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Walters & Cohen Architects Work on Wetherby Arts School

Walters & Cohen Architects work on Wetherby arts school

Walters & Cogen Architects, an award-winning London-based practice with an innovative and contemporary portfolio, has been working on the new Wetherby Arts School, in collaboration with Alpha Plus Group. Part of a £1.3 billion redevelopment of Olympia, the new 60,000-square-foot performing arts school will open in partnership with the BRIT

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GT3 ARCHITECTS EXPLORE DESIGNS FOR THE FUTURE OF NEWCASTLE FOOTBALL CLUB

Sports and leisure specialist GT3 Architects has led an internal design review, reimagining a state-of-the-art training academy and community-driven stadium for Newcastle United. Building on the company’s ‘people architecture’ ethos, the project is the first of several in-house design reviews, exploring how people-centric design can tackle cultural and socio-economic challenges,

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TWO PROMOTIONS AT LEEDS ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE

Leeds based Brewster Bye Architects has promoted Andrew Chapman to associate director and Waqar Hussain has become a fully qualified architect at the firm, after successfully completing his RIBA part 3 exams. Andrew joined Brewster Bye in 2013 and has worked on a wide range of projects from hotels through

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A1 Logistics Centre gets the go-ahead

Bassetlaw District Council has granted planning approval for a 2.5 million square foot logistics and business park next to the A1 in Nottinghamshire. The development, to be built in Harworth, will comprise units ranging from 100,000 square foot to 800,000sq ft. Planning consultancy Barton Willmore secured the permission on behalf

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Architect AHR Selected for Chester Northgate Scheme

The development of the multi-million Chester Northgate regeneration scheme has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of architect AHR, selected to progress the scheme to detailed design. Specialist advisors from Cheshire West and Chester Council have also been appointment. Together, they will bring forward the £60 million initial phase

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Ibstock Brick Has Reasons to Celebrate the Brick Awards

This year’s Brick Awards saw Ibstock Brick celebrating the success of architects and brick contractors. Three outstanding projects using products from the Ibstock Brick range were named as winners, with a further two projects receiving commendations from the expert judging panel at the annual awards ceremony, organised by the Brick

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Acivico Architect at the Heart of NEC’s Transformation

At the heart of the NEC’s £4.5 million transformation has been an Acivico architect that supplied concept designs for the stunning and technically innovative pyramid formations, which will completely change the look and feel of Birmingham’s iconic premier international conference and leisure venue. Principal Architect Alan McBeth developed three gigantic

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Latest Issue

BDC 319 : Aug 2024

architect

Walters & Cohen Architects Work on Wetherby Arts School

Walters & Cohen Architects work on Wetherby arts school

Walters & Cogen Architects, an award-winning London-based practice with an innovative and contemporary portfolio, has been working on the new Wetherby Arts School, in collaboration with Alpha Plus Group. Part of a £1.3 billion redevelopment of Olympia, the new 60,000-square-foot performing arts school will open in partnership with the BRIT School as soon as 2025. Walters & Cohen has developed the concept, look, and feel of the Wetherby Arts School, working alongside the developer’s architects, SPPARC and the contractors architects HLM Architects. “We are delighted to be working with Alpha Plus on their very exciting vision for a new Arts School in the new Olympia Development. We have enjoyed the challenge of designing a multi-level state of the art, urban school that will bring the community into the school through use of the theatre and also allow the school to use facilities in the new development when desired,” commented Michál Cohen, Founding Director, Walters & Cohen Architects. The building was originally a multi-storey car park, with a listed façade. The goal was to keep the charm of the original building, while getting the right amount of light into the deepest parts of the plan. A new atrium will cut through the middle of the school, linking all levels, while a three-floor extension on the roof provides a dining hall that opens onto an outdoor terrace. Taking over the school for children aged 11 to 18 is Alpha Plus Group in partnership with the BRIT School, which will provide community classes after school hours on weekends and holidays. They will also provide funding for some children to attend the BRIT Kids classes free of charge. Wetherby Arts School will specialise in drama, dance and music, including a theatre run by the BRIT School. “We are delighted to be expanding our portfolio into this vibrant West London quarter of transformational and exciting placemaking. It has been a privilege for our team to be working with Future Olympia (our landlord) and the verve and skill of W&C once again,” added Richard Jones, Director of Property, Alpha Plus Group. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

