BBLBnewsAutumn 08www.bblb-architects.co.uk

sociAL housing & cAreProviding homes for people has never been more challenging

schooLs updAteProgrammes in Leicester and stoke on Trent

news updAtesBBLB’s current CsR project and progress of our relocation to stourbridge

Take a Look aT

schoLArs gAteseveRn sTReeT, BiRmingham

welcome to tHe BBlB NeWS autumN ISSue

we hope that you will enjoy reading this issue of BBLB news.

in addition to pieces about BBLB and our projects we have also included articles about topical subjects which we hope will be of interest to you. if anyone else in your organisation would like to receive a copy please let us know.

if there is anything you would like more details on, or you would like to find out more about how BBLB could assist you with current or upcoming projects, please call Debbie ward on telephone: 0845 881 8010.

BrIdgNortH oFFIceThe old school house, 63a high street

Bridgnorth, shropshire, wv16 4DXTel: +44 (0) 845 881 8010

reddItcH oFFIceThe Coach house, Upper skilts Farm

gorcott hill, Redditch, B98 9eTTel: +44 (0) 870 600 4485

WeB & emaIlwww.bblb-architects.co.ukinfo@bblb-architects.co.uk

a new guide, Low Carbon Refurbishment of Buildings, has been published by

The Carbon Trust to set out best practice on cutting carbon emissions from non-domestic buildings. non-domestic buildings account for about a fifth of Uk emissions but the guide says low-carbon refurbishment does not require significant increases in complexity or adoption of high-risk or unproven technologies. although most refurbishments offer opportunities, these are often missed and unnecessary increases in emissions can be the result.

“Building refurbishment offers significant opportunities to cut carbon, but without corporate commitment and a focus on carbon at every stage of the project, the potential benefits can leak away,” says Trust director of innovations mark willamson. “given tightening legislation on energy performance

and increasing energy prices, organisations need to put carbon reduction at the heart of their refurbishment plans.” The guide recommends:

securing commitments in a vision �statement from the senior team on low-carbon objectives;establishing existing carbon footprints and �reduction targets;consulting occupiers and stakeholders at �the outset;appointing carbon champions; �integrating low-carbon design, don’t make �it an add-on;using whole life costing; �using high-quality commissioning. �

The Low Carbon Refurbishment of Buildings - management guide can be downloaded at http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/publications

sAving cArBon in non-domestic refurBishment of BuiLdings

site wAste mAnAgement PLans RegULaTions

site waste management plans became a legal requirement for

any construction project, valued at £300,000 or more, from 6 april 2008.

growing out of a voluntary code of practice, the arrival of the new regulations has caught many in the industry unawares although they do not apply to projects planned before 6 april 2008 as long as construction work began before 1 July 2008.

Further info can be found at:

The site waste management �Plans Regulations 2008 on the office of Public sector information web site at www.opsi.gov.uk.Defra guidance on construction �waste at www.defra.gov.uk.BRe smaRTwaste Plan toolkit at � www.smartwaste.co.uk.

non-domestic buildings are responsible for nearly a fifth of all Uk carbon

emissions. significant cuts in emissions from non-domestic buildings are therefore likely to be essential as part of the Uk’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by at least 60% by 2050.

it is estimated that 60% of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 have already been built. although there has been much recent focus on measures to reduce the emissions from new buildings, the existing building stock remains largely untouched and many refurbishment projects miss opportunities to reduce emissions and deliver low carbon buildings.

Refurbishment covers a wide range of activities, from relatively minor works to very significant changes to the fabric or internal layout of a building. in order to understand the challenges and opportunities presented by refurbishment projects, the Carbon Trust has engaged with 10 typical commercial and public sector building refurbishments, working with each from initial concept through to successful completion and ongoing operations. encouragingly, our experience

has shown that delivering a low carbon refurbishment doesn’t require significant increases in complexity, or adoption of high risk or unproven technical solutions. on the contrary, nearly all refurbishments offer opportunities to reduce carbon emissions beyond the standards set by building regulations. however, conventional refurbishment projects often miss the opportunities available, leading to unintentional and unnecessary increases in energy use and associated emissions.

This guide is aimed at those who wish to ensure that a planned refurbishment delivers carbon savings, in addition to meeting its other objectives. it provides clear, practical guidance based on real world experience. The guide is structured around a roadmap for the refurbishment process, identifying the key intervention points during the preparation, design, construction and use phases of the project.

a key common factor in successful low carbon refurbishments is a corporate commitment to cutting carbon emissions, coupled with effective project management to ensure that this is translated into targets and approaches which ensure the low carbon objectives are met. This guide includes advice on translating the vision into the design brief, setting targets, appointing contractors, monitoring progress and making sure the refurbished building is commissioned and operated as intended.

