Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park has been invited by the Rural Development Programme to the next stage of grant funding application, which will help to provide new and improved facilities at the park. We’re excited to continue supporting Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park in this, with the detailed application due in late September.
gcp team shortlisted for Southmead Development Trust Competition
Competition Display Boards for Glencoyne Square Redevelopment
Southmead Development Trust invited architects and design teams to register their interest in taking part in a limited design competition for the redevelopment of the Glencoyne Square area of Southmead.
gcp Chartered Architects teamed up with Alec French Architects and McGregor Coxall Landscape and Urban Design Consultants to prepare a strong submission from Bristol-based design companies. The team was one of four shortlisted practices selected to develop their ideas through to a public and stakeholder consultation carried out over three days last week. This exercise created good interest from stakeholders and the local community, where there is an enthusiasm to support change and develop new facilities around the Glencoyne Square area. This exciting project could have wide-ranging benefits, supporting community organisations, local shops and traders, creating opportunities for new housing and community facilities and regenerating the infrastructure of the area.
All four design teams were challenged to explain and justify their ideas and approach. Southmead Development Trust are expected to announce a preferred design team to move forward for the next stage of the project that will include detailed consultation and planning applications.
Public consultation underway at the Greenway Centre
gcp working with the ECB
gcp are working with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), to support the delivery of their recently launched 11-point action plan to better engage with South Asian communities, which aims to diversify the game, remove barriers to participation and use cricket to make a positive difference to society.
Through the creation of the action plan, ECB identified that the most significant barrier to South Asian participation is limited access to cricket facilities in urban areas – where the vast majority of these communities live. To address this, ECB plans to provide year-round access to facilities, tackling the challenges of availability, quality and cost, by installing affordable community cricket facilities in urban locations where demand is highest. A key component of this action, is the piloting of three indoor Urban Cricket Centres during the next two years, with the ambition of creating more than 20 Centres over the next five years.
gcp have worked alongside ECB to develop the Urban Cricket Centre delivery model, and Ridge and Partners have worked with gcp and ECB to advise on costs.
This exciting opportunity follows up on gcp’s previous work with the ECB to develop the technical guidance note for indoor cricket facilities.
20+ new Urban Cricket Centres to be developed by 2024
Planning Application registered for 128 new homes in Lawrence Weston
in Housing
gcp have been appointed by Curo Group to develop proposals for two large residential developments in Lawrence Weston which will deliver much needed affordable homes for sale and rent in this part of the city. The first main site for 128 new homes has been developed following detailed consultation with Bristol City Council and the local community.
Working closely with Curo Group and Planning Consultants GL Hearn, gcp developed detailed proposals that have been submitted and registered for planning consideration. This project will create a range of family homes in a landscaped setting that will provide a great place to live and excellent affordability for young people looking for their first property.
Site plan showing new homes and landscape setting.
Building on Quality
You'll know from previous blog posts and correspondence that gcp are really proud of our Quality and Environmental Management System. We are committed to continually improving our systems and procedures. At the core of this is a drive to be innovative, efficient and forward-facing - we are dedicated to a high standard of customer service.
Following on from the integration of ISO14001 to our system in 2016, we have just completed a successful transition audit for ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015 in line with the new Annexe SL format.
This continues a long-running history of successful compliance audits and builds on a continued desire for this system to be a robust management tool.
We would like to thank all members of staff, who always approach audits with diligence and good humour; continuing to be at the heart of the extended success of our system.
Consultations for 185 new homes in Lawrence Weston
in Housing
gcp have been appointed by Curo Group to develop proposals for two large residential developments in Lawrence Weston, which will deliver 185 new homes in this part of the city. The proposals at Henacre Road and Corbet Close will provide a mix of new homes for sale, affordable rent and shared ownership. Lawrence Weston is one of the first areas in the city to have adopted its own Neighbourhood Development Plan and both sites are key to delivering the residential objectives of this plan.
Having had detailed discussions with Ambition Lawrence Weston; the local neighbourhood planning group, the proposals were presented to the wider community at two separate open consultations in March. The proposals were generally well received with useful feedback and comments from the local community – with a lot of interest expressed in the opportunity that new affordable homes for sale and shared ownership will give to local families.
Further details of the consultations for Corbet Close and Henacre Road are available on the Curo Developments pages at https://www.curo-group.co.uk/house-building/schemes/
Careful inspection of proposals at a well-attended consultation
Consultation boards set up & ready to receive feedback at Corbet Close
Mapping new homes in Bristol
in Housing
Junction 3 mixed use, brownfield development in central Bristol
The Architecture Centre along with UWE Architecture & Planning students have undertaken a mapping exercise of new housing across Bristol that highlights the variety of methods of delivery. Available as a downloadable summary report, a series of case studies from individual dwellings through to large scale developments are explored, they include Torpoint and Junction 3 that were delivered by gcp Chartered Architects.
