Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed as Lead Designer for the £10m new build, RIBA Award winning Cardiff School of Art & Design, which is the second major phase of development at the campus following the RIBA Award winning Cardiff School of Management.

The internationally recognised School is now able deliver all its courses and develop its research in a modern facility that brings together all of its interests in fine art, ceramics, product design, illustration, making, graphic communication, textiles and architectural design and technology.

We assisted the client in developing the design brief and we produced a number of design options to suit the constrained site. An options appraisal was carried out, with the preferred option developed through to a successful planning submission.

The client’s aspiration was for an inherently simple to use and low energy building, delivering a high quality piece of design befitting of the School of Art & Design and raising the profile of the Llandaff campus.

Austin-Smith:Lord are our Architects for our completed Management School and our new Art Facility currently being constructed at our Llandaff campus. On both projects they have been pro-active and a pleasure to work with from inception to completion of the project(s).

Ian Jones – Head of Property Services, Cardiff Metropolitan University

The £13 million Cardiff School of Management building is the first phase of a redevelopment master-plan for Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Llandaff Campus. It provides purpose designed accommodation for a total of 160 staff and approximately 2000 students totaling approximately 7800 square metres of floor space.

The Client required a ‘signature’ building of high architectural quality and that the design addressed sustainability issues and achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Since completion, student applications have risen 25% against a national average of 4% for similar courses and the University tops the UK league tables for student satisfaction.

The building has also become an extremely popular events and conference venue with year one revenue rising to £20m against an investment value of just £21m. The award winning building was delivered ahead of programme and under budget at just £1600/sqm. The design comprises accommodation set either side of an atrium space which runs the length of the building. A three storey wing houses the main entrance, administration area, the hospitality suite and has staff workspaces at upper floors. On the opposite side of the atrium, a four storey wing houses the majority of the teaching spaces. The atrium will provide the social heart of the building. A feature staircase rises in a continuous line from ground to third floor and bridges at each level connect the two sides of the building. A 200 seat lecture theatre cantilevers over the main entrance below, positioned on the main axis of approach through the campus and provides a dramatic visual stop-end to this key vista.

This (Cardiff School of Management) is an incredibly important project for everyone involved, with a high profile and intended to set a new bench mark in standards of design, quality and delivery. I was also extremely keen to introduce a Partnering and collaborative ethos into all project procurement having seen the benefits that this brings.
I am pleased that ASL have not only come up with some very exciting design proposals but have also fully embraced the collaborative approach that was so important to us. They have been very proactive in helping to bring together the sometimes disparate requirements of the various end user groups and demonstrate a good balance between pragmatic flexibility and safeguarding important design concepts, which should lead to a highly successful outcome.

David Benson – Head of Estates, UWIC

Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed by Coleg y Cymoedd to develop proposals and brief for a new campus at Aberdare in 2013, achieving Outline Planning for the scheme. The college secured match funding from the Welsh Assembly Government in 2015 after which the construction contract was awarded to Kier Construction. Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed to deliver the detailed and technical design through to completion and handover.

With a total project value of approximately £22m, the masterplan design replaces the existing campus on the town outskirts with a new landmark 5750sqm College building on a town centre site. A highly sustainable location, the brownfield site benefits from excellent transport links from the adjacent railway and bus station, as well as the local amenities of the town centre. A multidisciplinary approach was followed to reach a solution to the flood risk posed by this challenging site.

The College are delighted with our new Aberdare campus building. Austin-Smith:Lord worked with us from the earliest stages to understand our needs and turn that into an inspiring design.
Judith Evans – College Principal

Click here and listen to feedback from a variety of people using the new  building

Austin-Smith:Lord undertook the role of Executive Architect in the development of a new BREEAM Outstanding 472 pupil combined Nursery and Primary Welsh medium School in the Furnace area of Llanelli.

The school’s imaginative design provides a variety of stimulating learning spaces. Arranged over two stories the design maximises the views to the nearby coastline whilst minimising the building footprint.

Courtyards, covered classrooms and a roof terrace have immediate links to classrooms and the ecologically rich woodland setting.

Sustainability was a key consideration, with the aim of achieving a highly sustainable development. There are two different but connected aspects to this: a zero carbon aspiration and a BREEAM rating of Outstanding, making it one of the first BREEAM Outstanding Primary Schools in Wales, and the first to achieve BREEAM Outstanding at design stage.

We have an excellent working relationship with A-S:L which commenced at Ysgol Ffwrness. From an early stage we were impressed by the way in which A-S:L as a business and its staff conducted themselves. as a result of our experience and due to the confidence we have in them to deliver a project which will surpass expectation, we have since worked with A-S:L on numerous bids and projects under a contractor led D&B arrangement.

Jon Williams, Managing Director – WRW Construction

The new £17m flagship Business School and Growth Hub building for the University of Gloucestershire is a central part of the wider development of the University’s Oxstalls Campus. It provides 5,500m2 of purpose-built learning spaces to accommodate the expanding student population and academic offering, whilst consolidating the University’s presence within Gloucester.

As the most significant element of the campus masterplan, the Business School forges links to the remodelled sports facility and new student accommodation, as well as including significant areas of meadowland, hard landscaping, car parking and making provision for a future phase of development of approximately 5,000m2.

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.

Duncan White – Executive Director of Estates Strategy at the University of Gloucestershire 

With aspirations of creating a world-class centre of excellence as a dance rehearsal facility and also to support the wide range of additional activities expected of a modern arts organisation, Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed by Birmingham Royal Ballet as architect, interior designer and design team leader for the refurbishment of the Birmingham Royal Ballet building.

The refurbishment included the upgrade of two existing ballet rehearsal studios, the creation of an informal performance venue for audiences of up to 100 people within the existing footprint of the two other rehearsal rooms, the complete replacement of current facilities for dancers’ changing, welfare and rest areas and existing administration offices. The existing reception and main access into the building has also been addressed and improved.

The major priorities that have been achieved include the improvement of the working environment for dancers and admin staff, eradication of existing accessibility difficulties inherent in the existing building, significant upgrade and replacement of existing heating, ventilation and lighting systems to meet 21st Century performance and energy use standards and enhancement of corporate branding and signage on the exterior of the building.

A-S:L produced a fine design for the studio and administration home of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The building required a major overhaul after 25 years of busy use and needed to be brought into the 21st Century. For the sum of £2.7M A-S:L created state of the art dance facilities within the existing building resolving historic ‘navigation’ issues and making the building accessible and open to external users. Significantly, the design was created with sustainability high on the agenda, both in terms of environment and future business needs. The design involved a major technical upgrade to provide the most efficient use of digital equipment to aid teaching and archiving. The net result is a beautiful and inspiring studio building that will set the standard for decades to come.

Christopher Barron – Chief Executive, Birmingham Royal Ballet