In a bid to find a silver lining to our current circumstances, April Marsden, Associate Architect, looks at how our greatly reduced activity is supporting improvements to our local and global environments.
The current unprecedented global lockdown has resulted in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions falling across continents as countries try to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
In December 2019, I participated in TheBusinessDesk.com’s panel discussion in Leeds on the challenges for environmental placemaking. My fellow participants and I concluded that some deeply ingrained habits in the construction industry would need to be broken to meet the demands of the environment.
At the end of last year, none of us could imagine what 2020 would bring.
The built environment contributes to around 40% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. This footprint has reduced since 1990, the decarbonisation of the grid is on track, with the power sector’s emissions dropping from 161 million tonnes in 2010 to 54 million metric tonnes in 2019 as a result of clean electricity.
The 2020 budget was light on net-zero but did include a £200m place-based resilience programme. This was followed by the Housing Design Audit for England, which had a focus on good design, sustainable placemaking and increased collaboration to achieve greater social value.
The pandemic and the ensuing total and utter decrease in travel and transportation, has brought oil and gas prices tumbling, to the lowest oil prices for almost two decades. According to The Independent, many experts think it will permanently alter the course of the climate crisis. Pulling forward the date at which demand for oil and gas peaks, never to recover, allowing the atmosphere to gradually heal.
Post-Covid19, critical questions will remain around people’s behaviour. Will long-haul aviation recover? The longer we are at home, remote working, using video conferencing, the more people will wonder if they need to travel to work or for work and if they can work more from home?
As per the Government’s advice, we at Bowman Riley are all safely at home, practising social distancing and working remotely. Technology has kept us working, has kept us in touch and kept us sane. For those with children, our days have become adapted to fitting in their needs, with boundaries between work and home blurred. The ability to adapt has always been key to human survival.
In the construction industry, the impact of COVID19 has been seen across the board, from the closure of construction sites to developers choosing to go into ‘sleep’ mode until the wake button is pressed. It has left many of us questioning the long-term impact on the construction industry that many were concerned was already facing a shake-up in the wake of Brexit.
For a long time, from Egan to the Green Council, “change, change, change” has been the mantra. From off-site construction to increased collaboration, this change was already happening. Cities have declared climate emergencies, investment in clean and ethical construction has been growing, off-site has become more affordable and we are all becoming more efficient.
There is a hope that we will come out of this crisis a more resilient and responsible industry. The economic impact cannot be underestimated. The UK housing market has effectively been put on hold, shares prices have dramatically fallen with dividends and annual reports put on ice. But crucially companies are sleeping rather than folding.
The hold back that the global shutdown has had, the tumbling fossil fuel prices, the glimmers of green hope, coupled with what we were already doing; can only speed up the processes that had already begun.
The lifelines the Government has offered businesses are unprecedented and not without consequence. When some degree of normality starts to resume, we have an opportunity to make fundamental changes. These changes will perhaps be based around the new community sentiment with aspirations to support each other and ultimately support the larger, global environmental concern.
Our London team’s portfolio has been boosted by a major new project win at Acton Gardens in West London for Countryside Developments.
Bowman Riley has been appointed to develop the designs on phase eight of this award-winning urban village comprising 334 new homes. The new properties are of varied sizes from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom maisonettes and six family houses. There is a mix of tenures including private sale, shared ownership, 35.6% affordable rent and 10% of wheelchair adaptable homes.
Starting from RIBA Stage 4, our team is working in Revit with the MEP engineers AWA Building Services and structural engineers, Curtins for efficient collaborative working. We are taking the project forward following the work undertaken by Stitch, who completed the designs up to RIBA Stage 3.
Since our London office was established in 2012 with just two members of staff, our team has been steadily growing its workload, client base and relationships to be in a position where we are able to take on such prestigious developments as the Acton Gardens scheme. We now have ten team members and are working on a range of developments in London and the South including the new Hampton by Hilton Hotel, Ashford in Kent and Herschel Street apartments in Slough.
Tony Pleasants, Director of our London office said:
“This exciting development further cements our position in the London market. I am proud of our achievements in the capital and how far we have come over the past eight years. The efforts we have put in so far in terms of successfully delivering projects and building positive relationships are really paying off. I can’t wait to see where we will be by our tenth anniversary in the capital!”