2017 - celebrating 30 years
gcp staff past and present celebrating 30 years
2017 was a memorable year for gcp. It saw us celebrate our 30th year in business whilst working on some fantastic projects.
Strong in housing
We continued to extend our considerable housing experience having designed and helped deliver over 1,500 homes in the last 10 years alone. 2017 saw a real change in the scale of projects we were being asked to support and currently we have over 1,500 units on the drawing board scheduled for completion over the next three years.
This year’s significant housing projects include:
ten new high-quality homes for private sector developer Shepperton Homes at Hardington Moor, Somerset;
public consultations for housing schemes in Brent Knoll (15 homes) and Lympsham (20 homes), both for South Western Housing Society (SWHS);
the completion, also for SWHS near Load Pool, of six affordable housing units designed to PassivHaus Low Energy Building Standard using the MMC system of construction, Velox insulated concrete formwork ICF;
our selection, following competitive interview, to help Pill Community Land Trust, working alongside Wessex Community Assets, to develop up to 15 affordable homes for local people;
the completion of 13 affordable homes with Guinness Partnership in Pilton on land owned by Michal Eavis (Glastonbury Festival) which was opened twice, firstly by David Beckham and secondly by Jeremy Corbyn. gcp-blog/new-homes-for-local-families-in-pilton-jeremy-corbyn
Towers in Bristol and Swindon
Following on from supporting Bristol City Council with the over cladding of tower blocks in the city, we were delighted to start work on a high-level options appraisal looking at the future use of Swindon’s tallest building. Built in the 1970s, the 83m, 23 storey David Murray John Tower sits above the Brunel Centre, Swindon's main shopping centre. Ripe for redevelopment, the tower comprises of 72 flats and 9 floors of commercial office space.
Developments for St Monica Trust
gcp was appointed by St Monica Trust to develop a Five-Year Enhancement Plan for its prominent nine-acre head office situated to the north of Bristol’s Durdham Downs. This early retirement community, Cote Lane, was started in 1925 by the Wills family and it now accommodates over 320 residents. gcp is masterplanning the upgrade of most of the on-site facilities and creating an open retirement village. gcp-blog/st-monica-trust-future.
Cote Lane was the host of the hit Channel Four programme Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds. This project comes on the heels of the successful opening of the Trust’s The Chocolate Quarter in Keynsham where the idea of open retirement communities has been further explored with a swimming pool, gym and cinema all open to the public. The former Fry’s Chocolate Factory hosted the gcp designed B Block wood-fired pizza bistro.
Ongoing projects and supporting local businesses
Our ongoing projects include Lawrence Weston Community Hub that is moving towards a funding decision by Bristol City Council later this year. gcp-blog/lawrence-weston-community-hub
We were also appointed by Avon Valley Wildlife and Adventure Park to support them with plans to relocate the park if the North Keynsham Expansion Plan, as highlighted in the draft B&NES Local Plan 2016-36, come to fruition.
Leading on from the successful completion of 155 Aztec West, the conversion of a tired 1980s office building in North Bristol, now occupied by Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers, we are currently working on the redevelopment and extension of Elizabeth House, another tired office building, this time at Inns Court in central London. Due to start on site in spring 2018, the project involves adding two new floors on top of a concrete frame. gcp-blog/elizabeth-house-London.
Supporting businesses
We continue to work with local manufacturing businesses including aerospace component manufacturer mcbraida where we designed a car park extension to cope with staff growth. For seal-lite, manufacturer of high quality UPVC double glazing systems, we prepared a site rationalization plan that increased both manufacturing floor area and storage space. In Avonmouth, dssmith, one of Europe’s largest recycling businesses appointed us, with contractor tercon to remodel an existing building to accommodate new machinery following the consolidation of its local operations into a single Avonmouth facility. At Staple Hill we worked up proposals for bristoluniforms to extend their existing factory.
Reasons to celebrate
In celebration of our successful 30th year we held several events. These started with a sponsored walk along the Wye River to raise money for Breast Cancer Research, followed by a trip to the local Karting centre for a race night won inexplicably by the old wise tortoise rather than the young brash hare. Then there was also a charity quiz hosted at Mud Dock, Bristol, which attracted over 20 teams, a lunch at kingswestonhouse affording the opportunity for current staff to meet a range of current and past clients, a trip to the horse racing at Bath for consultant friends, watching T20 cricket in Bristol and a staff picnic and bike ride along the Strawberry Line. The year of special events culminated in a Dinner at the Raddison Blu Hotel in the Autumn, attended by lots of familiar faces belonging to the former staff members who we had managed to track down. Many travelled considerable distances to be there.
