BAM CONSTRUCTION
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: HALCROW
SERVICES: HALCROW
COST CONSULTANT: SUMMERS INMAN
AWARDS:
2016 RICS NE AWARDS – BUILDING OF THE YEAR
2016 RICS NE AWARDS – REGENERATION
2016 RICS NE AWARDS – DESIGN THROUGH INNOVATION
The new extension is a highly sustainable, BREEAM Excellent building.
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- LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
University of Liverpool School of Management
The Management School at the University of Liverpool is successful and highly regarded. Student numbers are increasing rapidly. To meet this demand, Austin-Smith:Lord were commissioned in October 2013 to develop the management school to accommodate 450 additional students by re-organising and extending the existing facilities.
The project vision was to embrace modern methods of teaching in a state-of-the-art new facility that encourages collaborative and social learning. The accommodation also includes a case pit for debate and discussion and a trading floor.
The new extension is a highly sustainable, BREEAM Excellent building.
The University of Liverpool has a distinguished architectural history. The best buildings on the campus are confident expressions of their age. The pieces form a coherent whole by respecting the context. The vision for the new extension as the third component in the evolution of the Management School is to modernise, raise the profile and rebrand to meet market expectations.
Adam Sunderland, Lead Architect, Austin-Smith:Lord
CLIENT: UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
COMPLETION: 2016
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE, INTERIORS
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: ULCCO SP
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: SUTCLIFFES
SERVICES: STEVEN A HUNT + ASSOCIATES
COST CONSULTANT: YOUDAN BRIGGS LTD
Multi award-winning, BREEAM excellent distillery
Diageo planned to build the first major distillery in Scotland for 30 years and most environmentally friendly, significantly cutting the traditional distillery carbon footprint through innovation. The aim was a BREEAM Excellent-rated building designed and built within a challenging timeframe. Given clearance in February 2007, the deadline for completion was January 2009.
We worked closely with engineers AECOM to accommodate evolving designs whilst maintaining continuous construction on-site. The building is a modern interpretation of the traditional still house, and maximises natural ventilation and daylight.
It is four storeys high, the mass broken up by expressing the
three key elements of the distillation process externally: the timber-clad barrel envelope with its full-height glazed gable houses the 14 stills, the central accommodation block contains the two big mash tuns, and the industrial profiled metal clad tun room holds the 14 fermentation tanks.
The £40m, 3,000 m2 site opened on time, and achieved its Excellent BREEAM rating. It is a landmark building for both Diageo and the whisky industry on the international stage, and an important site for Diageo to engage its customers and other stakeholders complete with a conference room whose frosted glass turns transparent at the flick of a switch, revealing panoramic views of the stills.
The result is a distillery that fulfils in its potential as a heroic, even a sublime, building type
The Architect’s Journal
CLIENT: DIAGEO DISTILLING LTD
COMPLETION: 2009
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: INDUSTRY + INFRASTRUCTURE
CONTRACTOR: ROK
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: AECOM
SERVICES: AECOM
COST CONSULTANT: SUMMERS INMAN
AWARDS:
2010 SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARD
RICS SCOTLAND AWARD: SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR
RICS SCOTLAND AWARD: OVERALL PROJECT OF THE YEAR
SCOTTISH CIVIC TRUST COMMENDATION
2013 BUSINESSGREEN LEADERS AWARD: RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Redesign of this 17-stance bus station through to completion
Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed in September 2009 to undertake a feasibility study for the redevelopment of Hamilton Bus Station and through a competitive tendering process were retained to develop the design of the 17 stance bus station to completion.
The project also included a pedestrian concourse, internal waiting, ticket office, toilets, staff facilities and provision for a 118sqm retail unit and reconfiguration of adjoining car park and associated road access network.
As a Client I was impressed with how Austin-Smith:Lord quickly fully understood the Client requirement and priorities to ensure a successful conclusion to the project.
Gordon Ramsay – Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
There were several client variations which prolonged the design process. ASL worked well with B&K to address design issues in accordance with the agreed timescales.
Neil Shaw – Bowmer & Kirkland
COMPLETION: 2013
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: TRANSPORT
CONTRACTOR: BOWMER + KIRKLAND LTD
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: AECOM
SERVICES: AECOM
COST CONSULTANT: TURNER + TOWNSEND
A new mixed-use commercial complex on Ardrossan Quayside.
Ardrossan Quayside Commercial Complex
Irvine Bay Regeneration Company appointed Austin-Smith:Lord to masterplan and design a new mixed-use commercial complex on Ardrossan Quayside. This forms part of the national regeneration priority to transform the North Ayrshire towns of Irvine, Kilwinning, Saltcoats, Ardrossan and Stevenston.