On Thursday 10 October, the Higher Raikes in Skipton was awarded ‘Best Large Development’ at the prestigious Yorkshire Residential Property Awards 2019 at a glittering ceremony at Bowcliffe Hall in Leeds.
Designed by Bowman Riley for RN Wooler & Co Ltd, Higher Raikes is a new residential development in an attractive setting on the semi-rural fringe of Skipton yet within walking distance of the town centre.
The development comprises 45 three, four and five-bedroom family houses, the majority of which are detached. 30 per cent of the development is affordable homes contributing to the need for additional houses in the Craven area of North Yorkshire.
Each home was individually designed to provide generous room proportions designed to cater to the needs of modern family life. The high specification properties are to be built in random natural reclaimed stone with landscaped gardens, private driveways and stone-built garages. Many of the plots will also benefit from views towards the surrounding hills and countryside.
Higher Raikes was designed to be sympathetic to the character of the surrounding area and of a much lower density than many new housing estates to create an attractive gateway development into Skipton.
We are delighted to have been recognised at the property awards 2019.
On Thursday 12 September 2019, Yorkshire Housing hosted a huge party to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Deansfield Court, a retirement community near Malton.
In 2009 Bowman Riley designed Deansfield Court, a new extra care residential facility that replaced a long-standing care home designed to respond to older people’s changing needs.
Aimed at those with health issues that make independent living more difficult but who do not need full residential care, this was a new concept for Yorkshire Housing to offer more support than sheltered housing but still allow residents to live independently.
Deansfield Court provides 50 self-contained apartments with a communal lounge, restaurant, internet café, hair salon, therapy room, library and shop. The accommodation improved the levels of care and self-sufficiency for the residents.
Ten years after completion and Deansfield Court has a waiting list proving the success and popularity of this extra care scheme. Danny Watson, Scheme manager, Yorkshire Housing said:
“It’s a popular scheme and we’re sending out applications forms every day to people who are interested. And I try to ensure that anybody who rings up can come and have a look around because it’s a selling point for them to see how lovely the building is.”
The shortlist for the Insider Awards 2019 was revealed today with Bowman Riley in the running for Architects Practice of the Year and Grantley Hall for Refit and Refurbishment Project of the Year.
The glittering award ceremony attended by more than 800 property professionals will take place at New Dock Hall at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on Thursday 19 September.
We have had an astonishing year with a number of prestigious projects reaching completion including The Red House Retirement Village in Ripon, the new Sandside Lodge School in Ulveston, the Queen’s Hall and Library in Burley in Wharfedale and new offices and an industrial facility for Nilorn in Cononley.
What sets us apart from our competitors is our strong building consultancy and interior design offering. This collaborative approach with our architects delivers real benefits for our clients.
Recognised in the category of Refit and Refurbishment Project of the Year is Grantley Hall, the biggest project in our 50-year history. The £70 million transformation of Grantley Hall, a Grade II* mansion house in Ripon, into one of the finest hotels in the country with a spa, wellness centre and events pavilion took three years to complete and is set to make a massive impact as a key visitor destination in Yorkshire.
Matthew Jones, Director at Bowman Riley said:
“We are incredibly proud to be recognised by Insider as one of the top architects’ practices in the region and for the magnificent Grantley Hall to be acknowledged one of the most prominent hotel developments in the country.”
On Wednesday 19 June 2019, the Higher Raikes residential development in Skipton was awarded Best New Development at the LABC Yorkshire (North, East & South) Building Excellence Awards at a glittering ceremony at the Principal York Hotel.
Designed by Bowman Riley for RN Wooler & Co Ltd, Higher Raikes is a new residential development in an attractive setting on the semi-rural fringe of Skipton yet within walking distance of the town centre.
The development comprises 45 three, four and five-bedroom family houses, the majority of which are detached. 30 per cent of the development is affordable homes contributing to the need for additional houses in the Craven area of North Yorkshire.
Each home was individually designed to provide generous room proportions designed to cater to the needs of modern family life. The high specification properties are to be built in random natural reclaimed stone with landscaped gardens, private driveways and stone-built garages. Many of the plots will also benefit from views towards the surrounding hills and countryside.
Higher Raikes was designed to be sympathetic to the character of the surrounding area and of a much lower density than many new housing estates to create an attractive gateway development into Skipton.
Phases one and two of the development are now occupied with phase three recently launched to market for reservation.
