FITZALAN HIGH SCHOOL, CARDIFF

A key brief objective was that the design of the new school should provide flexible and adaptable spaces to teach and learn the New Progressive Curriculum

Fitzalan High School, Cardiff

Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed as part of Kier’s winning team to lead the design for the new Fitzalan High School after a mini competition based on a detailed brief, which called for the provision of a replacement new 11-18 high school at 10FE including 350 post 16 places. The Design Team worked closely with Cardiff Council and their advisors, as well as the School, to realise the vision for a sustainable learning community aligned to the new flexible curriculum.

Located on a site close to the existing school, and sharing facilities with the adjacent Cardiff International Sports Campus, the completed project represents a significant new facility for the pupils, staff and local community.

We feel that A-S:L totally understood our vision and passion for our school and what we wanted the new school to enable us to be. They have captured our demands for an inspirational environment that also allows us to deliver the curriculum in the bespoke responsive way that ensures our pupils will be successful. We cannot be constrained by typical classrooms and traditional methods and the A-S:L team have grasped that as a concept and designed an amazing facility that will allow for the flexibility and innovation that we are so keen to continue.
Jo Kemp, Assistant Headteacher, Fitzalan School

LOCATION: CARDIFF

CLIENT: CARDIFF CITY COUNCIL

VALUE: £45M

COMPLETION: 2023
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: KIER

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD
STRUCTURES: JUBB
SERVICES: AECOM
COST CONSULTANT: MACE

AWARDS:
CONSTRUCTING EXCELLENCE WALES AWARD, DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION CATEGORY
EDUCATION BUILDINGS WALES AWARD, PROJECT OF THE YEAR – SCHOOLS
RICS WALES AWARD, PUBLIC SECTOR BUILDING OF THE YEAR

LIVERPOOL CENTRAL LIBRARY

“It’s like going to meet your gran and finding she’s turned into Beyoncé’

Liverpool Central Library

The Liverpool Central Library and Archive Project is a unique and prestigious scheme within the heart of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site. The project provided a 8000m2 library and specialist archive and restored 4000m2 of Grade II* Listed historic buildings on William Brown Street.

A new 6-floor library, with an exciting atrium, gives the City of Liverpool a library for the 21st Century. The library connects to the historic Picton Library, the Hornby Library and Oak Room giving these areas a new lease of life and bringing them into public use.

A new archive repository provides storage for Liverpool’s most valuable collections and includes first class facilities for preservation and research.

Press and Publications
Liverpool Library video from Wash Design

Daily Mail News Article

Image credits: Shepherd Construction

It’s like going to meet your gran and finding she’s turned into Beyoncé
Frank Cottrell  Boyce

Central Library is without doubt one of the most significant and celebrated buildings in Liverpool and its restoration is more than just bringing a venue back into use – its investing in the heritage of the city.
Breathtaking development.
Joe Anderson – mayor of Liverpool

LOCATION: LIVERPOOL

CLIENT: LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL/INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP

VALUE: £50m

COMPLETION: PHASE 1 2013. PHASE 2 2015
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE, INTERIORS, CONSERVATION
SECTOR: ARTS & CULTURE
CONTRACTOR: SHEPHERD CONSTRUCTION

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH: LORD
STRUCTURES: ROC CONSULTING
SERVICES: BURO HAPPOLD
COST CONSULTANT: SHEPHERD CONSTRUCTION

AWARDS:
2014 RIBA NW REGIONAL AWARD
2014 RIBA NW CONSERVATION AWARD
2014 RICS AWARD: NW PROJECT OF THE YEAR
2014 RICS AWARDS: NW COMMUNITY BENEFIT AWARD
2014 RICS AWARD: NW TRAVEL & TOURISM
2014 LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE AWARDS: HIGHLY COMMENDED
2013 BUILDING AWARD: BEST TECHNICAL INNOVATION
2013 NW REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION AWARDS: REGIONAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR
2013 LABC NW BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: REGIONAL WINNER

LIFE SCIENCES INNOVATION CENTRE, INVERNESS

£9 million Life Sciences Innovation Centre in Inverness for partnering Client consortium of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Life Sciences Innovation Centre

Austin-Smith:Lord were commissioned to design a £9 million Life Sciences Innovation Centre in Inverness for partnering Client consortium of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

The 2,700m2 building features office & agile working space, laboratories, sports health suite, knowledge exchange and innovation space.

The Inverness Campus is a new development zone located on the fringes
of Inverness city and is intended as an incubator for emerging life sciences technologies.

It features a mix of academic, business, research, community and sports facilities. The building is designed to be sustainable with a focus on creating a low energy healthy environment for research and innovation within a building envelope that achieves a high standard of insulation and thermal performance.

The new Life Sciences Innovation Centre was officially opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in April 2023.

You can view a tour around the building at this link:
https://www.invernesscampus.co.uk/business-premises-and-land/lsic

LOCATION: INVERNESS

CLIENT: HIE and UHI

VALUE: £9M

COMPLETION: 2023
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, MASTERPLANNING, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: ROBERTSON NORTHERN

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD
STRUCTURES: FAIRHURST
SERVICES: PICK EVERARD

YSGOL GYNRADD GYMRAEG ABERDÂR

Expansion of existing Welsh medium primary school

Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Aberdâr

Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Aberdâr is a Welsh medium primary school located on the outskirts of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf. The existing school has been expanded as part of the Local Authority’s drive to increase the provision of Welsh medium education. The building was extended with a new two storey building and a single storey hall extension.

The two storey extension accommodates four new classrooms with associated cloak and WC facilities, a hall/studio and a new childcare facility. The hall extension creates a larger dining area to support the enlarged school.

The scheme also involved extensive external works and the creation of a new hard surface play area, nursery play area, staff parking area, and a new path linking the Welsh medium childcare facility to the existing pupil drop off.

