Natalie WFH: being a mum, an employee & the Tooth Fairy

My 6-year-old brings me a present during a Board Meeting. Grinning broadly, he holds up the tiny thing, close enough for it to come into view on the screen. “It finally came out!” He whispers, so proud, and I realise that the tiny, bloody specimen is in fact his tooth.

It breaks the mood of the meeting and for a few moments my colleagues and I discuss if the Tooth Fairy is in fact a key-worker and the inflation rates of teeth since the 80’s.

I’m lucky, my colleagues are supportive of this strange new working environment I’m battling, and we quickly get back to discussing strategy for a return-to-office plan.

When I sign off from teams, my house resembles a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Every toy box has been upended. Rice Crispies have been crushed into the carpet, the milk is under the bed.

This Brave New World for me is one of getting up before my children to work, spending twice the amount of time after a conference call wiping up spills and putting away toys and then back on to the computer late into the night.

The upside is that without emails, phone calls, a meeting-packed-diary and interruptions I’m churning out work in half the normal time. Perhaps that has something to do with the amount of coffee I’m drinking, or maybe this working from home thing is actually pretty good at focusing the mind.

I’m not going to emerge from this lockdown as a fitter, healthier, more zen version of myself. My house has never looked worse. The banana bread and wine consumption is off the charts.

But I have found creativity amongst the madness and joy in the break of routine. I have been able to fully immerse myself in one piece of work for long periods of time - as a chronic multi-taker this has shone new light on what happens when you go deep into a task.

I can hop onto the computer as an idea comes to mind and quickly whip up a blog story and make notes on a campaign idea. My colleagues feel relaxed enough to WhatsApp me ideas over the weekend, we informally chat through sparks of inspiration as soon as they arise.

Previously I had thought that blurring the lines like this would impact my mental health, but without structured hours sat at a desk, I welcome these pops of work to punctuate my day and balance all the #makingmemories I’m supposed to be doing with the children.

I do miss the small, genuine, everyday connections with my colleagues that you can’t get through a screen. And a house that doesn’t resemble a bomb site. But I have found so much hope during my time at home, not least for the future of the office.

I hope that this pandemic has shown us a way to make working from home more accessible - to the new mothers, carers, parents. The early risers (and night owls), to the people who can’t physically or mentally sit at desks for 8 hours a day.

I hope that the option to work remotely becomes the new normal, not the exception to the rule. That we’ve learned flexibility isn’t something to be tagged on at the end of an employee handbook. That we can finally leap towards true work-life-balance. That there is productivity in chaos and hope in even the most challenging of circumstances.

Meet the Team: Natalie

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Then: gcp dinner, 2007

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Now: lockdown, 2020

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Best moment of my life (sorry boys!)

Hi - Natalie here! This year marks my 13th year at gcp so to celebrate (!) I was asked to turn the Dictaphone on myself and answer a few of the questions I’ve given to my colleagues over the last year.

What is your role in gcp?

I provide administrative support to the Directors, team and the office. My job title is Practice Manager, which tries to encapsulate what I would term as “high level” administrative support such as running our Quality and Environmental Management System, writing and implementing our marketing strategy and managing our current to future pipeline. 

To provide administrative support in any small team is a funny business. There is always a steady flow of procedural work and reporting that is easy and repetitive, but most days I find myself with “special projects” which offer different challenges. This means the work is also often varied and interesting. No two weeks are the same; the tasks use a variety of skills, many of which don’t appear in my CV!

Admin always feels like too bland a description for what I consider to be a fast-paced, forward-thinking, multi-skilled, under-valued section of office work. Not everyone has what it takes to successfully do this job with ease and good humour, though in isolation the skills can seem quite easy.

Someone once said to me that you only notice admin staff when you have bad ones. That’s stuck with me over the years.

I value high-quality support staff and consider myself extremely lucky to work alongside Maria at gcp. 

How have you seen gcp change in the years you have been here?

I joined gcp back in 2007 as Office Manager & Admin Assistant and the memories I have of those days are of time spent on the print room floor folding piles of drawings for a planning submission. And of blurry old fax machine receipts. Drawing tanks. Ring bound presentation folders. A QA system with about twenty lever arch files of paperwork.

