Small project success means life-changing help
We hope everyone has been able to relax over the last few days of Christmas. We don’t know about you, but for us the last month has been super hectic, juggling design work deadlines, site visits and childcare amongst other things! Fortunately though we managed to have a few days off to see some of the family, which was great.
Underground rooms for all the family
Transforming an unused, damp, dark space into a light filled, multi-function space, loved by all the family A few weeks ago we visited the site of a project we helped to design earlier in the year. It was for a large basement conversion where the guys are on site building it. Essentially, an existing basement that took up the entire
Breaking news – breathable plasterboard !
A plasterboard that breathes like lime plaster – it’s about time! Well nearly…it’s not available yet, but we hope it will be soon. It’s called Breathaboard, and while we don’t yet know the exact make up of the product it looks like hemp, flax or a similar agricultural waste byproduct mixed with a binder [possibly some type of lime plaster]
New design for community coffee shop project
A little update on the community coffee shop project in Sheffield! We’re undertaking work for a local charity aiming to provide a warm, safe and welcoming community space. A space that features food and drink at affordable prices, and focuses on accessibility for all customers. Currently, the building is in a huge state of disrepair and structural failure. As a
All systems go for projects on site
2022 seems to be shaping up into a busy year for projects being delivered on site. At the moment we have three very different projects, all on site at the same time, at different stages of construction. This is quite a lot for us to manage at the moment, alongside design work for other customers, but thankfully our standard operating
Different types of architectural fees
Fees – what do you get for your money Following on from our previous post about architectural fees is the next instalment about the pros and cons of the 3 different ways to formulate a quote. These are: 1 – Hourly Rate 2 – Percent Rate – based on final build cost 3 – Fixed Fee Hourly Rate Good for
Insulation that grows on trees
Have you heard about the insulation that grows on trees?! Seriously, it exists. Here’s a little video checking out some magical* cork trees. A few weeks ago I was in Portugal in a place called Marmelete in the Northern Algarve. I got a bit excited after coming across some trees [my wife and daughter less so!]. These are no ordinary
Extending an old house – online webinar
Last week we presented an online webinar for SPAB [The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings] – about extending an old house and how to do it right. We were delighted with the invitation to lead such an event, considering the status of SPAB as a highly respected national organisation. The course was a whistle stop tour of the following
Great to be back on site
Great to be back on site once again, seeing projects progress for real. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been on site as a lot of the projects that were meant to be on site over the last 2 years were shelved or put on hold indefinitely. It’s actually been quite tough at times. This particular project is for
Just another day in the office
Sometimes the historical survey you are provided with doesn’t have entirely accurate information. For example, ‘as-built’ information of features built or demolished since the survey was originally completed may be missing [like a huge gabion* retaining wall]. Also, the survey may not have enough information on some of the existing buildings in the area, that you might want to reflect
Fees – what do you get for your money
Recently, we’ve been having some really useful discussions about fees on some of our social media platforms, mainly LinkedIn. We ended up doing a poll about the different types of architectural fee arrangements and the clear preference was a fixed rate fee. However, it’s not as clear cut as it may seem and there are several variables and perceptions about
Can good quality architecture prevent suicide?
The Vessel visitor attraction in New York [pictured below] is a 16-storey structure formed of 154 interlocking staircases. Opening in 2019, it has been closed indefinitely since late July 2021. The attraction was sealed off from the public two years after it opened as a result of four suicides that occurred from the viewing platforms. After the first 2 people
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