Sarah Makroum

Planning consent for first zero-carbon clubhouse in the UK!

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This small project in Bristol for Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club brings together two of gcp’s passions: sport and sustainability. From conversations with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), we believe this is the first LTA-affiliated clubhouse in the country to be designed as zero-carbon! This is a great step for the sport, and is particularly poignant as the LTA transitions into its 1st full phase of its Environmental Sustainability Plan.

The new clubhouse is on the grounds of Frenchay Cricket Club. With the tennis club going from strength to strength, it became quickly apparent that the club required facilities of its own. DFTC appointed gcp to develop a project brief and designs for a tiny slither of land, located between the tennis courts and the site boundary. Given the site’s constraints, we focused on the core spaces required to support the club: a clubroom to host post-match teas, enable coaching briefings, and provide an all-important hub for club socials; a sheltered viewing area; and toilet and showering facilities. The 75sqm facility is designed to ensure accessibility for all with level thresholds throughout. Materials have been chosen to be robust, to ensure the club’s ongoing enjoyment of the facility without incurring high maintenance costs.

The club’s ambitions did not stop at a functional clubhouse. Clubchair Penny White and fellow committee members wanted an environmentally sustainable clubhouse, and we couldn’t be more pleased to support this ambition. We specified high performing thermal fabric and worked with an M&E consultant to ensure heating and ventilation systems would be as efficient as possible. We explored the option of Passivhaus certification. Unfortunately, the site constraints limited us to a long rectangular form running along a north-south axis, not ideal for Passivhaus. We modelled energy use and on-site energy generation and storage, ultimately achieving a design solution which is zero carbon in operation.

Construction itself has a high environmental impact. With the support of Structural Engineers at Build Collective, we looked at construction systems to minimise the carbon footprint of the building, whilst maintaining the high performance standards. An engineering joist system was chosen, along with wood-based insulation for walls and roof.

Having supported the Club in their funding applications to South Gloucestershire Council and Enovert, we are delighted that the project has secured substantial funding and look forward to being on site next year!

Above: Design Development

gcp visit Edinburgh

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It was back in 2020, when former director, Colin Powell moved to Edinburgh from Bath to fulfil a family dream of living in Scotland. A global pandemic, three years and many successful projects later a small group of the gcp team embarked on a mini-office-trip to pay him (and magnificent Edinburgh) a visit.

Our trip started early on Friday morning with a 7am flight from Bristol International Airport, landing us in Edinburgh just as the day was beginning to break. An atmospheric mist settled over the streets as we took the bus into the capital, finally splitting to cast glorious sunshine over the gothic city once brunch was over.

That first morning was for exploring – the Botanical Gardens, Modern Two, quaintly cobbled streets and an independent-makers-market inside a church were some of the sights taken in before we headed to our meeting place of Edinburgh Castle for a group experience.

We battled the crowds to take in the beauty of the sun soaked city from upon high. The breathless, panoramic views were worth being squeezed like sardines through the entrance and once inside the settlement it was peaceful with lots to look at.

There might have been a pint (or two) consumed afterwards in an quirky little pub and many thousands of steps clocked up on the step trackers.

Day Two started off with pastries and coffee (for those of us who didn’t have breakfasts at the hotel or AirBnB) and meeting Colin at the bottom of the Royal Mile, for a walk that started in a graveyard and ended in a café.

We took a meandering route, soaking up amazing views and the lovely streets of New Town. There were surprising pockets of nature to be discovered in the West End, all sprinkled with history, stories, anecdotes and interesting facts from Colin. We caught up as we walked, taking in what felt like an entirely different city to the day before.

Everywhere you turn in Edinburgh, there is something for your eyes to feast upon. Each street looks like it could be a scene in a film or the setting of a novel; I found myself saying “it’s beautiful, no this is beautiful” more times that I can count. With Autumn just at the edges of the trees and the weather zig-zagging between smokey skies and blinding sunshine, I felt like we really got the best it could offer.

After our tour we were armed with knowledge of the best bookshops in the city and filled with the most delicious toastie I’ve ever eaten it was time for a well-earned rest. Another 15,000 steps clocked in on the tracker, there were a few free hours (an amazing entrance-way in the National Portrait Gallery, yoga, a chapter of my book, a glass of wine) before we met again for a lovely dinner.

Colin surprised us all with some hand-thrown tea bowls (he has taken up pottery since moving to Edinburgh); and we finished the evening in a wine bar, chatting about our trip so far and sharing our go-to karaoke songs.