LOCATION: ABERDARE

CLIENT: ANDREW SCOTT

VALUE: £4M

COMPLETION: 2022
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: ANDREW SCOTT

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD
STRUCTURES: BINGHAM HALL
SERVICES: SABA CONSULT

YSGOL Y GRAIG PRIMARY SCHOOL

New build, 240 pupil, one form entry primary and nursery school in Merthyr Tydfil

Ysgol Y Graig Primary School

Ysgol Y Graig is a new build, 240 pupil, one form entry primary and nursery school in Merthyr Tydfil. The County Borough Council progressed the design to Stage 3, prior to appointing design and build contractor Kier. Austin-Smith:Lord worked in consultation with the Local Authority Architect to take the project through detailed design and construction.

The school achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and included PV panels, maximising daylight and a hybrid ventilation solution.

Located on a constricted and sloping urban site surrounded by residential streets, the school maximises the potential of the site, and provides high quality learning spaces arranged around a central heart space.

LOCATION: MERTHYR TYDFIL

CLIENT: MERTHYR TYDFIL CBC

VALUE: £6M

COMPLETION: 2021
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: EDUCATION
CONTRACTOR: KIER

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD
STRUCTURES: CB3 CONSULT
SERVICES: SABA CONSULT

AYR RIVERSIDE

Redevelopment in the heart of the town centre within the designated Ayr Central Conservation Area

Ayr Riverside

Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed by HUB South West Scotland (HUB SW) in partnership with South Ayrshire Council (SAC) to lead the design proposals and subsequent development of the site at Ayr Riverside.

The site occupies 4,135.00 m2 of brown field, located in the heart of the town centre within the designated Ayr Central Conservation Area.

The newly developed area has created a new major public space between the High Street and Ayr River. This new urban realm responds to the importance of the historical context of the site whilst providing hard and soft landscape, new street furniture, places to dwell, lighting, and access to the river’s edge.

A key aspect of the development is the provision of space and infrastructure to support a programme of events and activities throughout the year such as regular pop-up markets or gatherings.

A new community pavilion has also been introduced with meeting and events space, public toilets and storage space.

LOCATION: AYR TOWN CENTRE

CLIENT: HUB SW / SOUTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

VALUE: £3M

COMPLETION: 2023
SERVICE: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, ARCHITECTURE
SECTOR: URBAN REGENERATION
CONTRACTOR: LINEAR DESIGN & CONSTRUCT

STRUCTURES: HARLEY HADDOW
SERVICES: HARLEY HADDOW
COST CONSULTANT: RLF

NISSI BEACH VILLAS, CYPRUS

High specification villas on the last beach-fronted site in Ayia Napa

Nissi Beach Villas Cyprus

Austin-Smith:Lord designed a number of high specification villas for Fastro Developments and SolTerra on the last beach-fronted site in Ayia Napa. Located to the East end of Nissi Beach the site has stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea. As the brief called for exclusive properties, privacy was central to the development of the designs.

The decision was made at the start of the project to organise each plot around a pool and sheltered gardens, with an essentially L-shaped floor plan, the orientation of which was established through solar studies to achieve maximum daylight for the private external spaces as well as the main outlook from the principal reception and bedrooms. The villa forms a protective barrier for the private external space, with its external façade evolving into a thick curved concrete wall, reflecting traditional local structures and forming a distinctive street presence.

LOCATION: CYPRUS

CLIENT: FASTRO DEVELOPMENTS

VALUE: NOT DISCLOSED

SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD

STORE STREET MANCHESTER

384 apartments and 2,000m2 of commercial space in the former industrial hinterland around Piccadilly Station.

Store Street Manchester

Construction of this elegant, crystalline 35-storey tower and its companion seven-storey block would make a dramatic statement about Manchester’s economic and environmental renewal.

We achieved planning permission for the development, which will create 384 apartments and 2,000m2 of commercial space in the former industrial hinterland around Piccadilly Station.

Both buildings will be wrapped in sheer glass skins that allow each apartment to enjoy a fully glazed timber-clad balcony. This buffer space provides tempered natural ventilation and reduces heat gains and losses – simple, low-technology, passive measures that reduce the carbon footprint of the development.

LOCATION: MANCHESTER

CLIENT: TIME AND TIDE LTD

VALUE: £50M

COMPLETION: PLANNING 2007
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL

LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD
STRUCTURES: WSP
SERVICES: FABER MAUNSELL (AECOM)
COST CONSULTANT: THOMAS & ADAMSON

SUNNYSIDE HOUSE, BRIDGEND

Design of a supportive palliative care environment for those in Ayrshire with life-limiting illness

Sunnyside House, Bridgend

The Sunnyside House project seeks to address an urgent need for affordable housing in Bridgend by providing 65 high-quality, sustainable homes for social rent in close proximity to the town centre. The Site provides an opportunity for a landmark building to accentuate the corner of Sunnyside Road and Angel Street; providing a key wayfinding marker for the adjacent Sunnyside Health Centre and the Sunnyside Wellness Village and continue the ongoing regeneration of the local area.

All homes are to be designed to the latest Welsh Government Development Quality Requirements (WGDQR 2021). In doing so, the homes will target RNIB Visibly Better and Secure by Design Gold standards. The buildings will target an EPC A rating and will be designed to Lifetime Homes Standards.

LOCATION: BRIDGEND

CLIENT: LINC CYMRU

VALUE: £8.5M

COMPLETION: ONGOING
SERVICE: ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE
SECTOR: RESIDENTIAL
LANDSCAPE: AUSTIN-SMITH:LORD

STRUCTURES: JUBB
SERVICES: DRAC CONSULTING
COST CONSULTANT: EXPEDITE