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GT3 ARCHITECTS EXPLORE DESIGNS FOR THE FUTURE OF NEWCASTLE FOOTBALL CLUB

Sports and leisure specialist GT3 Architects has led an internal design review, reimagining a state-of-the-art training academy and community-driven stadium for Newcastle United. Building on the company’s ‘people architecture’ ethos, the project is the first of several in-house design reviews, exploring how people-centric design can tackle cultural and socio-economic challenges, such as driving inward investment and economic footfall, getting more people active, supporting an aging population, and achieving net-zero targets. Paul Reed, associate director and R&D lead, explains. “As a proud Geordie practice that specialises in sport and leisure, the recent takeover of NUFC sparked much excitement in our Newcastle studio. With my background in designing and delivering stadia and training academies – previously being involved in the design of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Training Ground, London Olympic Stadium and Parc Olympique Lyonnais – imagining the potential opportunities now open to the club seemed like a fantastic way to kick-off GT3’s latest design series. “As with all things GT3, we wanted to imagine a design that placed people – the players, the academy, the fans, the club employees, the local community – at the heart. We reviewed academy and training facilities built across the UK and Europe within the last five years and found them to be largely insular; team facilities are typically segmented, separated by level of play, while fans are granted limited or no access. This provides the privacy and security required by the players, but also acts as a barrier between their fanbase and local community. “Using the motif of public vs private, our concept uses a rising scale of privacy and naturally rich and textured materials to break down barriers between elite sport and the local community, reuniting players and people in a facility that is welcoming to all. “The overall effect is one of warmth and inclusivity, offering a home for the first-team training, women’s team, and academy team, while providing a unique and exciting space for a new generation of fans to fall in love with the club.” A Community Stadium – Bringing the Club Back to the Fans “Unsurprisingly, this project attracted our practice’s NUFC fans, each of whom hold memories of walking up to St James on match day or joining the masses to watch the Keegan-era train. This sense of local pride and club inclusion is the cornerstone of our community stadium design, which – in addition to providing a home for women’s and academy teams – also offers valuable community space. The resulting design is a 7,000 seat open community stadium, with the potential to include safe standing area, integrated groundskeeper storage and elevated grassy bank, offering an informal viewing platform for families, plus a Wembley Way style access route with additional retail opportunities. “Within the stadium itself, we’ve included 3,000m2 studio and classroom space, which could be used by the Newcastle United Foundation and local schools/ colleges. There’s also dedicated meeting and event spaces, open for community use and offering additional revenue opportunities. “On the other side of the stadium is a semi-private media suite, offering another media hub to the club, plus a private commercial suite for NUFC staff. This could offer staff an alternative work location and allow the stadium to operate in tandem with St James. “Externally, there are 13 full-size external grass, hybrid and artificial pitches, each orientated north to south to maximise daylight hours, with a portion allocated for community use. Fitness trails including repurposed hill-climbing areas (relandscaped from soil produced in construction), suitable for community and player use are also integrated into the landscaping.” State of the Art Training Academy – Recognising the Player Journey  “The training academy element of the design is a private campus-style building, offering world class training facilities for all parts of the club under one roof. A key design concept for the training academy itself was in recognising the importance of a player’s individual journey; as youth and academy players progress through the ranks, they physically move across a bridge separating the academy wing from the first team wing. “Facilities include a timber diagrid ETFE transparent roof, designed to maximise daylight to the training pitch, inward-looking and protected massing to provide safety and privacy, and a 60-bed hotel, offering on-site accommodation and living spaces for academy players, along with more temporary living space for visiting teams and families. “We’ve included state-of-the-art player facilities; changing rooms, fitness suites, physio rooms and training facilities, including hydro pools, hyperbaric chambers and relaxation areas. “There are private meeting spaces with views over surrounding woodland and green areas, a man-made lake and private access routes and underground parking for first-team privacy. “As architects and masterplanners, our goal is to tackle the challenges facing communities through people-focused design. Our design proposal embraces the three different elements of football for Newcastle: first team training, academy training, and women’s football, while capitalising on a clear opportunity to support and engage with the local community. “Building a bond between the club and the community, all while providing the resources needed for elite sport, is difficult, but it’s a challenge we’ve loved addressing. We wanted to break down barriers and design a facility that would benefit not only the athletes that train there, but the people who make the club a success – the fans, the future players, the people of Newcastle. “We’d like to encourage people to get in touch with their thoughts, including football fans, sports and leisure experts, fans of the club, and NUFC themselves. This design is a conversation starter and we’d love to be part of that dialogue.” GT3 Architects is an award-winning and ambitious architecture practice with studios in Newcastle and Nottingham. Known for delivering expertise across sectors including sports and leisure and using their people-focused approach, they have a proven track record in translating bold concepts into elegant technical details and successful project delivery. For further information visit www.gt3architects.com or join the conversation over on Twitter @_GT3Architects 