To say technology has moved on in that time is probably an understatement but the rise of social media in particular has given me a whole new set of skills for our marketing strategy.

The other thing I’ve seen a change in globally is flexible working and the work life balance. There has been quite a buzz in the media lately with regards to inventive working strategies – Microsoft’s month-long trial of a four-day week back in August 2019 found that their employees were “happier” and “significantly more productive” during the Work-Life Choice Challenge.

I think gcp has always been ahead of the curve with this offering alternative working arrangements and supporting family commitments but nowadays we see more members of staff actually using 4 day weeks, 9 day fortnights, earlier start and finish times etc.

I’m quite lucky in that I often get to be at the front of championing new initiatives.

This interview was drafted before Lockdown 2020, but I’m interested to see how this shapes the new office environment going forward!

Best moment at gcp in the last year?

For me, it has been the opportunity to mentor and support other members of the team through marketing subgroups which we created about a year ago. It’s been really inspiring to watch different members of the team take responsibility for parts of our marketing strategy and succeed brilliantly.

I also had a particularly fun December 2019. I devised and ran a festive schedule in the office for the second year in a row – including games, quizzes and hot chocolate – though I had a bit of a moan about the headspace it took up, it did liven up the office and made me feel very Christmassy.

This was topped off with a very entertaining afternoon out for our Christmas party. The team we currently have is incredibly diverse and genuinely a really nice bunch of people to hang out with.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to write and to read. I aspire to be arty though I am often more interested in the planning and daydreaming than the execution. Daydreaming is my meditation. I’m obsessed with Pinterest.

I have more hobbies than anyone I know, and I am always learning something new and forgetting it in favour of something else. 

I enjoy knitting, kneading bread, listening to music, laughing at my husband, cups of tea, cuddles with my kids, gin, autumn walks, frosty mornings, being near the water, meditation, picnics, sushi and going to farmers markets.

What is your proudest personal achievement?

Getting two poems published in the same edition of my university magazine. The head of the English department was a published writer, eloquent speaker and crazy, post-apocalyptic theorist. Its validating as a writer when someone who’s own work you regard as interesting, feels the same way about yours.

I was incredibly proud to be chosen back then because writing is a bit like putting your heart out there for other people to break. I imagine it’s much worse these days with social media. For me, it has gotten scarier as I’ve gotten older too. To be young is to be fearless when you are a creative.

Tell us something we might not know about you?

This is tricky! I am an open book and a bit of a chatter, which probably winds up some of my more introverted colleagues. I strive for authentic connections with people so try very hard to be honest in my interactions.

My party trick is that I can say the alphabet backwards. Oh, and did you know at one time I was a qualified personal trainer and exercise to music instructor?

If you didn’t work at gcp what would your dream job have been?

A writer.

Do professional readers exist? Perhaps a book editor.

I have been writing creatively since I was in primary school, short stories, and poetry. My degree was in English Literature and my dissertation was a creative writing portfolio for which I received First Class marks.

I absolutely love the written word, language and reading aloud and these things still take up a large part of my time away from work even if I am not getting paid for them!

gcp appointed to deliver 239 quality sustainable homes in Swindon.

gcp are thrilled to be part of the team delivering Nationwide’s major new housing scheme in Swindon. The not for profit development will deliver 239 quality sustainable homes. The development has been designed as an intergenerational community with a mix of houses and flats, a community room, shared gardens, green spaces and links to the existing neighbourhood. 30% of the properties will be affordable. gcp are working for contractor Mi-Space, who started on site in April 2020. The first homes will be available to view in autumn 2021.

CGIs credit to PicturePlane, Metropolitan Workshop and PRP

Please take a look at the development website www.oakfieldswindon.co.uk for more information.

We are thrilled to say our Dundry House project has been certified to Passivhaus performace standard.

gcp Chartered Architects were appointed by a private client to create a flexible 3-bedroom home to be certified to the Passivhaus performance standard.

The concept stage of the project was vital to ensure the dwelling was able to meet Passivhaus standards. Orientation was one of the key challenges for this site with the lovely northwest facing views being an important element for the client. This required careful optimisation of other elements to maintain Passivhaus performance.  

