July Practice News

There was a lot to celebrate this past month, getting an industry award win and our Courtyard House breaking ground onsite in the New Forest. We have also shared a recent article, where we discuss what ‘future proofing’ really means in design. To make sure you don’t miss out on future practice news, sign up to our mailing list here. 

Award Celebration

We are absolutely thrilled to have won Architectural Practice of the Year at The Business Magazine South Coast Property Awards.

In the words of the judges, we were chosen“for (our) excellence in community engagement, regional contribution, andenvironmental integration. The ‘listen first’ approach, adaptive designs, andcommitment to reusing existing structures set a benchmark for sustainable,community-focused architecture rooted in local identity and long-term impact”. Read more here.

Groundbreaking in the New Forest

We celebrate the groundbreaking at the Courtyard House, a new build contemporary home located in Burley in the heart of the New Forest.

Due to issues around retrofitting the previous property, as it was so poorly constructed and not at all energy efficient, it was decided to replace the building with a modern home designed around a series of courtyards – full project details here. 

Future Proofing in Design

The term ‘future proofing’ is often used when describing the design of a house, or adaptations that have been made to a property, but do you know what it really means and who it intends to benefit?

In a recent article we answer some FAQ’s and explain why future proofing your home is important and apprropriate for everyone, read them here. 

 

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Groundbreaking on Courtyard House

This month we are celebrating the groundbreaking at the Courtyard House; a new build contemporary home located in Burley, at the heart of the New Forest National Park.

The design of the replacement dwelling offers a greatly improved spatial plan for the tight, elongated site. The scheme enhances the site constraints, by organising the internal spaces around two cut-outs made in the form of courtyards, breaking up the linear nature of the single storey home.

Due to issues around retrofitting the previous property, as it was so poorly constructed and not at all energy efficient, it was decided that it was better way forward to replace the building rather than renovating.

More project details can be found here.

Architectural Practice of the Year

We are absolutely thrilled to have won Architectural Practice of the Year at The Business Magazine South Coast Property Awards. It was such an honour to be recognised in this way, especially considering the very tough competition in the category, without the incredible passion and commitment of our truly talented team, this would just not possible.

In the words of the judges, we were chosen “for (our) excellence in community engagement, regional contribution, and environmental integration. The ‘listen first’ approach, adaptive designs, and commitment to reusing existing structures set a benchmark for sustainable, community-focused architecture rooted in local identity and long-term impact”.

This is such an achievement as we are still a small practice, just at the start of our journey after six amazing years in business. A huge thank you, goes out to our amazing clients, consultants, contractors and collaborators, that trust us to deliver projects.

June Practice News

Over this last month, we have been enjoying the full lifecycle of our work, from received professional photography of our completed Brockenhurst House, starting construction work in earnest onsite at the Regency Villa, and we have secured planning permission at St Margaret’s Church for the next stage of the scheme.

If you would like to get our monthly updates direct to your inbox, you can join the mailing list here.

Brockenhurst House

Professional photography of Brockenhurst House was completed this month, capturing the transformation of a distinctive 1970s chalet-style property on the edge of Brockenhurst, in the heart of the New Forest National Park.

When the owners originally purchased the house, they had a clear vision: to reimagine the aging structure as their ideal lifelong home, one that would gracefully support the evolving needs of later life without compromising on beauty, sustainability, or design integrity.

 

Regency Villa Progress

Strip-out works have begun in earnest this month at the Regency Villa—the messy but essential phase where unsympathetic modern additions are carefully removed, revealing the building’s original structure.

As the process unfolds, glimpses of the property’s original character are beginning to emerge, offering a first look at the historic fabric beneath.

Church Renovation Hampshire

Phase Two Planning Approved

We’re thrilled to have secured planning permission for Phase 2 of our St Margarets Chuch project.

Following the success of Phase 1, which transformed the near-derelict building into a vibrant community hub, this next phase focuses on the addition of a contemporary entrance porch, designed to further strengthen its connection with the local community.

Recency Villa Site Update

This month has seen the construction start in earnest on our Regency Villa project, located in central Southampton, Hampshire. At this early stage, the focus is on carefully stripping back the modern alterations; carefully removing incongruous additions, taking internal stud partitions out, and clearing out the poorly built extension, to reveal the bones of the original period property.

This four-storey listed townhouse, originally built circa 1835, has lost much of its former grandeur over the years, something we are aiming to restore through this deep renovation and reimagining. Most recently, the property had been converted into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), which obscured much of the original character and has compromised the proportions of its rooms.

We’re thoroughly enjoying site visits at this point in the project. It’s exciting to see what the talented team at Tuakana is uncovering, such as original floorboards that had been covered over, and concealed, fireplaces. With the modern partitions removed, we can now fully appreciate the true dimensions of each room. Standing in these newly opened spaces and witnessing the natural light interact with the architecture is genuinely inspiring.

Our design vision is to return the house to a single-family dwelling, one that celebrates its period features while introducing a contemporary glass extension to the rear. The result will be a comfortable, elegant home that brings together the history of the home with the comforts of modern living.

Get in touch if you have a project you would like to discuss with the design team.

May Practice Update

In our May practice update we are delighted to share news of a project starting onsite, an award shortlist, and we have published an article sharing our knowledge about how architecture can add value to your home.

Increase Value with Architecture

Collaborating with an architect has the potential of adding value to your home, land or property. Whether you’re reimagining an existing space or planning a new development, thoughtful design can significantly boost both your personal comfort and the market value of the asset. Even if you’re settled in your “forever home,” it’s reassuring to know that well-planned alterations enhance not just how you live, but also the financial value of your property. In our article we looked at the different ways we might be able to help you increase your property value.

You can read our full article on this topic here.

 

Site Progress

We are so pleased to see construction work has started at The Granary, a unique 18th century agricultural building located in the New Forest National Park. Our design adds a modest extension, and thoughtfully infills an existing open carport space, to reimagine the ground floor.

The design provides an additional bedroom and extends the living accommodation, to ensure the long-term future of the building for the young owners.

 

Award Shortlist

We are delighted to be included in the shortlist for the South Coast Property Awards, in the Architectural Practice of the Year category. This event highlights the finest professionals in the field across the south coast – agents, developers, planners, consultants, property lawyers, housebuilders and of course architects!

We look forward to attending the awards evening in June when the winners will be announced.

 

To join our mailing list for monthly practice updates, please contact us directly at darren@studiobad.co.uk