The LABC regional awards lead to the Grand Finals in London where category winners for each area are then judged with the other regional winners on Friday 8 November 2019.
Please read an article from the Craven Herald here.
View more of our residential experience
Congratulations to Will Gains, who received a RIBA Student Award for his final design project as part of his degree at Leeds Beckett University. Will was awarded the Presentation prize at the RIBA Awards earlier this month.
The schemes submitted for the North East and Yorkshire awards were designed by students from schools of architecture with RIBA validated and candidate courses in the North East and Yorkshire region. The University of Newcastle, University of Northumbria, Leeds Beckett University, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Huddersfield participated.
This accolade has come hot on the heels of his First Class results for his BA (Hons) Architecture Degree and RIBA Part 1 and his recognition from the West Yorkshire Society of Architects – Academic Award for Highest Achieving 3rd Year Student.
In 2003, Will joined our Academy Programme based in our Skipton office working whilst he completed his degree on a part-time basis over the last six years. He has become a highly valued member of the Bowman Riley team and will be continuing his career with us by transferring to join our London team.
Will is now part of the new RIBA initiative for Apprenticeship Architects and will continue his study with the part-time RIBA Part 2/3 course in London starting this September.
Bowman Riley values people and it is a core value to help people realise their ambitions. Will’s academic success and his transfer to our office in the capital demonstrate our ability to nurture emerging talent.
Last Friday, the new Sandside Lodge School in Ulverston, Cumbria was handed over in plenty of time for the fitting out and finishing touches before the new academic year starts in September 2019.
Working for Seddon Construction, we designed the new school for Sandside Lodge to replace the existing facility that was no longer fit for purpose and located adjacent to an industrial estate.
Sandside Lodge is a special school catering for 80 pupils aged between two and 19 who have learning difficulties and many have additional and complex needs including such as autism, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The new bespoke premises were designed to meet the specialist needs of the pupils and create a learning environment within the local secondary school grounds.
Seddon brought Bowman Riley on board to develop the design after the initial design was found to be significantly over the budget as agreed by Cumbria County Council. This resulted in our appointment to completely redesign the school for Seddon in liaison with the school and the Council to make sure the design met the agreed budget.
We developed a close relationship with the end-user group through a series of regular workshops to ensure the design achieves the school’s specialist requirements, which include a medical room designed to HTM standards, hydrotherapy suite, rebound therapy room, gym, soft play, sensory rooms.
Well done to everyone in the team that have made this project a real success including Seddon, Scott Hughes Design, Tace and our architect, Craig Mewse.
Before I worked on an SEN school project, I was unaware that almost a fifth of the children in Britain are identified as having some form of SEND. This can affect a child’s ability to learn because of their behaviour, ability to make friends, reading and writing (for example – dyslexia), ability to understand things, concentrate (for example – ADHD) and physical ability.
The Department for Education’s vision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people – that they achieve well in their early years, at school, in college and lead happy fulfilled lives.
Between 2015 – 2018 there has been a 33% increase in the number of children with special needs care plans, however, government funding has only risen by 6%. This lack of funding makes it difficult for education providers to provide suitable learning facilities for children with SEND.
It’s essential that when the opportunity does arise to invest in new facilities, they are designed to provide the best environment to benefit learning and wellbeing.
Key SEND Design Issues
Working with multiple education providers over the years, I have come to understand the complex nature of designing SEND facilities through engagement with teaching staff, management, governors, care providers and the children themselves. The following five main issues are essential when thinking about designing any SEND facility:
All children should feel safe in their surroundings. A welcoming entrance with good sight lines will enable maximum supervision and the location of staff accommodation should offer views over the arrival point. The entrance should be attractive and inviting with a large covered drop off point.
I designed a child-focused arrival point at the new Sandside Lodge SEN school in Ulverston providing a double-height space with generous and a secure lobby that is highly visible from the main access point into the school car park. The car park itself includes a one-way loop circuit to avoid congestion with the area directly in front of the school dedicated to mini-bus drop off points. Staff offices are at the front of the school on the ground floor to provide maximum supervision over the arrival point.
Compared with mainstream schools, SEND pupils often need specialist support spaces. These can include sensory teaching rooms, life skills, medical treatment rooms, hygienic assisted changing rooms, calming rooms, soft play rooms and therapy rooms. Therapy rooms to support healthcare and children’s access to education play an important part in SEND schools with a range of spaces that can include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, hydrotherapy and rebound therapy.
