Junction 3 wins an 'Oscar' and Residential Development of the Year

Junction 3 has won the Bronze award for 'Best Mixed Use Development'in the UK at the 'Oscars' of the house-building industry, the What House? Awards 2013.
 
Within the same few weeks, J3 was also awarded 'Residential Development of the Year' at the South West Insider Property Awards 2013.
 
Insider said that the scheme:

'has provided a creative solution to a problem site in inner city Bristol. Delivered within its £10.4m budget, it has been the culmination of ten years' partnership working with Bristol City Council.'
 
Our relationship with Knightstone Housing Association continues as we are named the preferred teamfor The Carriageworks Project in Stokes Croft. See: The Carriageworks Action Group website for more information.

Call for action: Part L amendments now revealed

Part L of the Building Regulations covers the conservation of fuel and power in buildings.

In order to avoid more onerous requirements, your project will need to begin on site before 6th April 2014, or be subject to a building notice, full plans application or initial notice submitted before this date and work starting within one year. 
 
For new dwellings, the main changes to Part L1A are:
 
A reduction in energy usage; a 6% saving on carbon dioxide emissions relative to the current Part L 2010.

An improvement in energy efficiency; a new requirement to achieve a fabric energy efficiency target. gcp have experience of designing to this target since its introduction in the Code for Sustainable Homes in November 2010.

gcp delivers another rural housing project for SWHS

gcp have worked with South Western Housing Society; one of our key repeat clients, to deliver another development of 14 new homes in Mid Devon.  The project creates new houses for local families in the village of Lapford which is a small rural community where affordable homes are in short supply.  The project builds on learning and experience from other projects completed for SWHS in Devon and Somerset, particularly in respect of energy and sustainability. gcp's combined expertise in design and sustainability have provided low energy homes with simple technologies that will be efficient to run and easy to manage.

The Carriageworks and Westmoreland House

Knightstone Housing Associaton and gcp have been selected by Bristol City Council to work with them on the infamous Carriageworks and Westmoreland Site in Stokes Croft, Bristol.

Proposals were submitted in mid-November 2013 as part of an ITT submission, the result of which were successful and announced at the Carriageworks Action Group press release on the 2nd December 2013.
 
gcp are delighted with the news and look forward to working with Knightstone on yet another iconic inner city site for Bristol City Council (see Junction 3).
 
The next stage will involve legal processes to gain access to the site to carry out the necessary site investigation works. Watch this space!

UK's first BREEAM Excellent Sports Centre Celebrates 10 Years

In the early years of the Lottery Sport Fund St Paul's Sports Academy broke the mould for new build inner city sports centres. Following 18 months of detailed community consultation designed and coordinated by gcp the community supported the idea for a centre with high environmental performance standard and a layout that integrated Cabot Primary School who shared the site.

Located adjacent to the M32 on the way in to central Bristol, the scheme was designed for Bristol City Council with advice from their leisure centre contractor.  It was the first new the dual use sports centre on a primary school site for many years and a was the first sports project in the UK to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.

gcp joined a celebration party just before Christmas with many of the original team and provided a display that charted the history of the site following the riots in the early 1980's through to the present day.

The scheme was awarded a local Civic Trust Award in 2004.

Click here for a tour of the centre.

gcp team selected for redevelopment of iconic Carriageworks

Following on from the success of the J3 development, Knightstone Housing is selected as the preferred bidder for the compulsory purchase of this iconic site.

The Carriageworks and Westmoreland House have long been a blot on the Bristol skyline. The site, owned by a London based developer has been subject to several ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful planning applications. Bristol City Council, with the active support of the local community through the Carriageworks Action Group selected Knightstone through a formal tender process which will see final proposals submitted this August.  gcp Chartered Architects are delighted to be part of the Knightstone team charged with developing a viable solution for this site.