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TWO PROMOTIONS AT LEEDS ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE

Leeds based Brewster Bye Architects has promoted Andrew Chapman to associate director and Waqar Hussain has become a fully qualified architect at the firm, after successfully completing his RIBA part 3 exams. Andrew joined Brewster Bye in 2013 and has worked on a wide range of projects from hotels through to residential conversions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. He’s also recently been involved with several high-profile student accommodation schemes including the eight storey Oasis Residence just off Millennium Square, in Leeds city centre, which consists of 96 high specification, self-contained studio apartments, as well as amenities. Andrew has also designed and recently secured planning permission for another major student accommodation scheme in Nottingham’s Southside Regeneration Area, that will offer 297 bedrooms. Waqar joined Brewster Bye in 2018 as an architectural assistant after completing a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Huddersfield and winning several awards including the West Yorkshire Society of Architects Award and the RIBA Yorkshire Student Silver Award. He’s now completed a Professional Practice and Management in Architecture (RIBA part 3) qualification to become a fully certified architect. Since joining Brewster Bye, he’s been involved in several key projects including Leeds City Village and the successful planning application for Barkerend Mills, which is a Grade-II listed mill complex close to Bradford city centre. The complex had fallen into a state of disrepair but planning permission has now been granted for it to be transformed into 117 new apartments. Andrew Chapman said: “This promotion will see me leading on several exciting projects, across numerous sectors, from the feasibility stage right through to completion, so it’s a great opportunity for me. In recent years it’s been a privilege to be involved in a such a variety of schemes throughout the north of England and I’m looking forward to building on this further in this new role.” Mark Henderson, director at Brewster Bye, said: “Andrew has played a key role in all types of successful projects in recent years. He has a fantastic eye for detail and an excellent understanding of both the planning system and crucially, what planning committees want to see, which makes him very popular with clients. He thoroughly deserves this promotion. “Since joining us nearly four years ago, Waqar has built up a wealth of experience designing high quality and functional homes throughout the region, and he’s worked hard to pass his part 3 exams and become a fully qualified architect. There’s no doubt he has a fantastic career ahead of him with us.”

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BDP helps deliver changing shape of retail as part of new mixed use destination

BDP has helped complete the delivery of phase one of the new St James Quarter, Edinburgh, working with client Nuveen Real Estate to create a new destination in the heart of the capital.  A new and modern 1.7 million sq ft masterplan in urban placemaking, it is one of the UK’s largest inner-city regeneration projects. BDP’s Glasgow studio, which worked alongside Allan Murray Architects in the design stage, saw its role develop from co-designer to lead consultant and technical architect for the design of the scheme, and delivered the master plan as part of the Laing O’Rourke construction team for the £1billion development. Works started on site with the demolition of the existing shopping centre, office block, hotel, and car park, in 2016 with the retail-led development seeing shoppers flock to its curved four-storey galleria since its opening in June. Designed with movement of people in mind, St James Quarter is a highly accessible, permeable development with multiple entry points situated at different levels. The brief from the outset was to create a step change from typical retail developments and to incorporate various uses on the site that would deliver a sustainable model for development in the historic town centre.  The design makes use of the surrounding inner-city topography, integrating with Edinburgh’s busy shopping areas and encouraging visitors to weave their way through the city.  The commercial benefits to creating this organic flow of people through St James Quarter is a boosted footfall that is presented with unexpected opportunities to shop, or to dine, resulting in increased dwell time helping businesses to thrive. Oliver Wilson, BDP Architect Director, said, “St James Quarter is Edinburgh’s largest development in a generation and creates a distinct area in the Scottish capital.  Incorporating new and existing development, it transforms Edinburgh’s retail offering delivering an enriched social experience and creating a lifestyle destination which people will repeatedly revisit.” “Consumers are faced with a myriad of options when it comes to their leisure time and they want to spend it in a well designed, engaging and accessible place that offers them everything they want, and not simply a place to shop.  Destinations need to make more efficient use of the space and work harder to meet consumers’ needs and St James Quarter does this by presenting a truly unique offer.” The BDP team is now working to complete the shell and core works to the remaining phases of the development in advance of them being fitted out, which include a cinema, hotel and aparthotel, and a high profile residential element occupying the upper level of the galleria.  The apartments offer a truly special place to live in the heart of the city with an extensive roof garden and take advantage of the spectacular views across the city and out towards the Firth of Forth. Work on further phases will see the completion of entertainment, residential, and hotel accommodation as part of the £1bn scheme.

