National Park Planning Success

We are thrilled to have achieved planning approval for our contemporary extension of Moorlands, a distinctive 1970’s property in set in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, at the heart of the New Forest National Park.

The planning process within a national park can seem daunting for many homeowners, as there are additional rules and stipulations on what you can and cannot get planning for within the park. We are well versed in these details, having successfully worked on many properties within the New Forest national park, and were delighted to have achieved planning for this home in Brockenhurst on the first application.

The design reconfigures the ground floor, maximising the space available and enhancing the functionality of the house for the growing family. The scheme extends and opens up the kitchen and dining area, increasing connectivity to the rest of the home and the large garden. During the construction work the dwelling will be thermally upgraded to deliver a low energy, comfortably home. Full details of the project can be found here.

Design and De-Growth

This post, written by Amanda Moore in collaboration with Studio BAD Architects, explores reasons to work towards a frugal architecture. Four design case study projects will follow, in separate posts, covering a variety of sectors in order to interrogate the credibility of a rebalance between the amount of construction and end user ‘benefit’.

It has been long-established in human society that growth is innately linked to progress. It may be a natural urge within us to grow and produce.

Rising GDP is linked to growth and political success. However, it is also being linked to rising environmental impact in terms of increased materials and energy needed to produce and use goods. Should we scrap using GDP as a measure of success in favour of a happiness index, (www.world happiness.report), if we really feel the need to rank ourselves against other countries?

De-growth is an economic theory born in the 1970s which looks at the merits of shrinking economies and saving the earth’s resources. There is good reason to fear de-growth, being able to pay for public services through taxation for example. Should we reduce production and growth and hence our working hours? Or, can we have the same amount of a greener-growth?

If we need financial growth to pay for services, can there be a reduction in some less beneficial sectors such as carbon-intensive food production including meats, cheap fashion and other cheap products and new-build construction? Could we see an increase in other sectors such as skills and education, leisure, health, public transport and other services which are less carbon-intensive by nature and may provide more satisfaction and enjoyment to end-users.

In architecture, should there be a post-growth movement? Architects Declare notes a pledge to ‘Upgrade existing buildings for extended use as a more carbon efficient alternative to demolition and new build whenever there is a viable choice’. This architecture wouldn’t serve to start with maximising building on a site for profit, but look to re-use existing buildings and sites for maximum gain and enjoyment to end users. Should this idea be part of the RIBA and ARB’s ethics codes?

Within the various large practices I’ve worked for,  projects mainly focused on maximising the amount of building on a site in order for the client to afford the construction costs and make a profit, particularly if expensive demolition and foundations were involved. Production to afford production. More construction is seen as the only ‘viable’ choice by many developers.

Architects may start with a smaller budget project and then encourage their client to go for a much larger one. This in part ensures a steady stream of fees, a bird in the hand is better than a hundred competitions in the bush. Charging based on a percentage of construction value rather than man-hours used can encourage architects to push clients to go for more construction. Taking on bigger and bigger-costed projects with the greater indemnity insurance and staffing requirements that can entail can then result in practices having to continually power up and up like a pyramid scheme, working to keep a bloating practice afloat.

More time should be spent on the feasibility stages of built environment projects to determine the actual needs of the local community and do the building work actually required, then determining the lowest embodied and operational carbon options. This feasibility service by architects should always be paid for by clients, not given by architects in the hope of winning/creating a lucrative  and prestigious project to work on at the end.

A friend who isn’t an architect once asked me, ‘haven’t architects built all the buildings?’ which seemed like a naive comment at the time. In actuality, there ARE a lot of buildings, and refurbishment and reuse could have been employed on most of the large projects I have worked on in practice before starting work as a freelancer, bar railway infrastructure projects.

Nowadays, most of the projects I work on are light-touch public space projects, installing artworks and outdoor furniture to activate underused spaces. Many are refurbishments, particularly for church buildings which require adjustments for custodians to carry out community-serving activities. Refurbishment has been forced onto many Christian churches who are trapped within their large, beautiful, historic listed buildings which are difficult to heat in the UK winters. Light-touch approaches over demolition are the only viable ones such as partitioning parts of the building which can be more efficiently heated, or using buildings seasonally. Going in with large and expensive technology such as air source heat pumps may also not be the best solution for older, less airtight and insulated building stock and may not solve the carbon problem when there is no wind or sun to run them in winter. At Studio BAD we work as a network of disciplines including design, building physics, building services, planning, costing and delivery/material sourcing from the outset to evaluate and test the best options in terms of cost, community benefit and environmental impact.

