London Road Regeneration A community led public realm improvement
Before we started this project, London Road, a main thoroughfare in and out of Bath was blighted by heavy traffic and vacant commercial premises. We were appointed by Bath and North East Somerset to undertake a community led project to improve the external environment for local residents and business. By means of stakeholder workshops and use of models which encouraged participants to contribute their ideas in a variety of ways, a proposal to reclaim the street was developed and we produced a concept design which formed the basis for extensive traffic calming measures and public realm improvements. The final, constructed design was completed by others. The project has resulted in a more accessible environment, complete with trees, planters and improved pavement finishes that together create a higher quality gateway to the city.
Seco Tools New Headquarters
Seco Tools are a tool manufacturer based in Sweden with more than 40 subsidiaries around the world. Designscape Architects were appointed as part of the Seco Tools Global real estate team, in conjunction with workplace specialists Wylde IA to design a replacement to the existing office administration block at the headquarters of Seco France. The existing building, built in the 1960’s was suffering numerous building failures to structure envelope and services. We designed the building to allow for phased demolition and development of the site whilst the existing offices were in occupation. Re-positioning the office accommodation next to the production space also provides an opportunity to better integrate departments, staff and company culture. Seco see the benefits of creating a positive flexible working environment for their staff and customers and have sought to reflect the company’s core values of open and friendly working, client commitment, dedication and expertise in their building facilities. Designscape’s design was developed by the in-country team and is currently under construction.
Designscape have also provided architectural advice; master planning, concept, through to construction design information for several other European sites including; Budapest Hungary and the HQ facility in Fagersta Sweden.
Squash HouseContemporary remodelling of a family home
The existing house was developed within the walls of a former squash club in 2002. This initial conversion failed to make the most of the original building and the client’s brief was to remedy this to provide an environment to suit modern family living. The design inverts the internal accommodation to provide connected living spaces with direct access onto the private external courtyards. New glazed doors slide back into the walls making full-width openings that link the internal and external areas. Bedrooms are relocated to the upper floor behind new clerestory windows with views over Bath. A new open-tread oak staircase connects the three floors and forms the back-bone to the reinvented house.
CourtfieldContemporary extension to Grade 2 Listed House
Originally dating from the C16th, this Grade II listed House built from the local Ham stone has been modified and extended over the centuries. The brief from the client was to re-organise and upgrade the existing accommodation and carry out repairs to the historic fabric. The first phase of this work involved the relocation of the kitchen from the centre of the house into a new extension to connect it with the garden. The scale, massing and materials of the sensitive new addition respect that of the historic house yet is unmistakably contemporary in detail. The house remained occupied during the two stages of work, which also involved the repair of the listed stables and a number of environmental improvements.
Sun House An experimental rural home
The house sits at the top of the Claverton Valley on the outskirts of Bath, and replaces a low-grade mobile home. The design is a response to the woodland setting and arranges accommodation into two distinct elements. The main volume is clad with rough-cut oak boarding and contains the entrance and kitchen on the ground floor and living room above. A second, single storey wing is faced with oxidised steel panels and contains sleeping areas that open directly into the garden. The grass roof of the bedroom wing provides a terrace to the adjacent first floor space. The house employs experimental construction and technology, incorporating rainwater harvesting, passive and active solar energy, and is virtually free from pvc materials.
Soil Association An innovative prototype HQ Building
Designscape came second in a European wide competition for the new £20m headquarters for the Soil Association on the Harbourside site in Bristol. The design sought to put the building users first and create a healthy and respectful workplace which would reflect the core values of the charity: A work environment for ‘free range’ employees. The proposal demonstrated a holistic approach to environmental design by minimising energy usage, using low embodied energy materials and maximising the passive energy potential of the site. This was an opportunity to design a prototype office building fit for the future and the ideas generated are relevant to many situations. We look forward to putting these into practice in future projects.
Kelston Road An annexe home converted from a garage
This project is a single storey annexe on the Kelston Road, designed as a home for our client’s elderly parents, within the curtilage of their existing home.
The site is located on the outskirts of Bath within the Greenbelt, we created a design which both preserves and enhances the surrounding environment, converting and extending a former garage. The use of a green roof and materials sympathetic to the original dwelling allowed the annexe to become a complementary addition to the site.
Clarks Head Quarters Working within a historic factory complex
We have been appointed to undertake a number of projects for Clarks Shoes at their Head Quarters in Street, Somerset. These are located within historic former factory buildings, from which Clarks once manufactured their famous shoes. Optimising this space for current and changing workplace activities has been an ongoing project for Clarks. We have produced a masterplan considering the phased redevelopment of underused sections of the estate for new uses and buildings, including conference suite, meeting rooms and office space.
Green Park Station A new public space
Green Park Station is a Grade II listed building which was redeveloped as a retail and events space in the mid 1980s after its closure as a railway terminus in 1971. We were appointed following an invited competition to propose ways of revitalising the station as a major public space. Our work to date has involved the extensive consultation with a variety of interested parties, including the Farmer’s Market and other traders, Sainsbury’s Supermarket (who operate the adjacent supermarket) and the Bath Cultural Forum. Ideas from these discussions have been translated into a proposal that would provide the city with a vibrant, accessible and commercially viable public venue in the spirit of Covent Garden Market in London.
Jetty House An engineered timber Passive House
The Jetty House is conceived as a place of refuge, a counterpoint to the busy urban world that most of us live in. A place for quiet and family life. The proposal offers the possibility of privacy and individual space but also of a sense of community within the groups of houses. The houses bring the occupants into direct contact with the natural world, and whilst providing a high degree of comfort and sustainable living, the design exploits the whole potential of sustainable living rather than simply to focus on low energy usage. The Jetty House is designed to perform to Passivhaus standards. Nonetheless the design allows for large areas of opening windows and woodburning stoves, enabling seamless integration and enjoyment of the rich context.