By Sunday, there was still more to do and by now, my fitness tracker was wondering if perhaps my watch had been stolen by someone who walks much more than I normally do. Today was Arthur’s Seat for some, bookshops, people watching and coffee for others. Signed-First-Editions, origami book pages, museums, galleries, parks, fountains, a fancy new shopping mall – we made the most of our last, long day, squeezing in as many of the sights as we could, before heading back to Edinburgh Airport for dinner and a late flight back to Bristol.

 

Sunny brickwork at Oakfield

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A few weeks ago we jumped at the opportunity to take a few snaps of Nationwide Building Society’s Oakfield development in Swindon as the sun made a rare appearance. We spent some time appreciating the details which really make this scheme sing. The variety of brick detail, brick bonds, and brick specification gives each terrace a unique character whilst at the same time creating a strong identity for the 239 home development as a whole.


Part of our role as delivery stage architects is to facilitate efficient construction. We painstakingly set out each brick configuration to limit the number of cut bricks required and therefore minimise waste. Which makes seeing the fantastic results all the sweeter!

 

For more info about the scheme, click here

 


Brooks Dye Works complete! Regeneration at the heart of St Werburghs. Bristol.

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Brooks Dye Works sits within the dense Victorian terraced streets of St Werburghs in central Bristol. With an industrial use dating back to the 19th century and its distinctive 39m high brick chimney providing an important landmark for the surrounding area, the site is a key regeneration project in this part of the city. Acorn achieved planning approval for a development of 89 homes, new highways and public open space in 2017 and needed to deliver a complex project with challenging technical requirements. Our previous work with Acorn and our knowledge of this area of the city (illustrated by our completed projects closely adjacent to the site) gave Acorn the confidence to appoint gcp as their Architect for the following stages of the project. Brooks Dye Works has been a major part of our office life for the subsequent 5 years, as we worked closely with Acorn’s design team and Halsall Construction, the contractor delivering the site works at Brooks.

Acorn have high production values and a clear concept for their product, wanting to provide high quality contemporary homes that are attractive, flexible and efficient. These are values very much shared by gcp, and our pragmatic approach, backed up with excellent design and technical knowledge, supported the delivery of this project on multiple levels. Our principal responsibility was in optimising the design and developing the construction solutions to deliver the product Acorn envisaged. In addition, we managed the complex planning implications and discharges required by the planning approval. Our consulting team managed the energy assessment and certification of performance to ensure delivery of new homes that are energy efficient and incorporate renewable energy systems to reduce carbon emissions.

For our team, the project has strong personal connections also – anything you work on continuously for 5 years leaves a mark!

Siobhán Tarr, our Senior Technologist, has led the technical design from inception to completion, applying her knowledge and rigour to all aspects of the design. She says;

“Having grown up in Bristol I am always interested in my city and how the regeneration of different areas enhances my hometown. I have friends who live in St Werburghs and have spent many hours exploring the surrounding streets, so it was great to play a part in the regeneration of this area. I’m looking forward to exploring some higher vantage points to get a different view of the scheme and really see it nestled within the streets I already know. The chimney is a feature I love, it’s fun moving around the area and aligning it with different views of the streets and the new homes. I am so pleased to see residents moving in and making the place their own with the individuality that is so characteristic of the area.”

Colin Powell, Energy Architect at gcp, has managed the planning approvals and consents throughout the project. He says;

“We have always built our business around relationships with people and I was so pleased to work with Acorn again on this project. As a client they take a close interest in every aspect of a project, bringing a clear focus on design quality and practical solutions that I like to think is an area we excel in. I think this is possibly one of the most complex planning approvals I have managed, and keeping track of the different consents, new applications, conditions and discharges has been quite a logistical challenge. The completed project is a credit to everyone involved and as the development matures it will fit seamlessly into the surrounding community and the dense urban character of this part of the city.”

And our joint favourite moment;

“The Brooks ducks and ducklings, who waddled through the construction works on a regular basis, oblivious to the construction activities, making their way to the new Pond in Mina Park. Hopefully the residents will get to enjoy a new duckling family every year.”

Awards:

Residential Development of the Year (Bristol Property Awards 2021);

Small Residential Development of the Year (South West Residential Property Awards 2022)


 

 

Futurebuild 2022 by Sarah

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I went to two talks on Retrofit, one short one on using timber effectively (a sales pitch by Ecosystem/Soprema), and a grandly named talk on the ‘future of building design’. I was hoping for more case studies, practical information, lessons learned etc..