Materials should also be specified in relation to the lifespan of the building or it’s intended use, ie; is carbon-intensive concrete required for a new building or refurbishment which may only be used for 10 years, is a client willing to use materials which are less carbon-intensive but require more maintenance? Do buildings have to be made of the most robust/static and maintenance-free materials to retain their financial value to a client?

So, what are architects offering clients and the community and what could they offer with frugality being given priority in their design processes? Can they still add value? Can this value be credibly measured by social and community impact? If it is still financial value to the landowner, should architects be paid in relation to how much money they actually save the client rather than spend in terms of the amount of building work which needs to be done?

Neurodiverse friendly architecture: J.E.D.I. Talk

Earlier this year I was invited to take part in the J.E.D.I (Just Equality Diversity Inclusion) talk, hosted by RIBA NE as part of their ‘Change the Record’ Campaign Group. Chaired by Chithra Marsh, Associate Director at Buttress Architects, with other speakers along with myself on the panel including Nick Simpson from Leap Architects and Jean Hewitt, Inclusive Design, Associate at Buro Happold.

The discussion looked at how neurodiversity has affected us all, how it has impacted our personal and work lives, the way we approach work and how we can design with equality and inclusion in mind. Each speaker shared their own, hugely personal experience of this unseen disability, I urge you all to have a listen to the fascinating stories.

Very simply put we are all neurodiversity in different ways, there is no norm for everyone and how it can effect us. How we communicate, how we think, how we learn, these are all unique to the individual, there is no right and wrong, we just experience the world differently but there are ways we can make things easier.

I shared my own living experience; growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia I found the academic system incredibly difficult. After leaving school without achieving any GCSE’s I was fortunate to enter a youth training scheme where I was so lucky to find a lifelong mentor, and friend, in Roger Tyrell.

My route to architecture has not been a typical one. I gained vocational qualifications and entered university at 21, something I never thought would be a possibility for me. Interestingly it was only after I had submitted my first essay that my tutor noticed I might be dyslexic, something I had never heard of let alone thought I might be affected by. Architecture itself I find suits me, and how my brain works. I think differently and work at a different pace which suits how I design – I now see my dyslexia as a sort of superpower, which I have talked about before.

Jean Hewitt shared her recent work on Inclusive Design, PAS 6463, Publicly Available Specification. This work is the first step to becoming a formal standard, highlighting changes that should be embraced as the norm to help those with neurodiversity needs.

Obviously, it is difficult to have a design standard to fit all, as everyone is impacted differently by the environment around them. The study does important work to highlight areas designers might overlook, to help build better surroundings for everyone and it is well worth having a closer look at the full report. There were three key pull outs from PAS 6463; firstly, each environment should have clarity so people can find their way and not get lost. Secondly, each environment should give the user choice and control. Finally, that, if possible, there should be a calm place to escape to, a place of calm if things get overwhelming so individuals can reset and rejoin when ready.

My overall impression from the talk was of positivity, that everyone affected by some form of neurodiversity would not change their diagnosis. I hope everyone can learn to understands all neurodiversity’s should not be seen as a barrier to life, personal or in work. We are all different, but that ‘difference’ is often what makes us uniquely us.

Prototype Build aka The Bishops Hat

As part of our Collaborative Process Exhibition we designed and build a 1:1 prototype structure, exploring the concept of flat pack, temporary architecture.

The design, affectionately nicknamed ‘The Bishop’s Hat’, was first sketched following a series of community engagement workshops we held at various churches in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. Faced with the challenge of activating and heating old, large and often protected spaces like churches, the studio explored the idea of ‘a room within a room.’ By building a smaller temporary structure within a larger volume the community could continue to use the space while only needing to heat the smaller area. In the warmer months the structure could open out, split apart and be reconfigured to house different activities, once again utilising the larger volume within the church.

The design is demountable, modular and simplified into a ‘kit of parts’ requiring only an Allen key to fully assemble. It is made with a timber frame and OSB clad, built as corners that can come together or break apart, each ‘part’ can slot in and be re-configured upon the base. The 1:1 prototype build was intended as a proof of the concept, that the design can be constructed, utilised, deconstructed and re­configured in different places and forms. We were all happy that it worked successfully; after four days constructing all the parts, it only took 1 hour to take down and flat-pack!