This guide is intended to help you deliver building refurbishments that reduce operating costs, improve comfort levels, increase occupant satisfaction and enhance reputation, as well as delivering significant reductions in carbon emissions.

eXCeRPT FRom Low cArBon refurBishment of BuiLdings

Management guide CTV038

Low Carbon Refurbishment of BuildingsA guide to achieving carbon savings from refurbishment of non-domestic buildings

2 BBLB news

Located at the corner of severn street and Blucher street this scheme has been

designed specifically to meet the challenges of its tight city centre location and interesting topography, and to sit comfortably with the adjacent buildings.

The new scheme comprises fifteen one and two bedroomed residential apartments to the upper floors and Commercial/Retail space to the ground floor. The contrasting styles of the old listed school buildings and their proximity to the new, provides an interesting streetscape. The curved rendered façade is a ‘floating freeform plane’ and punctuated with large recesses above a glazed ground floor.

The generously glazed residential entrance affords glimpses through the new building to the courtyard of the refurbished

school buildings beyond. The regeneration and conversion of the victorian buildings resulted in the provision of one house and 22 unique residential apartments, each boasting outstanding original architectural features.

internally, contemporary insertions create a striking contrast between the old and new to all of the double height modern living spaces.

originally built in the 1800s, and designed by some of the eras most eminent architects, such as Charles edge, Chamberlain & martin Partnership and Yoeville Thomason, the ‘British school’ originally provided working class children with an education. Later, the First Day school, took the revolutionary step of including an ‘adult learning centre’ for men.

The building passed into the hands of Birmingham City Council in the early 20th century and became known as the ‘Birmingham athletics institute’. however

the buildings fell into disrepair in the 1980s and remained derelict thereafter.

after an exhaustive design, research and development stage, the BBLB design evolved into a series of selective demolitions with the main school buildings of particular architectural merit being converted into a collection of buildings with new courtyards and private gardens. The team worked closely with the local planning and conservation officers throughout the project.

our clients for this development were Trigram Properties Ltd and Piper securities Ltd, and the scheme won a Commendation at the 2007 BDi industry and genius awards.

schoLArs gAte, seveRn sTReeTset in the heart of Birmingham city centre, scholars gate is a striking collection of four, grade ii listed victorian redbrick buildings and a prominent new four storey, contemporary mixed use building.

Computer generated image - aerial view

Residential conversion

Interior of a converted apartment

BBLB news 3

Providing homes for people has never been more challenging. Tenants, residents,

carers and owners want well designed, safe and sustainable homes that are relatively easy to maintain and cost effective to run. The government and councils want to create communities based on inclusion; to provide a living place where people of all types, abilities and classes can live and work together; to learn from errors of the past by ensuring solutions take a holistic, long term view.

Design is fundamental to achieving these aspirations. good, considered design is inclusive, safe and sustainable and can assist in creating an environment where communities can be established and thrive.

The residential sector - and within that affordable housing, senior living and care homes - is an area of expertise for BBLB. we are experienced in the constant balancing act that housing associations, Care Providers and Developers have to deal with in delivering a quality product, that meets requirements such as those defined by Lifetime homes, Code for sustainable

homes, housing Quality indicators, Building for Life and secure by Design - yet at a reasonable cost.

we are involved in several partnerships and projects with community housing groups and get involved in all elements of the process from concept to completion, including stakeholder and resident consultation.

Projects include:Beechdale Estate, Walsall: This

regeneration masterplan provides the setting for a contemporary mixed use development at the heart of the estate in stephenson square comprising of a modern

new shopping precinct, community centre, offices, accommodation for the elderly, apartments, mews cottages and town houses and a landscaped public square.

Plymouth Road, Redditch: nursing home providing 60 bedrooms, in a residential setting, where older people can live and receive both personal care and nursing care. The building will be 3 and 4 storeys high and will be constructed in high quality, traditional materials including timber, red brick and render.

YMCA, Erdington: Proposed redevelopment comprises innovative ‘second Tier’ or ‘move-on’ supported residential accommodation to be located at rear of existing building, followed by a second phase of development to replace existing building with new Youth & Community facilities with public frontage.

Wallbank Road, Birmingham: Comprises 13 large family dwellings on a brown field site. This development conforms with Birmingham City Council’s own “Places for Living” requirements, and meet all necessary requirements of social housing, with accreditation from the housing Corporation.

sociAL housing & cAre

For several years BBLB has been operating its own quality

management system, which although in line with iso9001, had not been accredited.

Last year, particularly given our increased involvement in public sector submissions, we felt it was time to formalise our Qa processes, and in april this year BBLB was awarded iso9001 by the Board of governors of moody international Certification Ltd.

assessment of our Qa systems took place on 9/10 april at both offices, by henry Pearce and ian hough. Their audit objective was to measure the conformance of our systems and practices to meet requirements for certification of the provision of architect’s services.

iso9001 describes the administrative systems required to run an effective business and ensures the client receives the product/ service they have purchased.

the Assessors commented: “no company i have audited has achieved better than this” (henry pearce). “i have never previously raised zero corrective action” (ian hough).