 

NATIONAL RETROFIT STRATEGY

Speakers:            Sam Balch,Policy advisor at BEIS (Dpt of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy)

                            Brian Berry, Chief Exec Federation of Master Builders

                            Russel Smith, MD Parity Projects

 

 

GETTING RETROFIT DONE

Speakers:             Kate Duffy, Head of Policy at BEIS (Dpt of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy)

                             Kore Mason T&T and Ele George Energiesprong

 

 

USING TIMBER EFFECTIVELY

Speakers: MD from Soprema and Matt Stevenson from Ecosystems Tech

 

  • Soprema have a range of wood-based insulation products https://www.soprema.co.uk/en/gamme/insulation/pavatex

  • Ecosystems Tech use these products in their range of façade and roofing solutions which are suitable for both new build and retrofit. https://www.ecosystemstech.com/

  • They were the first to introduce the use of homegrown timber (grade C16+) in timber construction in the UK.

  • Their approach is BIO-OSM: biogenic based off-site manufacturing. Ie. offsite construction using wood-based materials.

  • The guy from Ecosystems Tech was the most convincing speaker I heard. Their stand was amongst the more interesting ones.

 

THE FUTURE OF BUILDING DESIGN

Speakers: Architect Peter Clegg of FCBS, and Engineer Hanif Kara of AKT II (of Foster/Bloomberg fame)

 

How does building design respond to climate and ecological emergency? Talks raised pretty common sense issues.

  • Consider embodied carbon and operational carbon

  • Peter Clegg called the LETI standard the new Bdg Regs (he didn’t actually clarify that that isn’t factually accurate!)

  • 4-storey buildings generally most efficient in terms of carbon use (I can’t remember if this is specific to operational or if it a combo of embodied and operational)

  • Be wary of assuming that CLT is always the best solution. CLT uses A LOT of timber. We can be more resource efficient than that.

  • They talked through a couple of schemes, but didn’t go into any detail and didn’t raise anything out of the ordinary

  • FCBS have developed a free tool to look at whole life carbon, as previously shared by someone in the office (can’t remember who!): https://fcbstudios.com/fcbscarbon

International Women's Day.

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We join the IWD community to celebrate the achievements of our women.

To highlight just a few of these, we have recently welcomed Martina, who has immediately made herself part of the gcp team. Catriona, an Architectural Student, who has also recently joined us from Bath University on a four-month placement, has a passion for creating thriving and sustainable communities. Sarah, our social secretary, has recently summited the final design project of her part-2 qualification at Oxford Brookes University. Completing this all whilst in full-time employment, which is a fantastic achievement!

Great news for those wanting more community-led housing

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The new Community Housing Fund (CHF) will open for applications in August 2021 (but not quite yet – watch here for updates) with £4 million to distribute. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are proving the funds.  This fund is not for new groups wanting to get going, but for established groups wanting to make meaningful progress. The fund will assist in helping to cover a wide range of costs associate with promoting community-led housing projects including:

  1. Preparing detailed applications to become a Registered Provider

  2. Preparing and submitting capital funding bids

  3. Getting ready to start on-site work

  4. Submitting Full / Detailed Planning Applications or Reserved Matters Planning Applications

  5. Development/ refurbishment of pre-built stock

For detailed assistance on items 1 to 3 above contact Community-led Homes West.

For help with items 4 or 5, contact gcp Chartered Architects and ask to speak with Esther Brown or Sarah Makroum.

Watch out for our updates or email to register interest.

New Homes for People in Pill

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Chapel Pill | Image prepared for Community Consultation

Chapel Pill | Image prepared for Community Consultation

A planning application has been submitted by gcp Chartered Architects on behalf of Pill & District Community Land Trust in partnership with Alliance Homes. We really enjoy the satisfaction of helping to realise the objectives of local community leaders, whose knowledge and passion for their local area is so instrumental in creating opportunities for affordable homes for local people. The site at Chapel Pill is in a sensitive location, on a steeply sloping site on the edge of the settlement. Achieving practical access for both cars and pedestrians, minimising visual impact, and enhancing natural habitats have been very real concerns. Opinion was split between those who opposed the development due to concern over impact on a sensitive green-belt location, and supporters who see the need for affordable houses in a community where it is increasingly difficult for local people to afford their own home. 

 

The project team have put a great deal of effort into understanding the context and constraints of the site and developing a solution to address these issues.  gcp’s design response creates a group of 14 high quality homes that are compact in form to minimise impact on the green belt, sensitively landscaped to bring biodiversity enhancements, and provide affordable homes with very low energy bills.

Bright new home at Clover Place, West Oxfordshire

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Such a pleasure to see Clover Place looking so homely! There is still work to do in the garden but the interior spaces are looking great.

Our clients wanted a home for the future: a home which could easily adapt to changing mobility, and a home with low energy demand. gcp designed the house to Passivhaus principles and with an adaptable internal layout to suit future needs. The interior is beautifully bright and will have a fantastic outlook over the garden once the latter is complete.