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A1 Logistics Centre gets the go-ahead

Bassetlaw District Council has granted planning approval for a 2.5 million square foot logistics and business park next to the A1 in Nottinghamshire. The development, to be built in Harworth, will comprise units ranging from 100,000 square foot to 800,000sq ft. Planning consultancy Barton Willmore secured the permission on behalf of Mulberry Commercial Developments. The consultancy said the scheme would see the creation of nearly 3,000 jobs. Dan Mitchell, partner at Barton Willmore, said: “As well as economic growth and the creation of thousands of new local job opportunities, the larger warehouse units in Harworth will give their occupiers much greater flexibility in their day-to-day operations with the added bonus of being located close to air, sea, rail links and of course the motorway network via the A1.” Mark Day, development director at Mulberry Developments, added: “The logistics sector, led by retailers and third-party logistics operators, has moved towards very large-scale regional distribution centres at key transport locations, and this new planning consent enables us to respond to the demand with a logistics park of the very highest quality to serve the North Midlands and South Yorkshire markets.”

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UK materials manufacturer announces senior appointments in growth plans to support Modern Methods of Construction

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of timber- and metal-faced composite insulated panels has made two senior appointments to help drive planned growth, aimed at satisfying the building industry’s need for materials used in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Ingrid Lovatt is a particularly apt choice as Finance Director at St Helen’s-based Hemsec; her background and wide experience as a big-four-trained Chartered Accountant, combined with a Master’s Degree in Architectural Engineering gives her a well-informed viewpoint from which to help build the company. Ingrid started her career working in engineering in the 1980’s, and is heartened by how the profession has since turned itself around here in the UK. An engineering consultancy role led her into accountancy, where her background has spanned big-four mergers and acquisitions with UK and International clients, as well as strategic financial roles at both FTSE 100 PLC’s and owner-managed businesses. On her move to Hemsec, Ingrid comments, “I was looking for a business that had aspiration as well as strong foundations, where I could be part of the journey. To find one that also has a heart, made it easy for me to agree to join Hemsec.” Chris Griffin is equally well-matched with Hemsec, joining as Commercial Manager. His background in logistics, international warehousing, commodity storage and port distribution led to a move into commercial in 2015. He spent the last four years developing industrial supply chain solutions before joining Hemsec to support Managing Director Stephen Painter to realise his vision of ‘Doing business differently and better.’ Chris comments: “It feels like a real privilege to join Hemsec at this stage in its history. The commitment to ensuring Hemsec’s values influence responsible decision-making really attracted me to this company. I am excited about investing my time and effort in helping to fulfil its potential in a sustainable way. The insulated panels the company produces play a vital role in significantly reducing fuel usage in buildings, at the same time as improving living standards. It is really important that we help the construction industry to access the volume of materials it needs to stimulate MMC in the UK and Europe. Widespread usage will play a pretty significant role in fulfilling the environmental targets set in the Kyoto and Paris agreements. As a collective, we must reduce energy and any part I have in making this happen more easily and effectively, motivates me.” Hemsec is developing educational materials to facilitate SIPs usage in the construction industry, and is in talks with secondary education colleges and the CITB to provide accredited learning. For more information please contact the company through Hemsec.com.

