Meet the Team: Michael Hanson

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Kensington Memorial Park Waterpark

There’s a really exciting employee anniversary this month – Senior Architect Michael Hanson celebrates 23 years at gcp. As part of the celebrations, we wanted to ask him a few questions about his time here.

As one of our longest serving team members, he has a wealth of experience in leisure, community, education, regeneration and social housing projects for a range of clients including local authorities, housing associations and commercial developers.

Michael has worked on a wide range of projects as lead architect, and also in a consultancy role as assessor and expert energy advisor.

For over 15 years, Michael has had particular interest in the issues of conservation and sustainable environmental design, he has undertaken research and energy modelling to help clients optimise design and construction specifications for low energy housing, including researching  renewable  technology  impacts  and  cost-benefits  for  clients  and  occupants.

Michael is an accredited SAP & EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) assessor.

As part of his interest in developing a deeper understanding of building physics and energy in buildings, in 2011 Michael completed an MSc in Environmental Design of Buildings at Cardiff University, achieving a distinction. This included research into the impacts of domestic retrofit measures, which was published in his dissertation; “The Risk and Reward of Implementing Zero Carbon Retrofit to UK Dwellings: Studies of Implemented Measures and Analysis of Outcomes.”

As a project lead, Michael has particular experience of running the construction stage of projects, involving the discharge of planning conditions, Building Regulation compliance and detailed design co-ordination. In recent years Michael has developed particular experience in works to existing buildings. This has included complex conversion and refurbishment of commercial buildings and residential low and high-rise buildings.

As part of this experience Michael has been responsible for consultation with existing occupiers and management of the complexities of working in occupied buildings and the close coordination this requires. His most recent projects continue this, but focus on whole building low energy retrofit and decarbonisation initiatives, delivering stepchanges in resident experience and energy demands.

Michael  has  completed  training  to  deliver  Principal  Designer  services  to  meet  the requirements of CDM 2015 Health & Safety Regulations.

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Well Michael, I think your experience speaks for itself. Let’s give our followers the chance to get to know you a bit better with a few quick-fire questions.

We’ll start with the easy one: what inspired you to pursue architecture?

Several aspects; my father was a carpenter, and he had a background of a long running multi-generational family business, in the model of general builder and funeral directors. Construction and buildings were a fact. When I was a child we’d investigate local sites if we came across one on a walk (before current levels of health & safety secured sites!) and I remember trying to piece together the part-finished buildings in my head. Additionally my secondary school art teacher was a good encouragement.  

Thanks for sharing that. If you weren’t an architect, what would you be?

Hmmm. Perhaps I would have pursued art – I did art to A-level, enjoyed painting in oils, mainly landscapes at that point. But essentially I gain joy in creating things – so I guess I would have ended up in some sort of creative endeavour.  

You’ve been here for such a long time, do you think you could narrow it down to your favourite project to work on at gcp?

There have been many really, I enjoy each one as they come along – and can get very focused in the detail. But Hengrove Leisure park was an early one, as well as work on the major parks in London for RBKC, particularly at Kensington Memorial Park, and then various community centre and old school site works. Always good to see the benefit for the client & users. There are others that I've enjoyed at concept stage which were never realised in the end – several schemes which would have had dramatic interventions for residents such as proposals for refurbishment of highrise towers in Exeter and Swindon, all unfortunately suffered the fate of local authority financial difficulties not pursuing project delivery.

And what’s been your best moment at gcp in the last year?

I would say some of our staff social events. Gathering again with colleagues and their families down in Devon at the start of this summer was a particular highlight.

Anything Else?

Staggered by way time flies. Time with gcp has been a blend of various different experiences – always with very good people.

Couldn’t agree more and with this anniversary marks the end of another calendar year. Where did 2022 go? Just a few final questions to finish up.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

There never seems to be much of it, but if it is just my time, then cycling and gardening bring satisfaction peace and joy.

When it is longer time with my family we like to get out and visit historic places, to explore or visit new places and do activities – we don’t do static holidays – the act of journeying is part of the experience.

What’s your proudest personal achievement?

My family - My daughters.            

Norfolk Coast, 2020

And to wrap up – my favourite questions to ask! - could tell us something we might not already know about you?

Hmm. Should that be I’m a quarter Italian?

È molto gentile da parte tua!

Narrowboat Steering, 2019

Thanks so much for your time today Michael. It really is a pleasure to celebrate our staff anniversaries and achievements and today was a particularly monumental one.  

We have an exciting month of Christmas fun coming up in December – keep an eye on our blog to see what we doing throughout the month to bring some festive joy to the office.

Residential Tower Blocks: Ensuring Building Safety Through Collaboration

In summer 2018 gcp were appointed by Rateavon Ltd to assist in the refurbishment of Spencer & Norton Houses in Redcliffe. This was the latest in a series of projects for Bristol City Council’s Major Projects team (BCCMP) which looked to regenerate their housing stock. Historically these works consisted of giving the buildings a face lift and improving thermal performance by insulating external walls and roofs, and replacing doors and windows. The brief for Spencer & Norton Houses was no different, but the path to delivery changed with the amendment to Building Regulation Approved Document B in November 2018.

This amendment was the first major change to regulation following publication of the Hackitt Report in May 2018. The amendment stated that:

“New regulation 7(2) of the Building Regulations 2010 applies to any building with a storey at least 18m above ground level… Regulation 7(2) requires that all materials which become part of an external wall or specified attachment achieve European Class A2-s1, d0 or Class A1 except for components exempted in Regulation 7(3).”