Our favourite spot? The window seat in the dining area, definitely.

gcp supported the client with this special project from initial conception right through to completion. We provided visualisations throughout the design stage to ensure we were correctly capturing the client’s vision. Following the award of the building contract to social enterprise Toolshed, gcp acted as Contract Administrator, bringing the build to completion.

If you are looking to build a low-energy home, please get in touch with us to see how we can support you!

Century Park - It’s been a long time coming! 

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We have been working with Curo Enterprise for over 4 years now to develop former Bristol City Council land in Lawrence Weston and provide 128 new homes. Last week we were finally able to see the project coming out of the ground! Although the view was fairly limited to ground beams, pipes and DPCs, it was a pretty exciting moment for me to see the scheme materialising.

The development is a mix of 2-, 3- and 4- bedroom homes alongside a small number of 1- and 2-bed apartments. The initial brief required us to provide a high-density housing solution without relying heavily on apartments, to create a marketable and affordable development. We were determined from the outset to design not only high-quality homes but also high-quality public space. The development features public open space with dedicated play areas as well as a trim trail; the layout of the terraces and design of surfaces create a safe and attractive community for all. The houses themselves are elegantly designed. We have used simple but sensitively placed brick and cladding details to bring vibrancy to the scheme.

Century Park is one of those special projects for me, having poured so many hours into the initial site planning, design development, community consultation, planning submission, technical design and now construction support. We are so pleased that the homes are already getting a lot of interest from buyers; I really can’t wait to see the final result. Sarah Makroum, Architectural Assistant, gcp Architects.

Planning application submitted for affordable homes in Woolavington

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We’re extremely pleased to have submitted a planning application for 14 new affordable homes in Woolavington, Somerset. This scheme builds on gcp’s rich portfolio of housing design and community involvement across Bristol and the South-West.

Our proposals respond to the sensitive rural context of the site, and early involvement from specialists enabled us to achieve a scheme which brings the construction of much-needed homes together with the protection of local ecology and landscape character. We’re always delighted to work with clients such as SHAL Housing Association who share our passion for sustainable communities; the homes will be built to high energy efficiency standards and include low-carbon technologies to reduce energy demand and fuel poverty.

We love the collaborative nature of this scheme with ongoing involvement from Sedgemoor District Council Housing Team, early input from specialists, community consultation, and a project team determined to bring the scheme to life.

Project team: gcp Chartered Architects, Taylor Lewis, EG Carter Ltd, AFLA, Infrastruct CS Ltd

It is all in the detail.

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The brickwork on Mi-Space’s Oakfield development is amazing. Really attractive bricks have been specified, and bond patterns used that showcase them at their best. There is Flemish bond between paired front doors with the alternating header and stretcher bricks in contrasting colours. The projecting brick detail also features contrasting bricks, which with the sunshine and shadow looks really spectacular. Visitors to the development will also notice that prominent corner plots feature a basket weave pattern which is an eye-catching but quite subtle detail.

gcp have prepared brick setting out details to assist Mi-Space in achieving these really great results.

www.oakfieldswindon.co.uk.

Phase 1 at Oakfield development making great progress.

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Fantastic progress is being made on site where Mi-Space are constructing the Oakfield development in Swindon for Nationwide Building Society. Phase 1 will see the completion of 44 houses, 12 walk-up apartments and the Hub building.

The houses and walk-ups are a mix of open market and affordable units. They are traditional masonry cavity construction of two and three storeys in height, and progress ranges from completion of ground floor slab to installation of first floor joists.

The Hub has a community room on the ground floor and 18 intergenerational apartments, for local affordable housing provider GreenSquareAccord. Construction of the 4 storey concrete frame is now at roof level.

www.oakfieldswindon.co.uk.

The Hub building with phase 1 houses in the foreground.

The Hub building with phase 1 houses in the foreground.

From the roof of the Hub building, phase 1 houses can be seen to the right with phase 3 to the left and phase 2 in the distance.

From the roof of the Hub building, phase 1 houses can be seen to the right with phase 3 to the left and phase 2 in the distance.


End of year blog 2020

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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.

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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!

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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: Downend & Frenchay Pavilion

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“We have a number of sports enthusiasts here at gcp and so it’s always a delight to design facilities to support sport in the community. We’ve been working with Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club to deliver a new pavilion to cater for their growing membership and exciting programmes. We share a passion for sustainable communities with the client and are looking at ways to make the pavilion as self-sufficient as possible with regards to energy generation and use.”
— Sarah Makroum, gcp
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We asked everyone in the office to name their favourite project of 2020. Sarah couldn’t decide on her favourite so along with Radford Cottage (8th December), she also enjoyed working on Downend & Frenchay Tennis Pavilion.