Over the course of the year we managed to raise £2,307.25 for our chosen charity, macmillan and received the following letter of thanks.
To everyone at gcp Chartered Architects, we can’t say thank you enough
Dear Friends,
Thank you for raising a fantastic £2,307.25 (including gift aid) for Macmillan through your online fundraising earlier this year. We hope you are proud of your achievement. The money you raised will mean we can be there for even more people affected by cancer, every step of the way.
For example, £203.00 could pay for a Macmillan nurse for a day, so they can provide expert medical, practical and emotional support to someone living with cancer. And £416.00 could pay for 800 copies of The cancer guide – one for every person who will be diagnosed with cancer today. So you see, the money you raised really will make a difference.
And as a member of team Macmillan, you can support us in lots of other ways too. If you’d like to raise more money for Macmillan, you can find other fundraising ideas at www.macmillan.org.uk/events. Or if you’d prefer to support us in another way, why not think about volunteering or campaigning instead? Visit www.macmillan.org.uk/getinvolved or call 0300 1000 200 to see how you can help.
Thanks again for being such an important part of the Macmillan team. Without your help, we wouldn’t be able to keep providing our vital services. Together we are all Macmillan Cancer Support.
Best wishes
Katie Donnelly, Supporter Donations Team
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the accumulation of that total and look forward to working with you again in the near future, if we are not already doing so.
The Directors
1 March 2018
Celebrating 30 years of gcp!
As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations we published a book to tell our story and showcase some of the fantastic projects we have been lucky enough to be involved with over the years. Click here or on the image below to read the book!
gcp 30th Anniversary Book
6 Very Low Energy Homes completed for South Western Housing Society
Othery Housing
Our project for 6 new family homes at Othery Somerset, was handed over in December and is now occupied. A rural exception scheme located adjacent to a busy road on the edge of the village, the development was granted planning in July 2016 after extensive consultation with the Parish Council and Local Planning Authority. An innovative construction method was used in the construction and following completion of highway improvements, the houses were constructed swiftly to a high standard by Man Green Solutions.
gcp developed early energy modelling and assisted in developing an innovative solution to energy efficiency in the new homes which include high performing building fabric combined with simple systems for heating and hot water. The innovative ‘Velox’ Insulated Concrete Formwork construction system means the homes are highly insulated and achieve an airtightness of 0.99 m3/m2/h – well above the standards of conventional construction. As a result, heating demand is minimised, making simple electric heating efficient and cost effective.
Each home is provided with a large Photovoltaic array at roof level, providing free electricity for heating and hot water. The house systems include smart energy management and battery storage to ensure all energy generated by the Photovoltaic panels will be used in the home (rather than being exported to grid as is common). This means the tenants will enjoy warm and comfortable homes and should have near zero energy costs for heating and hot water.
South Western Housing Society will monitor costs and performance of the homes and it is hoped this project could be a model for more low energy homes for the future.
https://www.swhs.org.uk/news/upcoming-events/swhs-othery-development-opening
Othery Housing
Othery Housing
dundry PassivHaus stage 1 airtightness achieves 0.3 ac/h
in , Public Housing
Dundry Passivhaus Airtightness Testing
Our latest PassivHaus project, a private house in an exposed location at Dundry completed first stage airtightness testing before Christmas. This is a key stage for PassivHaus projects, testing airtightness on the building envelope before starting second fix. Ensuring the building is adequately airtight at this stage should ensure that final airtests are likely to be achieved.
The PassivHaus requirement is 0.6 ac/h. Testing carried out by Paul Jennings of ALDAS showed the building flew through this stage, achieving 0.3 ac/h - a testament to the (self-build) client’s attention to detail and the robustness of the ICF construction method.
planning in the city
Elizabeth House, London SW1
Detailed planning has been submitted by gcp Chartered Architects for the redevelopment of a 1960’s office building in the heart of the city of London, just off High Holborn.
The project comprises of adding two new floors on top of a four-storey concrete framed building on an extremely confined site accessed via a doorway off High Holborn 2.5m wide and 5.2m high. The challenge of this limited access has driven all the design decisions for the scheme.
The project for Courtenay Investments Limited will be developed to CAT A Standards and will feature 16,700 sq ft of office space over 6 floors designed to offer maximum flexibility in letting. It will be a significant improvement on the current very tired building that offers only 11,500 sq ft of poor quality office space.
The scheme is due to start on site in Spring 2018 with a planned completion by December 2019.