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Architect AHR Selected for Chester Northgate Scheme

The development of the multi-million Chester Northgate regeneration scheme has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of architect AHR, selected to progress the scheme to detailed design. Specialist advisors from Cheshire West and Chester Council have also been appointment. Together, they will bring forward the £60 million initial phase of the project, which includes a new relocated dynamic and modern market, six-screen cinema, restaurants, public square and car parking. “The Chester Northgate scheme is set to deliver a fantastic boost to the city and we’re tremendously pleased to have been appointed to the project. The development will reinforce the leisure and culture offering at the heart of the transformation of the city delivering a new relocated dynamic and modern market, six-screen cinema, host of new restaurants and public square,” said Dominic Manfredi, director at AHR and a local resident of the borough. “The project will also provide vital new car parking. This will increase capacity and ensure visitors can enjoy the development and the wider city centre with ease, benefitting local businesses across the city. We’re confident that this ambitious project will help further strengthen Chester’s reputation as one of the North West’s premier destinations,” Dominic added. The Council’s preferred contractor is Vinci Construction UK, who will be formally appointed to a pre-construction agreement in autumn 2019. Meanwhile, building work for the initial phase of Chester Northgate is set to start early 2020.

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Ibstock Brick Has Reasons to Celebrate the Brick Awards

This year’s Brick Awards saw Ibstock Brick celebrating the success of architects and brick contractors. Three outstanding projects using products from the Ibstock Brick range were named as winners, with a further two projects receiving commendations from the expert judging panel at the annual awards ceremony, organised by the Brick Development Association (BDA). Ibstock Brick also proudly sponsored three awards; Individual Housing Development, Architect’s Choice and Supreme winner. “Each year the standard of entries for the Brick Awards improves. As the market leading brick manufacturer we are delighted to be associated with the celebration of brick as a modern building material. We would like to congratulate everybody involved with the award-winning projects for their success in showcasing how brick can be used within creative and contemporary architecture. Ibstock Brick is committed to providing products which offer design flexibility for the most innovative building facades,” commented Darren Bowkett, Operations Director of Ibstock Brick. Voted by the public from a selection of shortlisted projects in other categories, the Architect’s Choice Award was handed to the BPTW Architects designed project at Creek Road in the heart of Greenwich. The project utilised the Funton Old Chelsea Yellow brick to mirror the existing bricks whilst adding a contemporary twist. The winner in the Education category was Marlborough Primary School (Architect: Dixon Jones), while Royal Albert Wharf was the winner in the Large Housing Development category. Blackfriars Circus also picked up a commendation in this category, with both projects being designed by Maccreanor Lavington. Scala Yard (Architect: DLA Design Group) received a commendation in the Small Housing development category. The winners of the Specialist Brickwork Contractor award, Anglian Brickwork Ltd, used Ibstock Bricks in one of their winning projects at the David Attenborough Building (Architect: Nicholas Hare). Ibstock Brick, part of Ibstock plc, is the biggest manufacturer of clay bricks sold in the UK. With 20 manufacturing plants producing more than 850,000 new bricks per annum, it offers an unrivalled choice of more than 450 different bricks, which includes prefabricated brickwork components, rainscreens and a diverse selection of special shaped bricks and pavers.

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Acivico Architect at the Heart of NEC’s Transformation

At the heart of the NEC’s £4.5 million transformation has been an Acivico architect that supplied concept designs for the stunning and technically innovative pyramid formations, which will completely change the look and feel of Birmingham’s iconic premier international conference and leisure venue. Principal Architect Alan McBeth developed three gigantic custom designed trapezoidal shapes, each the size of a three-story house, using the latest design software. When connected, these form a 3D wall of 37 units, reinventing and giving life to the flat facades on five of the halls, originally constructed in 1976. Using state-of-the-art membrane technology and a healthy dose of imagination, the vision was for the facade to be covered with stretched membranes combined with colourful vector graphics panels, positioned between the 3D trapezoidal shapes. “The design required the use of the latest in tensile fabric innovation from within the UK and we found the print graphics specialist in Holland – the only company in the world that could print the polyester fabric which covers the trapezoids to the correct lifespan requirement,” said Alan McBeth. “The magnitude of this work has to be seen to be appreciated, but it is very scalable and there is no doubt this type of design treatment can be applied to give an economical facelift to other aging buildings, large or small, in need of some TLC,” he continued. The final colour changing boulder pattern was designed and supplied by international PR and advertising firm McCann whose programmable LED animated backlighting has created a dynamic and engaging environment for the 7 million annual visitors to the campus, but it’s at night that guests can really see the complex come to life. Acivico has used graphic visualisation technology to share the display. “We are delighted with the outcome of these concept designs by Acivico. The team understood the brief perfectly and came up with a unique concept using innovative technology which they brought to life using superb 3D visuals. The finished results are stunning,” commented Martin Clarke, NEC Marketing Director. The NEC’s ‘project facelift’ will be officially revealed with the launch of the Bear Grylls adventure world in October 2018.

