2020 in review

It seems fitting to review 2020 a couple of months into 2021, but despite it being a challenging year all round, Designscape have still worked on some great projects – from attaining new and exciting clients, to seeing a number of projects progress onsite. A collection of these are summarised below.

Realised Buildings

Corinium Museum

2020 saw Corinium Museum officially open their new Stone Age to Corinium galleries. Designscape were appointed by the museum in Cirencester in 2014, and we are delighted to now see the new gallery spaces and Discovery Centre complete. We’re all looking forward to visiting the museum in person once lockdown restrictions have been lifted.

Withycombe House

The Final Certificate was issued for Withycombe House in March last year. The house is located in an enviable position within the Green belt, close to Bath, sat on the side of a steeply sloping valley with stunning panoramic views to the south.

Park Cottage

Our clients moved into Park Cottage in July last year. Their new family home is a replacement dwelling in the Greenbelt, replacing an unremarkable series of existing buildings which occupied a prominent corner in the village Conservation area. Our challenge was to design a building which responded positively to the village context whilst still respecting the defining characteristics of the village. Most notably, the central room includes a Zollinger Roof which is believed to be the first in the country.

Little Court

Practical Completion was issued in December for an extension and major alterations to a house in Lansdown, Bath.

On site

We have a number of projects on site, including Avonbridge House and Crowe Lane.

Planning Submissions and Consent

As well as submitting a number of applications which we are awaiting a decision on, we also obtained several planning approvals through 2020. These have included various exciting projects from listed extensions to new builds. We also acquired pre-approval for the conversion of an office block for residential purposes.
Shell Prototype

Included in our range of projects, we obtained planning approval for Crapper and Sons’ shell prototype. Along with Format Engineers, we have been commissioned to develop a prototype building structure that could be developed for use as commercial space for various purposes, while allowing the roof to be used as pastureland.
This building type forms part of a masterplan for a sustainable, self-sufficient town, and utilises the power generated by the energy recovery plant already planned for the site. The prototype structure uses the slope of the land to provide roof access from the upper slope, and building access from below.

Our Team

As most practices last year, most of Designscape shifted to working remotely from home for the majority of 2020. Studio life is important to Designscape, and we are all looking forward to making our way back to the office when we are able to – in particular, we are looking forward to the return of our study trips, which play a huge part in Designscape’s team and learning culture.
2020 also saw Joe join the Designscape team and Lauren promoted to associate, which were both real positives for the year.

Time for Change

Joe brought with him fresh energy and enthusiasm for looking after our climate – something that Designscape has always been passionate about. As a team, we have been investigating how we can measure the embodied carbon in our buildings using BIM modelling, and how we can make changes in our design and studio culture that can have positive impacts on our climate. Read more about this in our Blog Post, The Big C.

Looking Ahead

Even with its challenges, it is clear from reflecting over 2020 that the year brought a number of positives for Designscape and our clients. Some of the challenges we faced are still continuing and there is, of course, still a level of uncertainty for 2021. In spite of this, Designscape are looking forward to seeing what the year brings – things can only get better!

 

We are continuing to work on a number of exciting projects, with 2021 already seeing a number of Planning Applications submitted and approved. Keep updated on our news here.

It seems fitting to review 2020 a couple of months into 2021, but despite it being a challenging year all round, Designscape have still worked on some great projects – from attaining new and exciting clients, to seeing a number of projects progress onsite. A collection of these are summarised below.