The vision was to create a structure that can act as a temporary activator. By deploying the structure into an existing space in need of reimagining, it can gather its community in a safe and warm space to host activities and conversations and spark new ideas. With the next iteration we hope to explore its functionality further, with integrated upgrades such as insulation, electricity and cladding so this simple structure could take on many more forms.

We collaborated with Reading School of Architecture to involve two of their students, Dorina Boros and Anna Knight Gonzalez, to join in the building of the structure and to reimagine the design in different formations and locations across Southampton. The students’ designs were presented, along with the built structure, at our exhibition at God’s House Tower in Southampton.

Many thanks to the amazing build team, Peter Bolton, Robin Price, Kane Applegate and Laura Whitney. Also, thanks to Bentley SIP Systems who provided the materials and to God’s House Tower for letting us create a lot of sawdust in their amazing exhibition space!

We plan for the structure to evolve and take a journey with us to new projects and places. If you can imagine the Bishop’s Hat in one of your spaces, please reach out to our team!

 

‘Beyond The Streets’ opening

We were thrilled to be involved in the design work supporting the ‘Beyond the Streets’ exhibition, currently being on show at the Saachi Gallery in Chelsea, London. Over the last few months, it has been such an experience collaborating with the team at the Gallery and the Cadogan Estate, to find a way of bringing a taste of the exhibition out and into the public realm. Last week the Studio BAD team were invited to a private tour of the show, before it was opened to the public, which was such an honour to be able to see all the iconic work up close before the crowds were allowed in.

The ‘Beyond the Streets’ exhibition is the most comprehensive street art & graffiti exhibition to be held in the UK, the show celebrates the fusion between art, music and the fashion industries. The show has previously been successfully shown in New York and Los Angeles, featuring over 100 international artists showing new and iconic works, with each destination exploring the local artists that have roots within this scene, through to the important cultural figures influenced by their work.

The design installations proposed by Studio BAD aim to bring the theme, energy and vibrancy of the Beyond the Streets Exhibition, out of the gallery and into the public realm. Our proposal creates a curated walk up the Kings Road, through Duke of York Square and naturally onto the Saachi Gallery. The proposed public art includes high level banners, pop-up art galleries, a mural and a sculpture. These installations seek to offer a dynamic and lively offer to the public realm, an authentic move for this exhibition, where it had originated in the street.

The show runs until 9th May, tickets are available here.

Collaborative Process Exhibition

Last week we hosted our first exhibition, held at the awesome God’s House Tower in the heart of the old town of Southampton. The show was in part a celebration of Studio BAD’s 4th anniversary, and in part a commemoration of our collaborative process of working. The show looked at some of the key projects for our practice, past, present and future, that have been uniquely shaped by the way we work.

The show was a huge success, over the weekend we were honoured to welcomed over 300 people to the show. On the Saturday night we hosted a special drinks reception, a moment to stop, reflect and celebrate with our friends, colleagues and collaborators.

We worked with Reading University architectural students to create a centrepiece for the exhibition. We gave a design brief to design and build a prototype temporary ‘room within a room’ to sit within large internal spaces, as you often find within churches. The idea was to create a structure that can be used as a private space, to hold meetings, private contemplation or just to create a more comfortable, space smaller in scale.

The prototype device was built in-situ within God’s House Tower, creating a wonderfully warm room, which we have nicknamed the ‘Bishops Hat’ due to the overall space and detailing. Crafted from chip board with a Perspex window, laid out in a simple cross shape, the design offers a small scale room which is designed to fit comfortably within a church environment.

We would like to thank our sponsors of the event, University of Reading, Arts Committee, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Mesh Energy, Bentley SIPS Systems and Muse Coffee (who have defiantly fuelled this exhibition!) without all their support we could not have gone ahead with the event. We would also like to thank God’s House Tower; the team have been so helpful and the space is beautiful and so versatile.

Finally, we would like to thank the whole of the Studio BAD collaborative team, you can find the list of our team here, each and everyone has shaped the practice.  Studio BAD is a rich tapestry of all our skills, experience and heritage, the company has thrived from our collaborative approach and I could not be prouder of what we have all achieved together.