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Q&A with the winner of the RIAS/Saint-Gobain Emerging Architect award 2018

The RIAS/Saint-Gobain Emerging Architect Award recognises the crucial role architects play in delivering a better world and encourages the great architects of the future at the outset of their careers. This year, the award went to Eilidh Henderson of PagePark Architects for her inspiring work on St. Cecilia’s Chapel in Edinburgh. We spoke to Eilidh to find out a bit more about her winning project and her role at PagePark Architects. What were your first thoughts when you were announced the winner of the Saint-Gobain Emerging Architect Award?   For me, this award recognises and reaffirms what we do at PagePark, work to the strengths of each of the individuals in our team and collaborate to craft special contributions to our built landscape. Each of our projects is a microcosm of that notion, and at St. Cecilia’s we had an incredible team who worked tirelessly, some for over 10 years, to imagine, design and deliver a building that has opened St. Cecilia’s up to a world of opportunity for the next 50 years. I was humbled to win the Emerging Architect Award on what was a really special evening, shared with everyone who contributed to the making of this project. You’ve seen some of your projects awarded in the past. Were you somehow expecting another distinction this year?  In recent years we’ve grown to recognise the benefits of exposure gained through the architectural awards process. Not only is it an opportunity for our project, design and client teams to be recognised by our industry peers for successful project delivery, but it supports our growth in different sectors of work. Whilst the real measure of success is the satisfaction of the end users of the projects we deliver, and of course we never expect to be recognised at any of these events, awards are encouraging milestones along the journey of our projects. You’ve seen one project distinguished with the Emerging Architects Award: St. Cecilia’s Hall. What was your inspiration for this project? St. Cecilia’s hall has been home to the University of Edinburgh’s musical instrument collection since the 1960s. An ‘L’ shaped arrangement of galleries wraps round Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert room at the centre. We were appointed in 2012 to lead the project to transform St Cecilia’s hall to make it the centre for all musical instrument collections for the University of Edinburgh. As a place of teaching, research and importantly a publicly accessible museum and concert hall, there were a number of challenges to resolve. These included conservation of the existing category ‘A’ listed building. Consideration was also to be given to creating a more appropriate entrance which, combined with the unlocking of a new core, was to facilitate full access to the building. This space is an incredible grouping of rooms off the Cowgate in the Old Town of Edinburgh. However, what was apparent was that while these rooms held an internationally significant collection of instruments, there was no dialogue between building and collection. As a result it felt flat. What we imagined was the charging of the building with the collection to introduce a dialogue between the instruments and their container. We were inspired by the forms, textures and materiality of the collection and how that could influence the moves that we made to create a really special, and memorable, visitor experience. The triggering of all five of our senses played a significant role in that. Jacky MacBeath, the Head of Museums from the University of Edinburgh, tells a wonderful story of why the inside of many of the harpsichords in the collection are decorated – to trigger each of our senses; the peaches for taste, the parrots for sight, the smell of the flowers, the touch of fingers rippling across the keys and the sound of notes cascading around the room. A beautiful idea, and we sought to capture that essence in our architectural contribution. How has the design impacted the comfort and well-being for the end users? Feedback from visitors and end users has been overwhelmingly positive since the building re-opened following completion of the works. The protection of the collection was key though in this project and was a core reason for undertaking the works. Two humidity and temperature controlled galleries now provide a focus for visitors on the first floor of the building along with the newly refreshed concert room that sits proudly at the heart. A rich programme of events is planned throughout the year and particularly during the Edinburgh Festival season. The museum is free and open to the public five days a week allowing a new audience to engage with the collection. It’s really exciting to see the building thriving, and there is nothing more satisfying than seeing it buzz with a diverse range of people enjoying engaging with the arts. Are you working on any exciting projects at the moment? Is there a chance that you will submit them to next year’s RIAS Awards? We are working across the practice on a range of interesting projects from schools and medical centres to theatres and housing. Completing in the coming months is Woodside Health Centre in Glasgow, a new architecture department for Northumbria University, social housing in Shettleston and a new creative hub for Edinburgh Printmakers. I’ve no doubt we’ll consider entering a few of those into awards next year.   To find out more about St. Cecilia’s Chapel please visit: www.stcecilias.ed.ac.uk   Further information about PagePark Architects can be found here: www.pagepark.co.uk

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