For those unfamiliar with the Euroclass system the first category A1/A2/B/…/F relates to combustibility, with classes ranging from F (untested) to A1 (non-combustible). Materials which achieve a combustibility rating between D and A2 can then be sub-divided by two other criteria, ‘s’ for smoke propagation and ‘d’ for flaming droplets. In each case the lower the number the better the material has performed. Just to add to the confusion ‘s’ rankings range from 1-3, whilst ‘d’ rankings range from 0-2. For a product to be suitable for installation on an external wall it needs to be non-combustible, produce little or no smoke and produce no flaming droplets, A2-s1, d0 or A1.

This requirement was long overdue and highlighted a section of the ‘golden thread’ which had previously been missing. The design team now had to identify all elements which formed part of the external wall and contact suppliers/manufacturers to confirm that these products are either exempt under Regulation 7(3) or have a fire test certificate proving the performance against fire.

The project at Spencer & Norton Houses was one of the first high rise residential developments to incur these new regulations. Initially it was clear that this was a shock to the industry and many manufacturers either did not have fire test certificates or these certificates were out of date. In one instance the design team chose to organize its own fire test to be completely sure that the new balcony panels would be suitable.

Being at the front of the curve in tackling these changes was certainly challenging but through close collaboration with the design team and Bristol City Council Building Control we identified a solution and implemented this strategy to satisfy the Building Regulations. Now we have a method in place the process will only get easier as we continue to work on BCCMP’s remaining housing stock.

Whilst these standards are currently only enforceable for buildings over 18m, it is likely that further amendments will see these requirements spread to a wider group of buildings. We are already seeing early adoption across housing association projects where clients will not permit external wall materials which do not achieve European Class A2-s1, d0 or Class A1.

Recommendations from the Hackitt Report will likely drive change throughout the construction industry in coming years. This change is vital in ensuring our existing and proposed housing stock is safe and suitable for all. Information management will form a key part of this process, but this is nothing new to the construction industry. We already have the tools to make the necessary improvements. We just need an industry wide change of mindset to prioritise building safety during procurement, design and construction.

End of year blog 2020

A year like no other is coming to an end and I just wanted to say that, despite the numerous challenges presented to us, the whole team has responded magnificently demonstrating a deep-routed culture of mutual support and understanding. My thanks and appreciation go to you all. I have known for ages that it was all about the people and so I want to mention some of the ways that we have progressed as an organisation to put us in such a strong position looking forward to 2021 and the part that the individuals have played in that.

Everyone has developed a ‘teams’ persona whether it’s during a virtual rendezvous with genial GP ‘doctor’ Martin Spear, ‘cat juggling’ Esther Brown, ‘squeezed under the stairs’ whispering Michael Hanson or ‘wild man of the woods’ Jonathan Platt. Sometimes they all appear at once on screen like a mad version of University Challenge.

I thought some like borrowing the cool neutral background of a beautifully tasteful modern kitchen until I eventually realised that in Olia Kyritsi’s case it was actually her real kitchen.  Some like Tom Mellor, Tom Hubbard and Matt Andrews like fading out the domestic child strewn chaos in which they obviously live while Owen Faunt either has many rooms in his house or a different selection of bold wallpapers in each. Sarah Markroum looks as though she is just about to pick up an instrument and sing us a song and Matt Bonney has been sitting next to his match pot decorated wall for most of the year.

Natalie Lock likes to share her domestic bliss with us occasionally interrupted by child or husband or both and recently we have been able to share the homes of Maria Steward, who’s husband lives, we now know, behind a door curiously located half way up the wall in her kitchen, or Siobhan Tarr who has brought the garden inside her house with her spectacularly green fingers.  James Pilling resides in his person shed in the middle of a building site with bike poised for an early morning spin whilst Jon Briscoe organises our every waking hour with benevolent decisiveness and our recently distanced genial voice of reason and wisdom Colin Powell looks over us and after us. 

What a dream teams team!

This year really has been full of achievement. Financially we have, more or less, broken even which has been no mean feat on its own.  During a year when we have completed a refurbishment of the office, had to work in bubbles, incurred the considerable cost of converting the business into an Employee Owned Trust and set everyone up with the IT infrastructure to work fairly seamlessly from home or from Corum 2, this performance has been even more remarkable.

The year stared with James Pilling achieving a Part 1 Architectural qualification by distance learning with Oxford Brookes and ended with Esther Brown becoming a fully qualified Architect.  In the middle Sarah Makroum passed her first year of Part 2, again at Oxford Brookes and Own Faunt his first year apprentice Part 1 at South Bank University, both with flying colours.  Matt Bonney and Olia Kyrirtsi became qualified Passivhaus designers and Tom Hubbard became a certified Architectural Technologist.  Congratulations to you all.

Shout outs go to Michael Hanson for his tireless responses to your never-ending technical queries and Michael again with Tom Mellor for masterminding the IT development and eventual delivery of a VOIP telephone system.  Don’t ring us ( and expect to get transferred ) we’ll ring you back!  Lastly a big mention for Esther Brown, Natalie Lock, Matt Bonney and James Pilling for boosting our social media presence to the status of influencers – who would have believed it!

And then there was the actual work!

Happy Christmas to you and yours and I look forward to eventually meeting up with you all in 2021.

Jeremy Pilling

2020 Favourites: Avonmouth Community Centre

“This has been a really rewarding project to be involved with. gcp have always been enthusiastic about supporting and enabling community organisations to improve their facilities and Avonmouth Community Centre has given us the opportunity to work at length on a project which will dramatically enhance their capability to offer services to the community. The existing Victorian school buildings have been repurposed and reordered as part of a masterplan to provide dedicated meeting spaces, a teaching kitchen, function area and library space. Further phases would look to improve the fabric and include renewable energy provision to reduce ongoing expenditure.”

— Michael Hanson, gcp

We asked everyone in the office to name their favourite project of 2020. Michael has chosen this small scheme for Avonmouth Community Centre Association looking to reconfigure and refurbish the existing space.