The Grade II* Listed Church and Friary of St Francis, designed by the acclaimed Victorian architect, Edward Pugin, for the Franciscan Order, was listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the ‘Hundred Most Endangered Monuments’ in the world. Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed as architects, conservation architects and landscape designers for the project which restored and extended the near derelict building.

The restored Monastery building now houses a commercially run visitor, conference and events centre incorporating an education and training suite. It was completed in 2007 and has been the recipient of many awards including a Civic Trust Commendation.

The dedication of Austin-Smith:Lord has been one of the main factors that has enabled our project to survive.

Elaine Griffiths – Project Director, Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust

Austin-Smith:Lord’s masterplan for a new Cultural Quarter in Guildford town centre includes the design of the RIBA Award winning G-Live Concert Hall and entertainment venue. In addition, part of the development is a new 4*, 185-bedroom Guildford Radisson Edwardian Hotel for which Austin-Smith:Lord was the concept design architect.

The G-Live venue opened to the public in 2012. It comprises a flexible multi-purpose auditorium, flexible studio rehearsal space, conference and seminar rooms, a café, bars and foyer space. The venue provides a focus for cultural events in the evening and is an important social hub and meeting place during the day.

We’ve had lots of compliments about the building and how well people think it will work operationally, so many thanks for your achievement! Everyone who has had any dealings with the venue thus far has commented how attractive and user friendly the design is.

Jim Miles, Director, Guildford Borough Council

Austin-Smith:Lord was commissioned by Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust to carry out the conservation and restoration of Llanelly House in Llanelli. The aims of the project were to restore the Grade I Listed Georgian Town House to its 18th Century glory and turn it into a major visitor attraction. The listing of the building at Grade I reflects its importance in Britain on a national scale.

The restoration of Llanelly House was undertaken around a high quality programme of conservation and restoration that has drawn from and enriched the communities of Llanelli.

Project funders included the HLF, ERDF, Cadw, Llanelli Town Centre, Carmarthenshire County Council and GrantScape.

We are delighted with the high quality of conservation that has been achieved at Llanelly House and the central role that ASL’s team played in achieving this.

Claire Deacon – Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust

Austin-Smith:Lord was commissioned to design a new monastery for the Carmelite Sisters in Liverpool. The layout embodies the daily cycle of prayer, manual labour, communal mealtimes and private reflection.

The design is a modern interpretation of the monastic tradition. Silence and light articulates the architecture which is calm, ordered and uplifting.

The community includes a chapel, cloister, refectory, community room, library, workspaces, guest house, 24 cells, 2 hermitage cells and 6 fully accessible infirmary cells. As a home it is comfortable and modest, befitting the Carmelite philosophy.

Image copyright retained by SG Photography Ltd

Many architects were considered for this project and following an extensive selection process, Austin-Smith:Lord were chosen as a firm who embodied the vision, skill and standards of service that were a key requirement of the project. We have worked very closely with Austin-Smith:Lord over three years and have found their innovation in design refreshing, the attention to detail meticulous and the support and ability to work with other design team members refreshing. 

Peter Brack- Hardie Brack Chartered Surveyors

Austin-Smith:Lord was commissioned to design a new extension to the existing estate of facilities operated by Birmingham Hippodrome in the centre of the city.

The development provides a new dance studio and changing facilities for professional and community use, office space for One Dance UK; the national body for dance, meeting spaces, a reception and a kitchenette.

The extension, on the roof of the existing Birmingham Royal Ballet Headquarters building, together with the Hippodrome, DanceXchange and Birmingham Royal Ballet forms a coherent suite of facilities for the Dance Community in Birmingham and the greater West Midlands area.

The architectural plans for the Dance Hub in Birmingham look very exciting. This collaborative space certainly promises to provide something special. It is great to see that the city has taken this opportunity to further accelerate the West Midlands’ reputation as an international leader in the most inclusive of art forms. This looks to be a great addition to the region’s thriving cultural offer.

Peter Knott – Area Director, Arts Council England