The next stage of work will include consultation with stakeholders to help define the parameters of the scheme. The consultation process needs to support the final stage of the tender process but also feed into any subsequent planning application. gcp identified the opportunity of working as part of a CABE Design Council pilot for a Consultation Toolkit being developed alongside the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and The Good Homes Alliance.

gcp Catalyst for J3

gcp was the catalyst for landmark and much visited J3 development adjacent to the M32 on the approach to Bristol City Centre. This scheme, that includes a major new library for Bristol was the result of critical connections gcp made back in 2004. J3 opened on 19th March 2013. To read about our J3 connections click here.

More accolades for J3

David Orr, the Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation said

"J3 really is something to show off about and to be proud of. You approach the development and just think 'wow'. It's a genuine example of how building homes is a great thing. When we build homes, we create communities and we make better places and that's exactly what is happening here. Everyone who has been involved in developing J3 should be proud."

Prior to the formal opening in April 2013 the J3 development had been put forward to the Considerate Constructors Scheme 2012 awards programme. The J3 development achieved the high accolade of Most Considerate site runner up. Credit goes to the client, Knightstone Housing Association and construction team at Leadbitter Construction. gcp did their bit early on in the project to create the positive atmosphere for active engagement that continued throughout the project.

Bristol Water HQ office phase 1 complete

Bristol Water head office, located high up on Bedminster Down and overlooking Bristol is undergoing a radical transformation. The 1960's office building is being modernised and extended to create a modern working environment. The refurbishment is being carried out whilst the building is in occupation and the staff have been consulted and encouraged to put forward suggestions.

The project is being designed and managed by gcp Chartered Architects. The first phase of over cladding the existing elevations with insulation was completed at the end of 2012. The next phase of work delivers an extension to provide additional office space, before the internal refurbishment of the original building commences in September 2013. The refurbishment is programmed to be complete by March 2015 and will feel clean, bright and funky for the lucky employees.

Two national awards for one project

A ground breaking development in Bristol scoops two national awards by Inside Housing, the leading weekly magazine for housing professionals.

The recently completed housing scheme for the Community Self Build Association and Knightstone Housing Association has been voted 2013 Development of the Year, Small Scheme Award Winner, and in Top 50 Best Housing Schemes in the UK completed during 2013.

The first train and build scheme of its kind to accommodate homeless ex-service personnel, the project not only provided much-needed affordable housing but also gave ten ex-service personnel the opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications. The brownfield site was formerly used as a car wash and vehicle storage compound. The redevelopment removed an unplanned and undesirable activity from a largely residential community.

J3 gets Building for Life green light

The landmark J3 development on the M32 in central Bristol is an example of best practice in urban design. Constructing Excellence South West is using J3 for their Bristol based Building for Life 12 training course for the development industry. The City Design Group of Bristol City Council are using J3 as an example of successful collaborative working between all members of the design team at the planning stage of a project.

J3 is a collaborative project between Bristol City Council Library Service, Single Parent Action Network and Knightstone Housing Association. The project regenerated a site which was previously isolated by the road network. It includes 53 one and two bed flats, 6 large family houses, 8 workspace units, community meeting rooms, a library and a crèche. Funding for the project has been provided by the HCA, BIG Lottery and Bristol City Council.

BIG bonanza for The Trinity Centre

Famous Bristol music venue and community arts centre is to get its share of £2.4m for the South West from the BIG Lottery. The Trinity Centre grant of £460,000 (second highest in the region) is towards building works to help improve access and increase the range of facilities and space available for community activities.

The grant is from the Reaching Communities Buildings Fund and will be spent on: improved access to the site, including a new pedestrian gate, cycle parking, disabled car parking, new paving, a new Reception and the Hall upstairs.  The refurbishment of the upstairs hall is going to be dramatic! There will be a sprung wooden floor with under floor heating, a professional lighting system and huge black curtains to create a wonderful space for dance productions, fitness and performance.