Colin Powell was the Lead Architect for this fantastic project. In 2011 Colin became the first Architect in the West of England region to be a certified PassivHaus designer. This project is the fifth completed project where Passivhaus has been the preferred performance objective and the second to be fully certified.
We asked Colin about the project and this is what he said.

“‘This was an exciting project and a lovely site to work with. The big challenge was to make the building work to Passivhaus standards even with the large north-east facing windows that make the most of the amazing views. The construction, undertaken by the self-build clients, has been a labour of love that has produced an excellently built and beautiful home. Passivhaus certification is a well-deserved cherry on top that recognises their hard work and attention to detail. ”

In the concept stage of the project we had to take care to ensure the building was sensitive to its exposed location and neighbouring properties. A design approach that used the sloping site and had the main living space at upper floor level made the most of open views across the countryside. Materials were selected that included stone quarried from the site itself, dark stained timber and metal roofing that reflect the rural setting of the building.  

To provide a home that provides for flexible living and home-working, the main open-plan living space is at the upper level with bedroom and studio space at the lower. Sloping sites offer a great design opportunity and helps us take advantage of the fantastic views, whilst also providing some calm and intimate spaces on the lower floor.

The attached garage doubles as a workshop and houses the wood-fired boiler that will be used to supply heating and hot water in the winter months.  this is located outside the main Passivhaus thermal enclosure to avoid overheating that would occur if it was inside the house.  

A simple image that shows the overall shape and style of the new home. The stone on ground floor sits into the slope, whilst the white render makes a statement against the green landscaped backdrop to the home.

The house was constructed using Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) construction, which was well suited to both the energy performance requirements and the self-build construction methods.  ICF is easy to build, achieves high levels of insulation and excellent airtightness – all important parts of meeting the Passivhaus Standard.

We like to create a memorable image for our finished projects to give clients a memento of the project for their new home.  In this poster view we included some of the client’s personality, representing their fantastic garden which supplied a constant stream of produce at every visit.  The pumpkins and rhubarb were particularly impressive.

We are always so pleased when a client is happy with the end result of the project. Their enthusiasm and hard work have been really inspiring and it is great to feel that we have played a part in helping them to achieve their dream home.  

The new dwelling received its Passivhaus certification in February 2020. To achieve accreditation, it needed to meet very high standards which included the best airtightness result of any of our projects to date: 0.4 ac/h (under the 0.6 required by Passivhaus and far in excess of a ‘standard’ build).

Most impressive of all is that this project was almost completely self-built by the client and is a testament to their hard work and careful attention to detail. The new home which includes energy generation, grey-water recycling and low carbon heating will require almost no energy to run and is as close to self-sufficient as the client could wish for.

Here are a few photos showing some of our favourite details of the project.

The dry-stone walling is particularly impressive when you realise that all the stone used has come from excavation on site and has been dressed and assembled by the client. We are really pleased that the materials and details have worked so well on this project and that they have been built with such care and attention to detail.

The large open plan living space is flooded with light and boasts great views. Although the overall floor area of the house is relatively modest the flexible spaces make really efficient use of space.

The combination of natural materials; rubble stone and oak lintels against crisp modern metal trims and smooth render makes the home seem very organic as if it has grown out of the ground.

If you are looking to build your own PassivHaus home, get in touch by emailing mail@gcparch.co.uk or phoning our office on 0117 967 6286.

Kids activity, colouring in fun!

Whilst were all spending a bit more time at home why not join us for some colouring fun. We’ve created a few colouring pages from some of our projects, there are eight in total.

We would love to see your lovely art work so please send them in to us or tag us on social media @gcparchitects.

Simply click on the image to download.

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Planning consent secured for a development of 62 new homes at Old Northwick Farm, Worcester

gcp has secured planning consent for a development of 62 new affordable homes at Old Northwick Farm. Our detailed planning application amends previously approved proposals for this site. The revised approach was required by our client, Stonewater, to develop housing that is wholly affordable rather than the market-let housing of the previous approval.