Elizabeth House, London SW1
Elizabeth House, London SW1
affordable housing, oldbury court, bristol
CGI image of Oldbury Court, Bristol
gcp has submitted a planning application for 16 affordable dwellings in Oldbury Court, Bristol, where we are working in partnership with Dribuild Ltd and United Communities Housing Association Ltd.
The proposed buildings are located on the site of a former community centre which has been derelict for a number of years.
We have produced some great CGi’s which is a service we are able to provide in house. Please contact us for more details.
CGI image of Oldbury Court, Bristol
gcp achieve cyber essentials certification
Cyber Essentials Certification
gcp are pleased to announce that we successfully passed the CyberEssentials certification.
gcp helps dairy grow and become greener
BV Dairy solar roof
BV Dairy are a widely respected, independent milk processor based in North Dorset selling a wide range of speciality products such as soft cheese, yogurt, clotted cream and mascarpone. Operating since 1958, the company has grown steadily whilst maintaining the traditional values of a local, family run business. As a consequence of incremental development of the site, more stringent regulatory controls and higher supplier production standards, gcp Chartered Architects were appointed in early 2013 to devise a development strategy for the site. The strategy focused on improving product flow, operational efficiency and opportunities for future development.
In late 2013 gcp submitted and secured planning approval for a wide range of improvements across the site, which included simplifying vehicle movements and increasing on site HGV parking, development of new production space, dedicated storage, improvements to product flow around the dairy and provide much needed additional administrative accommodation. The first major project developed was a state of the art 1800m2 1000 pallet temperature controlled storage facility comprising of loading bays, offices, meeting rooms and an engineering workshop. The cold store was delivered following detailed planning approval secured in July 2015.
The scheme included a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) involving permeable block paving and surface water run-off from the building roof directed through a series of berms, swales and basins, allowing gradual percolation back into the soil. The building also hosts 222KW of solar PV array on the entire roof. The project opened for business at the end of 2016.
BV Dairy Storage area
brent knoll public consultation
Site layout, Brent Knoll affordable housing
The Public Consultation event at Brent Knoll last week was well attended. gcp were on hand to explain initial proposals and listen to local community members concerns. Our task now will be to come up with detailed proposals that address as many of the issues raised as possible to produce a development of low cost homes for local people.
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2017/affordable-homes-meeting-17-11-17.php
uwe enterprise studio launches academic research project based on gcp initiative
Lawrence Weston Community Hub
A Healthy City Week 2016 event organised by gcp Chartered Architects has created a far ranging multi stage research project between University of the West of England Enterprise Studio and Ambition Lawrence Weston. The project will look at the benefits the Lawrence Weston Community Hub will bring to the people of Lawrence Weston. The hub comprises of a range of public and voluntary sector services including a gp practice, pharmacy, public health offices, library, community rooms (meetings, dance, exercise etc), shared consulting rooms and office space for Ambition Lawrence Weston.
The project, to be undertaken by a number of Masters interns in successive years, will examine the benefit the hub is expected to deliver concerning community health and well-being. The project will look at three clear phases to the project, namely before, during and after implementation of the Hub with the first year of the study essentially a baseline and planning year.
Jonathan Platt, director at gcp, part of the wider research support group said
“Having been part of the original group that managed to safeguard the development site for the hub, we are delighted the potential benefits of such an intervention (the hub) are central to this research project. So often capital investments are committed without hard evidence as to the real benefits the idea will deliver. Hopefully this research will demonstrate that such One Public Estate projects can bring real benefits to both public finances, but also the host community they are designed to support”.
The project is expected to start on site in early 2018 with a planning completion before the end of the year.
st monica trust looks to the future
Cote Lane site. St Monica Trust
Cote Lane site, St Monica Trust
St Monica Trust is a long-established provider of retirement accommodation in Bristol offering over 55 flats on lease hold or a rental basis to long term nursing and dementia care. They operate five sites in and around Bristol, with their Cote Lane site in North Bristol forming the hub of their activities. The Cote Lane site, established in 1924 by the Wills family, now provides accommodation for over 320 residents in a range of fantastic buildings within a beautifully landscaped nine-acre site. The site also accommodates the Trust and over all the sites employs over 500 staff including care, hospitality and administrative functions.
gcp Chartered Architects have been appointed to develop a far ranging Five-Year Enhancement Plan for the site. The Enhancement Plan is looking to upgrade many of the on-site facilities and create an ‘open retirement village’ where the gym, swimming pool, coffee shop, restaurant and hall are open to local people, schools and businesses.
The Trust is ambitious and is keen to future proof the site by ensuring it continues to provide sector leading facilities and standards of care. If approved by the trustees the works will be delivered over a five-year period starting in 2018.
During 2017, gcp supported the Trust with the development of B Block and Somer Dining, a restaurant forming part of the £60m Chocolate Quarter development in Keynsham.