The Trinity Centre has been a community centre since 1976. The Council recently granted a new lease for the building for a period of 35 years using the council's Community Asset Transfer Policy. Along with our designs following consultations and the money available, it's going to be a fantastic asset to the Bristol scene.

Works will start in June 2013 and will be phased across the year to ensure the centre remains open. The completion will be celebrated with a Trinity party in January 2014.

Nottingham piazza gets new coffee kiosk

gcp Chartered Architects have designed a bespoke coffee kiosk ready for this summer. No mean feat - planning permission was only submitted in February!

We're going to achieve this deadline by working closely with a modular building supplier and the benefits of choosing this solution are clear to our client; Courtenay Investments Ltd wanted minimum disruption to the trading environment for other retailers around the piazza. Mapperley is a very busy shopping centre on the edge of Nottingham and the piazza is host to a craft market and soon-to-be-launched farmers market, along with opportunities for retail entrepreneurs through: www.popupbritain.com. The kiosk faced in glass will be lively and in the midst of the activity.

Feasibility Study attracts funding for Malcolm X

Malcolm X Community Centre, St Paul's, Bristol has secured funding fromCommunitybuildersfollowing an options study prepared by gcpChartered Architects working alongside Locality, the social investment advisor. The funding will support the preparation of a Planning Application following the preparation of a detailed feasibility study for the development, expansion and realignment of services at Malcolm X, which has been the South West's leading Afro Caribbean arts centre since 1980's.

It is anticipated that the work will lead to a significant capital investment programme over the next 5 years and will see the completion of a lease for assets transfer from Bristol City Council.

Communitybuilders is the key funder of the feasibility study that can lead to a capital grant for the identified building works.

Flood resilient low energy house complete

Working for long-term client South Western Housing Society gcp has completed a rural exception site scheme that is both low energy and designed to be resilient to flooding. The scheme at East Huntspill near Bridgwater comprises eight houses and four flats built on an isolated, redundant Somerset County Farm site.

The energy performance of the development has been monitored via a co-heating test following a successful funding application to the Technology Strategy Board TSB Building Performance Evaluation programme.

The project has also been shortlisted for thePremier Guarantee Social Housing Development of 2012 award

TSB re-engages gcp as competition advisors

Following three very interesting years of work the Technology Strategy Board have re engaged members of gcp staff as assessors on their building environment and climate change investment competitions. gcphave worked on many of the TSB's leading programmes including Retro Fit for the Future and Climate Change Adaptation programmes.

gcp have also supported competition entries on behalf of clients to the TSB for project funding. We are currently developing a submission under theInnovative Refurb competition with a material manufacturer.

Autumn completion for Junction 3 Landmark

Junction 3 on the M32 is the most ambitious and complex urban regeneration project in East Bristol. The project comprises a library, workspace, community meeting rooms, crèche, 6 large family houses and 59 one and two bed flats. Designed by gcp following extensive community engagement, the scheme is the result of a partnership comprising Bristol City Council Library Services, Knightstone Housing Association and SPAN (Single Parent Action Network).

The scheme has been funded by The Big Lottery Community Library Fund, Homes and Communities Agency, and Bristol City Council.

Gcp In the spotlight again

Trinity Arts Centre, home of the 'Bristol Sound' has appointed gcp to prepare a feasibility study leading to a planning application that will see the centre transformed into a true multi use arts facility. gcp are co-ordinating the stakeholder consultation that is a key aspect of the project. A key aim of the project is to develop the first floor of Trinity, a Grade II* deconsecrated church, in to a community theatre and dance space.

In recognition of rising energy prices the objective is to make Trinity a benchmark for low energy community arts venues in the South West.

The work will involve a significant capital investment programme over the next 5 years. In this period Trinity will also take over ownership of the building from Bristol City Council under the recently adopted council Asset Transfer Policy.

English Heritage and The Big Lottery 'Reaching Communities' fund are the key funding agencies.