We are currently assisting Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton to provide new rebound therapy facilities within their existing school. The new rebound room will enable pupils to benefit from a new sunken trampoline to enhance their movement patterns, develop motor skills, body awareness, balance, coordination and communication.
Children with SEN and disability needs often suffer from impairments with their sensory, speech and communications. Signage and wayfinding are therefore essential.
As designers, we must consider sensory receptors other than just sight when considering legibility of wayfinding such as texture, sounds and smells. Additionally, visual triggers can assist in creating memorable places with landmark features used to identify key spaces. Colour also plays a vital part in SEND facilities in terms of visibility, maintenance and psychological effect. Colours should not be too stark or contain busy patterns that can confuse and overstimulate. Instead, they should be subdued pastel colours, which can be used on architectural features to identify different spaces.
Through consultation with the teaching staff and children at Sandside Lodge School, I designed their new facilities with a colour scheme to assist with wayfinding. Decoration of ground floor circulation space is defined in pastel green, as the pupils relate the colour green with grass, which is found at ground level. At first floor, spaces are decorated in blue, which the children relate to the colour of the sky.
The correct specification of materials and finishes is crucial to ensure the longevity of any project but especially for SEND facilities. There’s a high likelihood that children at SEN schools will suffer from social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Materials and finishes should be selected with a robust specification to take account of deliberate and accidental damage. Surfaces need hygienic finishes that are easy to clean with services concealed where possible.
An important requirement in our new teaching block at The Chiltern School in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire was to prevent student access to the ceiling void, whilst still allowing access for routine servicing. We carried out extensive research with ceiling manufacturers to determine the specification of a suspended ceiling tile with a strengthening bar across the back of the panel, an impact resistant hard coating finish and a clip-in fixing system, so they could not be easily removed.
All schools need a simple, clear and legible circulation system that is easily understood by all pupils and visitors. Circulation spaces and door openings should be wide enough to cater for pupils with mobility issues and provide enough storage for their equipment. Means of escape need to be designed to consider disabled pupils. This is particularly important in SEND schools; however, it doesn’t mean that they should be restricted to single storey buildings.
This was a specific request of the headteacher at Sandside Lodge School. They wanted a true to life experience for the pupils to ensure they would be prepared for life after education. The two-storey building provides teaching accommodation at both levels with stairs and lifts designed to accommodate pupils with mobility impairments. The lift is designed to be HTM compliant and is therefore sized for students restricted to Acheeva beds and is integral to the buildings fire escape strategy. Stairs are oversized with handles at two different heights to cater for younger children.
Conclusion
Access to learning for all children regardless of their ability, background or impairment is fundamental to our education system. The design of any school building needs to be child-centred and none more so than a SEND facility, which present specific challenges to create learning environments that support the children’s additional needs. Consultation with the building users, carers and healthcare professionals is the only way to deliver the best spaces to help all children thrive.
Additional Notes:
There are different types of facilities available for children diagnosed with some form of special need designed to be more suitable for their learning process.
These range from specialist units within a mainstream school, Pupil Referral Units for those who have been taken out of mainstream schools due to Illness or exclusion, SEMH schools for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties, SEN schools that cover a range of special needs, ASD schools specifically designed for pupils with Autism, and PMLD schools to cover those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.
Bowman Riley has been shortlisted for an RICS Award 2019. The refurbishment of the Beverley Arms has been recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as one of the most outstanding projects in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Bowman Riley designed the major redevelopment of the Grade II listed Georgian Beverley Arms located in a conservation area opposite the impressive 12th-century St Mary’s church in the town centre of Beverley.
Former coaching inn, The Beverley Arms was built in 1794 with an older core underwent radical alterations in the 1960s including the construction of a five-storey flat-roofed block. Working for Daniel Thwaites, we transformed the property into a 38-bedroom hotel with the entire ground floor devoted to great spaces for drinking and dining and an external courtyard.
The project has been recognised in the category of Tourism and Leisure celebrated as one of the most inspirational achievements in the property industry in Yorkshire and Humber.
This year’s glittering awards ceremony will take place on Friday 17th May at Centenary Pavilion, Leeds United Football Club
The RICS awards shortlisting is the second major recognition for the Beverley Arms this year, which was featured as one of the country’s best hotels of 2018 in The Times newspaper.