The new facility aims to enhance the existing sense of place at a key gateway to Ayrshire, Arran and the Firth of Clyde. It also provides a convivial place for work and leisure where synergies between the marina, offices, boatyard, chandlery, and the (future) hotel, aim to create a thriving destination catering for visitors arriving by land and sea. The development has been designed to be implemented in phases, as an integral mixed use complex, comprising offices, retail, cafe/restaurant/bar and a hotel; the hotel building will be developed separately.
The completed building has been designed to maximise the wonderful setting with stunning views across the Firth, whilst offering dry and wet weather facilities which will be attractive to sailors, day-trippers, tourists, businesses and, critically, residents of the town and local area. The development also addresses the client’s aspirations for the Commercial Complex to incorporate cost effective innovation, sustainability and where relevant green technology.
The offices are naturally ventilated with views to and from the harbour exploited by the clear floor plates and continuous glazed façades. A simple palette of materials have been used (brick and curtain walling) carefully chosen to acknowledges the adjacent historical power house, recently converted into an Italian Restaurant, and to provide a striking and robust modern building within its quayside context.
CLIENT: IRVINE BAY REGENERATION CO
COMPLETION: 2015
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: COMMERCIAL
CONTRACTOR: ASHLEIGH
STRUCTURES: WILL RUDD DAVIDSON
SERVICES: RSP CONSULTING ENGINEERS
COST CONSULTANT: FAITHFUL + GOULD
Plans for delivery of a 21st Century world class airport rail link between Glasgow Central Station and Glasgow Airport
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- GLASGOW AIRPORT RAIL LINK
Glasgow Airport Rail Link
The project started with a best practice study which looked at international examples of airport terminals, rail stations, canopies, concourse and platform designs to inform how a 21st century world class facility should be delivered.
The objective of this project was to deliver a successful fixed heavy rail link between Glasgow Central and Glasgow Airport with a target opening year of 2010. The project involved an economic evaluation of the proposed link, development of all aspects of the design, preparation of detailed estimates and undertaking appropriate public consultation.
We developed a scheme which is technically robust; delivers a high level of operational performance; is costed reliably to Network Rail Level 4 accuracy; is environmentally acceptable; achieves public support; and is buildable without excessive disruption to the operation of the existing rail service, airport operations, the M8 and other highways or the area through which the new link will pass.
The plans for the delivery of a 21st century world class airport rail link between Glasgow Central Station and Glasgow Airport involved economic evaluation of the proposed link, development of all aspects of the design, preparation of detailed estimates, public consultation and design for a new station at Glasgow Airport.
CLIENT: SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE / SPT
COMPLETION: 2007
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: TRANSPORT
LANDSCAPE: ASH DESIGN
STRUCTURES: FABER MAUNSELL
SERVICES: FABER MAUNSELL
Conservation and refurbishment of the category A Listed Town Hall
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- PAISLEY TOWN HALL REFURBISHMENT
Paisley Town Hall Refurbishment
Austin-Smith:Lord’s conservation accredited architects were appointed by Renfrewshire Council in late 2011 to undertake essential repairs and improvements to the category A Listed Town Hall, ahead of the 2013 Gaelic MOD.
The brief was to create a high class reception foyer and arrival space and to include a new front entrance ramp and stair arrangement that would respect DDA legislation and create a
true sense of arrival at the entrance to this landmark building in Paisley.
The project also addressed the urgent need to undertake the repair and re-instatement of missing masonry balusters at the wallhead, together with essential external fabric repairs to slate and lead areas of the roof under the assistance of building grant support from Historic Scotland.
ASL Performed well in their capacity and were able to bring real and valuable expertise to bear in the identification and packaging of works. Throughout, their officers have embraced the complexity of the refurbishment approach and have been diligent and professional In the hands of a less experienced consultant, the development would have been at considerable risk but ASL’s helpful and collaborative approach has ensured the project will be successfully delivered at the end of this summer. ASL have shown an aptitude for working on this major project, under considerable public scrutiny, and we would welcome working with them in the future.
Neil Watson – Projects Manager, Renfrewshire Council
CLIENT: RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL
COMPLETION: 2013
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, CONSERVATION
SECTOR: ARTS & CULTURE, CIVIC
CONTRACTOR: CBC
STRUCTURES: URS
SERVICES: URS
COST CONSULTANT: ALLAN + HANEL
LISTING: CATEGORY A
Forms part of a wider portfolio of work carried out by Austin-Smith:Lord for Transport for Greater Manchester
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- SALFORD CENTRAL STATION
Salford Station should have been servicing central Manchester more so that any of its rivals based on location, but no. It was avoided by passengers, hardly used in comparison, not even known by many. With no street presence, poor lighting, poor disabled access, and fraught access generally, it was a station in neglect. Our brief was to change that.