The development will create a mix of new homes, including a small number of bungalows and self-contained flats. The proposals create public open space and includes off-site works of ecological and habitat enhancement, reinforcing the urban edge / rural interface of the site. The principal site considerations for development are generated by its context and location as well as some technical constraints arising from existing services infrastructure within and adjacent to the site. Our aim was to provide an informal layout that offers a landscaped edge to the open countryside and respects the privacy and security of existing homes adjacent to the site. Stonewater are keen to deliver homes of a high quality; spacious, attractive, secure and energy efficient. The design approach creates attractive homes that integrates new walking routes through the site to connect to surrounding open space and local heritage trails. Within the development opportunities have been taken to incorporate landscape elements including street trees and communal open space to enhance the development and integrate it with the surrounding landscape character. Landscape elements will incorporate fruit trees and edible planting to encourage interaction with the landscape and engage the local community with ideas of healthy eating and enjoyment of the natural environment.

gcp are passionate about designing high quality housing and creating great places for people to live. For this project we have designed new homes in a simple contemporary style to create a distinctive development that will have its own character and sense of place. Throughout the development key buildings are elaborated with pronounced gable details including simple projecting bay surrounds to windows. These elements provide key markers for moving around the site and add interest in locations where new housing overlooks the open countryside and landscape to the west.

Planning has been complex and required close working with planning officers and stakeholders from the outset. A planning submission was made in July 2019 with the support of officers and consultees and a recommendation for approval. Concern over the nature of development and potential flood risks around the site was a highly emotive issue that led to the initial application being refused at committee. A subsequent appeal and public hearing led to the dismissal of objections to the application and planning consent being approved.  It is hoped that work will soon be able to start on site with the much-needed affordable homes becoming available towards the end of 2021.

Old Northwick Farm, Worcester

gcp has secured planning consent for a development of 62 new affordable homes

Old Northwick Farm, Worcester

Old Northwick Farm, Worcester

WAH, the new WFH? - James Pilling

A little insight to WAH (working at home), I think I took it to an extreme as I’m currently building a home office at the bottom of my garden.

My partner and I live in a two-bed Victorian terrace house in east Bristol, a short distance from my normal place of work. Prior to us moving in, the place had been rented for the last 10 years, so we’re keen to make it our own.

Whilst the gcp office is currently closed, we are using our spare room as our office space, we feel very fortunate to have a space designated for work. I have used this space over the last three years for home study, where I have recently completed my Part 1 in Architecture, a course I have been able to do with the support of gcp. This has made this transition period easy for me but I can imagine it has been a challenge for others.

We did, however, want to create a a self-contained space, separate from the home, that could be used as a purpose-built workspace. We are calling it a studio to sound fancy! I think it is important the place of work is different to our home (and ideally separate to your living space), this allows space for designation and focus.

A bit on the design process....

I submitted a planning application for our kitchen extension back in July last year, at this point I also included plans for a loft extension and outline plans for a studio space at the bottom of the garden. We were wary that we needed to replace the loss of existing shed space, which is very functional and quite a necessity. I’ve also accumulated a lot of tools over the years so needed some extra messy storage space (the tools have somewhat dug a hole into our budget). We finally secured planning for the extension but is unfortunately on hold due to the pandemic, a chance to start the studio!

The build process.…

I started by removing the shed and its base, preserving any clean (ish) stones where possible. I had done a fair amount of research into the most appropriate foundation for the type of build we wanted. I ended up using the click EcoBase grid foundation system, which provides a really strong, durable foundation which is well-drained for outdoor buildings. They are often used for sheds and even grass driveways, an alternative to a concrete base in my scenario.

Once the base and treated timber floor joist were down, I started to build the walls panels, these consisted of 89mm untreated timber studs, 9mm OSB. These would then be ready to receive 25mm timber roofing batten and the 20mm cladding.

I had a sequencing challenge with cladding the rear and side panels - as we wanted to take full use of the width of the garden. I came up with the solution to fully clad these panels, which would be temporarily secured in place, 500mm inside the eventual building perimeter. This will be fun when it comes to lifting them in place - not so easy with the social distancing measures in place!

We are dividing the space into two, two thirds will be designated for office space and one third for shed and storage space, including the mower and BBQ in the winter months.

