Art Installation Opens in Winchester

We were delighted to attend the official opening of Allegra Ambition Installation this week, a project that delivers a free-to-use outdoor fitness space and sculptural seating area beside the Winchester Sports Centre at Garrison Ground, Hampshire.

Our design was selected as the winner of the public art competition run by SPUD, seamlessly integrating the charity’s ‘finish line’ logo into a series of organic sculptural forms. These pieces combine art, sculpture, gym equipment, and seating into one cohesive and beautiful installation. Constructed from timber of varying heights, the design creates a tactile and inviting space that encourages visitors to sit, climb, or work out.

Lucy Whittome, Trustee of Allegra’s Ambition, said:

“We have tried to create something truly special here. It is a place that welcomes people and children of all ages to gather, sit, play, and exercise, with a focus on calisthenics.”

Cllr Sudhakar Achwal, Mayor of Winchester, added:

“The gym is a wonderful tribute to Allegra, who spent much of her childhood playing and training on the fields at Bar End… Allegra’s Gym stands as a living legacy, a joyful place for the community to meet, gather, exercise, and play together, just as she once enjoyed doing.

“I would like to warmly congratulate you and your team for bringing this project from conception to reality, the result is exceptional.”

Allegra’s Ambition, a charity established in memory of Allegra Whittome, works to enable, engage, and empower young people to reach their potential through participation in sport.

November Practice News

In this month’s update we have put together some frequently asked questions to help explain the SIPs build system following the onsite success at our Courtyard House project, we are celebrating our shortlist in the Build It Awards, and have an update from The Granary.

To keep in touch with our news, you can sign up to the practice updates here. 

FAQs about SIPs

We often get asked questions from our clients about SIP’s as a potential method for building. To help you get a better idea about the benefits of this system, we have answered a few of the most frequently asked questions; including what are the benefits, what are the disadvantages, and is the system cheaper to build with.

Read the full article here. 

Award Success

Our Brockenhurst House has been shortlisted in this year’s Build It Awards, in the ‘Best Architect or Designer for a Conservation or Renovation Project’. The annual industry awards that celebrate the most inspiring architectural projects and inventive products in the self-build sector, judged by industry leaders.

Brockenhurst House exemplifies how thoughtful, design-led architecture can elevate everyday living. What began as a tired 1970s chalet-style property has been transformed into a refined, low-carbon contemporary home, designed to support its owners’ evolving needs while treading lightly on the planet.

Full project details can be found here. 

The Granary update

It was great to see such positive progress on site at The Granary, our heritage project in the New Forest National Park set within the curtilage of a listed building.

The project has thoughtfully designed a scheme which converts and infills an existing open carport space on the ground floor aspect of the building, providing an additional bedroom on the first floor and extending the living accommodation on the ground floor.

The project is so close to completion, we cannot wait to share some professional photos with you soon. You can find full project details here. 

Progress at The Granary

It was great to see such positive progress at The Granary, our heritage project in the New Forest National Park. The project is so close to completion, we cannot wait to share some professional photos with you soon.

The project has thoughtfully designed a scheme which converts and infills an existing open carport space on the ground floor aspect of the building, providing an additional bedroom on the first floor and extending the living accommodation on the ground floor.

Although The Granary is not a listed building independently, it sits within a curtilage of a listed building, and is of heritage interest due to it being well-preserved example of common agricultural architecture from the period. Due to this this unique heritage of the building, we approached the design sensitively, in order to retain the character of the ancillary buildings, both in terms of individual value and the setting of the listed building.

Build It Award Shortlist

Our Brockenhurst House has been shortlisted in this years Build It Awards, in the ‘Best Architect or Designer for a Conservation or Renovation Project’. The annual industry awards that celebrates the most inspiring architectural projects and inventive products in the self-build sector, judged by industry leaders.

Brockenhurst House exemplifies how thoughtful, design-led architecture can elevate everyday living. What began as a tired 1970s chalet-style property has been transformed into a refined, low-carbon contemporary home, designed to support its owners’ evolving needs while treading lightly on the planet.

 

We look forward to the winners being revealed later this year.

October Practice News

As autumn begins, we’ve seen exciting progress across several projects. There have been dramatic changes on site in the New Forest, we’ve once again supported the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards, and our Allegra’s Ambition public art commission has now been installed in Winchester.

To get our news directly to your inbox you can sign up to our mailing list here.

Courtyard House, SIPs Structure

It was fantastic to see the significant progress at Courtyard House during our recent site visit. This exciting project is delivering a striking contemporary home near Burley, in the heart of the New Forest National Park.

The property is being constructed using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), a high-performance composite building system that offers a modern alternative to traditional construction methods. Fabricated off-site, these panels greatly reduce on-site construction time. For this project, it has meant that all walls and the majority of the roofing structure has been erected in under a month!

Judging Industry Awards

Darren was once again invited to join the judging panel for the prestigious Homebuilding & Renovating Awards, held in partnership with The Times and The Sunday Times.

The panel of eight expert judges had the enjoyable, but challenging, task of reviewing all the entries and narrowing them down to a shortlist of just 25 outstanding properties. From this shortlist, the panel will now work together to select the winners for each category.

Have your say! You can also get involved by voting for your favourite project in the Readers’ Choice Award – just click here to vote. 

Allegras Ambition Public Artwork Installed

We’re very proud to see the public art we designed for Allegras Ambition now installed outside Winchester Sports Centre.

Our team won the public art competition last year with a well concieved design that incorporates the charity’s logo into a beautifully tactile wooden seat sculpture. The shape of the structure forms a welcoming enclosure, inviting people to gather, sit, lounge, or even climb and crawl across its undulating surface.

Professional photos coming soon!

South Coast Property Roundtable

Following on from our win of Architectural Practice of the Year at this years South Coast Property Awards, Darren was invited to participate in a round table discussion last week, with the other winners from this year’s awards.

The open discussion looked at opportunities and challenges we all face within the vibrant property sector across the south coast, including changes to the planning process, opportunities within the commercial sector to encourage staff back into the office, and how to make full use of technology to increase efficiency.

The organisers are looking to write a full report on the discussions, which we hope to share soon.