We approached the project from a broader, masterplanning context. As the city centre, through the Spinningfields development, expanded to meet it, we could show the station’s value from a regeneration standpoint and were able to help our client GMPTE benefit from £1.5m funding from the European
Regional Development Fund: a significant proportion of the overall £5m budget.
The initial work claimed a well-lit beacon-style presence at street level by encasing a large area in a glass foyer, currently serving to take the pressure off the upper floor, later to house the ticket office. The access has been transformed for the disabled, including a new ticket counter and toilet; with the general access widened, congestion is reduced. Greater use means the station opens later at night. Regeneration is taking place already adjacent to the station, which in turn will justify further phases of work. The positive spiral has begun.
Salford now has a safer, more accessible and modern station. There are improved ticket buying facilities and better links to bus and taxi facilities, to make it even easier for people to travel. Improvements like this encourage more people to use the rail network.
Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP on opening the station
The team provided excellent service resulting in an excellent design and an excellent building in use
Peter Boulton – Head of Programme Management Services, GMPTE
CLIENT: SALFORD CITY COUNCIL / TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER / NETWORK RAIL
COMPLETION: 2008
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: TRANSPORT
CONTRACTOR: MURPHY
STRUCTURES: AECOM
SERVICES: MOUCHEL PARKMAN
COST CONSULTANT: GLEEDS
SPECIALIST CONSULTANT (GEOTECHNICS + TECHNOLOGY): MOUCHEL PARKMAN
Limited design competition for the new Stoke bus station
Austin-Smith:Lord was one of six architectural practices invited to participate in a limited design competition for the new Stoke bus station. The new bus station is not only an opportunity to improve transport connections but will also play a vital role in the regeneration of the cultural and civic quarter of Hanley, establishing a link to an improved public realm and commercial district.
The design takes inspiration from the culture and heritage of the local pottery industry in the form of a sweeping shell-canopy that responds to the movements and flows of its context to provide an uplifting space as well as shelter for transport users. The architectural concept is based on large-span shell structures with a limited number of contact points on the ground.
CLIENT: STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL
COMPLETION: 2010
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: TRANSPORT, URBAN REGENERATION
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: CURTINS
SERVICES: CURTINS
COST CONSULTANT: GLEEDS
SPECIALIST CONSULTANT (TRANSPORT): JMP
This centre is a signal of Wales’ intent to provide a modern emergency service to the community
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- STRATEGIC COORDINATION CENTRE
Strategic Coordination Centre
Austin-Smith:Lord’s first commission under the Government’s Buying Solutions Framework, the Strategic Coordination Centre for Dyfed Powys Police, was one of the most rapid projects the Practice has ever delivered. Appointment was at the end of October 2009 and a Planning Application was submitted in mid-December, with construction commencing in April 2010 and completion achieved in September 2011.
The Strategic Coordination Centre provides a modern emergency service and protects the public in civil emergencies or major incidents, in addition to providing an important base for Police and multi-agency training.
Political and economic pressures created tight project timescale but we rose to the challenge; meeting all timescale and budget targets whilst producing a high quality, critically acclaimed building.
From the outset the design team and client worked closely to develop the project brief and agree the concept design. It was important that the building reflected its status in its appearance, being of a suitable quality and aesthetic and incorporating a variety of sustainable features. The design was developed to create clarity and legibility of the overall concept in plan and 3 dimensional forms and is configured in an ‘H’ shape, with the two wings of accommodation slipped relative to one another. The building is set on a North-West/South-East main axis, with the principal elevations facing to open aspects, maximizing views out and daylight penetration in.
I was very satisfied with the level and quality of the Architectural Services provided by Austin-Smith:Lord throughout the whole of the project period
Perry Simpson – Capital Projects Manager, Dyfed Powys Police
CLIENT: DYFED POWYS POLICE
COMPLETION: 2011
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: CIVIC
CONTRACTOR: WRW CONSTRUCTION
LANDSCAPE: MOTT MACDONALD
STRUCTURES: MOTT MACDONALD
SERVICES: MOTT MACDONALD
COST CONSULTANT: FRANKLIN + ANDREWS
AWARDS:
2012 LABC CYMRU AWARDS, BEST SUSTAINABLE BUILDING + BEST COMMERCIAL BUILDING OVER £5M