I started to erect the front panels which would hoist the new office sliding doors. The sliding opening will be on the RHS as we have a pond just on the left of the picture. You can see the Iris’s are starting to grow again! Hopefully a nice view out of the non sliding pane.

I was inspired by the lock-up building at the Arnolfini, down on the waterfront in the centre of Bristol. I love its simple form and how its colour has evolved over time. I will be including cladding the ‘secret’ doors on the shed section.

It has been a challenge to secure materials during this period of lockdown, I can imagine the difficulties contractors must have been going through. I was eventually able to source most of the timber from a merchant in Avonmouth, which actually specialise in building horse stables.

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“It finally feels like progress is being made now I have started to fix the cladding to the front elevation. The lifting of the side panel will hopefully happen soon, then I can focus on the roof and making the building watertight. We keep you updated with our progress.

If we are able to work from home more so in the future, after this whole ordeal is over, this will hopefully be the perfect space in which to design in.”

Thoughts on Lockdown: Owen

Owen takes some time to reflect on his current situation.

Having returned home from holiday on an emergency flight a couple of weeks ago and now with the whole family “confined to barracks” for the foreseeable, it’s fair to say that as we’ve had to make some significant adjustments in this unusual situation. I find a conversation via WhatsApp video with my 96 year-old grandmother is always a good way of putting things into perspective, however. She lived and worked as a nurse during the blitz in London, where she first met my grandfather – a doctor – over a patient they were attending. Her take on the current state of affairs is that not a lot has changed for her personally. She talks of how she, “is used to spending time in her own company” and that, “the only real change is that I can’t go to church”. If anything she tells me that, “she is almost having more contact with people”. With a network of friends in her neighbourhood in Boston, Lincolnshire, she assures me that she is well cared for and as she already does her shopping online, the fridge is very well stocked.

This got me thinking; as the first real national emergency that my generation and the generation above me has lived through, are we perhaps all being a little dramatic? I fear for wellbeing of my loved ones but we’re not literally being bombed. I’ve been woken up at all hours of the morning by our 1 and 3 year-olds but I’m not being woken up by an air raid siren. We’re running low on pasta and rice but we’re not starving. We’re stuck in but we have any number of digital means to communicate (face-to-face) with those we hold dear, all over the world. I like to think that I’m an optimist and in my opinion we can take so many positives away from this crisis: More than half a million people volunteering to help the NHS, businesses adapting their focus to produce ventilators and PPE for front line workers, neighbours generally being more neighbourly, individuals and businesses adapting to new ways of working overnight, people spending time with and appreciating their immediate family. The list could go on. While I understand that I’m in an extremely lucky position where I can work from home and get daily fresh air, I genuinely believe that we can all find our own positives and that we will be galvanised as a nation when we come out the other side of Covid-19.

Owen’s grandmother with his baby

our free time: gardening & growing

The weather is fairly gloomy over Bristol today, but the past few weeks have been glorious. Here is a snippet of the fun we’ve been having in the sun; our gardening & growing.

our free time: crafts & Lego

Turns out we love crafts and Lego almost as much as eating cake! Check out the grid below to see some of the things we’ve made whilst in lockdown.

our free time: baking

A number of keen bakers have emerged during lockdown ! Check out our efforts below. Bake off 2021 anyone?

our free time: DIY

We’ve been keeping ourselves busy during lockdown by taking on new projects at home. There are lots of handy DIY types amongst us it turns out!

our free time: puzzles

I’m being inundated with pictures of what my colleagues are getting up to when they aren’t working on gcp projects. Here is a collection of our puzzles … this has sparked some debate about the “correct” way to complete them. I vote that you always start with the edges, what do you think?

#homeworking: the evolution of a desk

You might have seen this already, over on Instagram, but for those who aren’t currently following us (WHY NOT?) here is the evolution of Matt’s home working space.

Matt: So I started the setup with what you’ve already seen [on socials]. It was great - except for the fact that there wasn’t a desk … after four weeks of this I’ve realised it’s no good for my back / neck so …

Matt: I decided to replicate my sit-stand desk … only to realise that ideal ironing height is NOT the same as ideal working height!

