July Newsletter

We are pleased to share a selection of highlights from the past month, including Darren’s interview in The Architects’ Journal, the commencement of two new church projects in Birmingham, and celebrating the end-of-year exhibition at the University of Reading.

Retrofirst Article in Architects Journal

Darren was recently interviewed by the ‘Architects’ Journal’ as part of its extensive RetroFirst campaign, which advocates prioritising the retrofit and reimagining of existing buildings over demolition and redevelopment. We were delighted to contribute to this important initiative, which closely aligns with our practice’s commitment to sustainable design and making the most of existing built assets.

The interview focuses on the Brick Pavilion project, for which we recently secured planning permission. The scheme will transform a vacant local landmark in Chichester, breathing new life into the building while preserving and enhancing its existing character.

Read the full article here.

Two Birmingham Community Church’s

We have had the pleasure of working on two very different church projects in Birmingham: St Gabriel’s Church and St Chad’s Church.

Both churches play a vital role as community hubs and present significant opportunities to reimagine their existing buildings and wider sites, in order to better serve local people and support future generations.

We began the design process for both projects with community engagement workshops, providing an opportunity to hear directly from those who use and value these spaces. These conversations have been invaluable in helping us understand the needs, challenges and aspirations of each congregation and community.

Drawing on this feedback, we have developed bespoke feasibility studies that explore how we can maximise the potential of the existing assets. This includes creating more flexible and welcoming community spaces within the church buildings, as well as investigating opportunities for social housing and other community-focused development across the wider sites.

Reading University End of Year Show

Last week, the University of Reading School of Architecture hosted its annual end-of-year show, celebrating the creativity, dedication and achievements of students across all year groups.

The exhibition showcased an impressive range of design work, including projects from the first-year students whom Darren has been teaching throughout the past academic year. It was a fantastic event and a valuable opportunity to see the breadth of talent emerging from the next generation of architects and designers. The quality of work on display was both inspiring and encouraging, offering a positive glimpse into the future of our built environment.

Darren has a close relationship with the School of Architecture, where he has taught for the past nine years. As a practice, we believe in teaching and engagement with academia. The academic environment provides a valuable forum for testing ideas, challenging assumptions and exploring new ways of thinking about architecture. It encourages us not only to consider how we design, but also to continually reflect on why we do it.

 

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May Practice News

This month we are excited to share news about our Paddock House & Paddock Gardens project, updates from our Bristol church scheme, and good news about the Brick Pavilion.

Planning submitted in Brockenhurst

We have recently submitted planning for two new houses in the village of Brockenhusrt, in the New Forest National Park.

Paddock House is a low energy, five bedroom replacement dwelling, and Paddock Garden is a smaller three-bed new build home, designed to maximise the potential of the owners adjacent field.

Our designs thoughtfully respond to the rural setting; we have carefully considered the plot ratios of neighbouring homes in order to deliver contemporary, sustainable homes that are balanced and appropriate for this village centre context within the national park. Read more about the projects here. 

 

Progress at St Barnabas Church

Our phased works at the Bristol based St Barnabas Church are progressing well. The first step of our designs proposals focuses on improving the internal layout to create a space that functions better for the local community, following the feedback from our engagement workshops.

Key design moves include the relocation of the kitchen, reconfiguring of the large open plan interior, and the introduction of smaller, more flexible rooms for events and community use. The improvements have also prioritised improving accessibility, including new WC facilities, widened door openings, and the installation of lists into the building. We look forward to seeing this phase of the community project completed.

 

Planning Secured for Brick Pavilion

We are absolutely delighted to have received planning approval for our new arts community facility located in the heart of Chichester, reusing the locally important Brick Pavillion.

The building, having stood vacant for several years, had fallen into disrepair resulting in it becoming a magnet for ongoing antisocial behaviour and vandalism.

We are thrilled to be reimagining the building, working in collaboration with Chichester Community Development Trust, to bring it back into the heart of the community. We are looking forward to bringing updates as this project progresses to site.

 

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Planning secured for Brick Pavilion

We are absolutely delighted to have received planning approval for our new arts community facility located in the heart of Chichester, reusing the locally important Brick Pavillion.

The building, having stood vacant for several years, had fallen into disrepair resulting in it becoming a magnet for ongoing antisocial behaviour and vandalism. We are thrilled to be reimagining the building, working in collaboration with Chichester Community Development Trust, to bring it back into the heart of the community.

We look forward to bringing updates from site as we start the construction stage later this year.

Planning submitted for two New Forest homes

We have recently submitted planning permission for two new contemporary homes in the village of Brockenhurst, in the New Forest.

Paddock House and Paddock Garden will deliver two new independent homes. Paddock Homes is a replacement dwelling, delivering a low energy five bedroom family house. Paddock Gardens is a smaller new build, maximising the potential of the adjacent, and underused paddock field, to deliver a three bedroom home.

Our design responds to the rural setting, while also have carefully considered the plot ratios of neighbouring village homes in order to deliver contemporary, sustainable homes that are balanced and appropriate for the New Forest context, while also reaching the full potential of the site.

April Practice News

This month, we’re proud to share beautifully captured photographs of The Granary by Richard Chivers, along with news of the start on site at St Barnabas, and highlights from a recent event with the University of Reading School of Architecture.

The Granary completes

We’re delighted to share images of the recently completed The Granary, a truly unique project located near Burley in the New Forest National Park. The original property forms part of a late 18th-century agricultural model farm. While the building itself is not listed, it sits within the curtilage of a listed structure, which made the planning process more complex.

Our design carefully reworks the existing building, infilling the open carport at ground floor level to extend the living accommodation and bring the primary living spaces down to this level. This approach allows the first floor to accommodate more private functions.

The result is a generous and flexible ground floor, with the potential to create additional bedrooms as needed, supporting the long-term future of the building for its young owners.

Have a look at more completed photos here.

St Barnabas started onsite

Phase One of the church renovation is now underway on site. Located in the Knowle district, close to Bristol city centre, the church required reconfiguration to better support the needs of its local community.

This phase of work focuses on the interior, creating more accessible and flexible facilities, including an upgraded kitchen, private meeting spaces, improved WC provision, and a range of sustainable enhancements.

We look forward to sharing further updates as the project progresses, learn more about the project here. 

Reading University Lecture

Darren was invited to take part in the University of Reading School of Architecture’s latest lecture series, The Politics of Space, this month.

His presentation, titled Small Moves, Big Impact, explored how architecture and design can achieve more with less. The talk reflected on a number of key projects Studio BAD has delivered over the past seven years, with a particular focus on community-led work, including St Margarets Church, Bedford Place, and October Books.

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Reading University Lecture

Darren was invited to take part in the latest Reading University School of Architecture lecture series ‘The Politics of Space’ this month.

His presentation was titled ‘Small Moves, Big Impact’ and focused on the ability to use architecture and design to do more, but with less. The talk reviewed some of the key projects Studio BAD has undertaken over the last seven years, focusing on many of our community projects such as St Margarets Church, Bedford Place, and October Books.