Matt: Then things went downhill rapidly as I thought “the only way to improve this ironing board situation is with a ladder”. Actually the height now was pretty good, but the downside of a ladder is it has massive holes in it. Time for a rethink …

Matt: luckily we have been donated an old desk, which when coupled with some Lego monitor stands has created a much better work space!

#homeworking #stayhomestaysafe

WFH Interview: Matt

As you know from previous posts, gcp continues to be fully operational and are here to assist you. In line with government guidelines we are working from home to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, our clients and the communities we serve.

Working from home is a new experience for many of us, here are Matt’s thoughts on this new situation.

What’s something challenging about working from home? I tend to get engrossed in work and with few distractions at home I often forget to get up and move about. My back is not happy with me.

What do you like about working from home? Being able to listen to music. I’ve quickly exhausted my vinyl collection so I have set up a collaborative Spotify playlist with some friends so we can listen to each others favourites.

What do you miss about being in the office? I definitely miss the atmosphere in the office and having people to chat to. Even just some background noise, it’s too quiet here (you can tell I don’t have kids!)

The view looks a bit different right now, here is Matt’s desk-at-home.

WFH Interview: James

As you know from previous posts, gcp continues to be fully operational and are here to assist you. In line with government guidelines we are working from home to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, our clients and the communities we serve.

Working from home is a new experience for many of us, here are James’s thoughts on this new situation.

What’s something challenging about working from home? Trying to entertain our dog, Ralph, he never stops whining when we are around! Distractions of tidying the house too, although the dishes are always washed, which is nice.

What do you like about working from home? I enjoy the flexible nature of it, including listening to music whilst I work - maybe I’ll bring some into the office … you never know! Also the milk frother at home is working overtime …

What do you miss about being in the office? Other people! Day-to-day interaction and the social aspect of the office I miss for sure … and Owen’s coffees!

The view looks a bit different right now, here is James’s desk-at-home.

WFH Interview: Esther

As you know from previous posts, gcp continues to be fully operational and are here to assist you. In line with government guidelines we are working from home to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, our clients and the communities we serve.

Working from home is a new experience for many of us, here are Esther’s thoughts on this new situation.

What’s something challenging about working from home? I can honestly say my cats are as distracting as children! If they aren’t climbing on my shoulder for attention then they are sitting in front of my screen or on my keyboard. I have gotten quite good at working one-handed as one has decided to start sleeping in my arms!

What do you like about working from home? Everyone in the office knows how much I like my PJs and onesies so I have loved being able to work in clothes I feel most comfortable in … I do get dressed properly for conference calls though!

It’s nice to break up my day by cooking at lunchtime - allows me to properly give my brain a rest.

I have a window that is nice to look out of.

What do you miss about being in the office? Firstly I miss my walk to the office in the morning. It’s only 20 minutes but it’s along the Bristol to Bath cycle path & it wakes me up. I get to see the sunrise if I’m early enough & I just felt like it started my day right.

Most importantly, I miss the constant & easy communication in the office from serious, informative conversations about work to just general chit chat about the latest TV series.

Thanks to Microsoft Teams we can still communicate as an office, which is important, but it’s not quite as easy as just talking the ear off the person next to you (sorry Matt, realised how much I must do this now I can’t do it every day!)

The view looks a bit different right now, here is Esther’s desk-at-home.

WFH Interview: Natalie

As you know from previous posts, gcp continues to be fully operational and are here to assist you. In line with government guidelines we are working from home to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, our clients and the communities we serve.

Working from home is a new experience for many of us, here are Natalie’s thoughts on this new situation.

What’s something challenging about working from home? Balancing mum-work-Natalie life is always challenging but it’s much more difficult when we are all together at home. They don’t understand that I can’t always stop to give cuddles … and when I (almost always) do, it can be hard to refocus on work!

What do you like about working from home? The change of pace has been excellent for my creativity. I feel much more mindful in my work right now. It’s nice not rushing everyone out of the door on a morning. Being able to take time to have a family lunch or do a puzzle together is really lovely.

What do you miss about being in the office? Its the team for me. I MISS YOU HORRIBLE LOT. I am a chatterbox (which I’m sure lots of people don’t miss!) and I genuinely miss chatting away to the gcp team.

The view looks a bit different right now, here is Natalie’s desk-at-home.