To maintain our accreditation of iso9001 we will be continuing to carry out audits on all of our procedures on a rotational basis. The auditees are victoria gardner - Qa manager (Redditch) and michelle king (Bridgnorth).

Team briefing sessions are also being carried out to ensure everyone’s continued understanding. Congratulations to those involved in driving it through - your hard work paid off!

FoRmaLising The BBLB

QuALitymAnAgementsystem

Beechdale Estate Masterplan

Plymouth Road

YMCA

Wallbank Road

4 BBLB news

nigeL LomAs awaRD 2008

This year’s nigel Lomas memorial award, presented annually to an outstanding

student at the Birmingham school of architecture by BBLB, has been won by final year post graduate student michelle williams, with last year’s winner marc Turley gaining a commendation for his work.

according to one of the judges, David greenhill, a part time lecturer at the school and a Director of BBLB, the competition was fierce at this year’s exhibition, with works on display of ‘a truly inspiring standard’.

The nigel Lomas memorial award was created to celebrate the life and career of the former Partner, himself an award winning architect and a graduate of the Birmingham school of architecture.

BBLB architects and the Lomas family sponsor this award, which is presented to a student whose exploration through 3 Dimensions shows innovation in design work which, in the opinion of the judges, keeps the design philosophy of nigel Lomas alive.

entries take the form of a 3D drawing, a model or a computer generated image. however, the finished design is not considered in isolation. Judges looked at how the design was reached and in particular how the design process was used to explore the concept ideas.

michelle’s work epitomised what the BBLB judges were looking for and her work utilised several forms of media in order to progress her theoretical project.

BBLB sponsor excellence both in the academic world and in practice. David is released by BBLB to lecture at the school, the practice offers work placements for undergraduates as well as postgraduates, and actively supports staff to achieve further qualifications.

The winner of The nigel Lomas memorial award received travel vouchers, a prize that reflects nigel’s lifelong passion for travel and adventure.

BBLB is part of the Leicester Building schools for the Future Programme team

with miller. The first school we are involved with

is Rushey mead school, a 1350 pupil secondary school that specialises in sports, maths and science located to the north of the City Centre. The current school is a disjointed collection of buildings of various ages and states of repair. our design pulls the campus together as one building resolving the circulation problems within the school.

The design also addresses the main road giving the school a new and open identity. works include demolishing existing teaching block and gym, major and minor refurbishment of retained buildings, a new build sports block and teaching blocks and a replanned school campus with associated external works.

after a slow start the programme is regaining momentum and we expect to hear about other schools we will be working on as part of Leicester BsF in the new Year.

BBLB has created designs for several schools as part of the Carillion submission

for the stoke schools programme.The original bid submission in

november 2006 was put on hold due to a review of secondary education in stoke on Trent by the City Council. Revised proposals addressed surplus pupil numbers across the City which were approved February 2008.

Under the new City Council brief five new academies, five Trust schools and three

voluntary aided (Faith schools) including two special schools will be provided in the ‘initial Batch’.

BBLB’s designs for the new academies, school and refurbishment projects provide flexible teaching spaces giving high quality sustainable buildings that give the pupils full access to the national curriculum.

a decision on successful bid teams is expected spring 2009.

TOP - Michelle Williams & her work, ABOVE - David Greenhill, Marc Turley & Michelle Williams

Leicester Bsf

stoke on trent schooLs

Appointed

Bidding

schooLs updAte sToke anD LeiCesTeR

BBLB news 5

BBLB inhoUseThe BBLB teAm

amongst appointments in the last 12 months have been architects Doug

Brown (centre of photo) and Richard Bailey (left), both of whom are currently located at BBLB’s Bridgnorth office, and Business Development manager Debbie ward, who will play a key role in driving the business forward.

Doug has joined BBLB from a practice in worcester, where he spent almost five years. he has specialist experience in designing primary health care buildings such as doctors’ surgeries and dental practices, and has worked extensively in the hotels & Leisure sector, including designing Living well health & fitness centres.

Richard has broad industry experience having spent over five years with a small commercial architects practice in

northampton. he was attracted to BBLB by its strong ‘green’ credentials and is relishing the challenges of working in the dynamic environment of a larger, rapidly expanding business.

a high achieving marketing professional with a long track record in the architectural sector, Debbie has been appointed to support BBLB’s proactive business development ambitions, including the management and implementation of structured internal and external communication campaigns.

Commenting on all the appointments, BBLB Partner ed Baverstock said, “These appointments have not only strengthened our existing team and extended our skills set, they will enable BBLB to realise its exciting plans for future development.”

BBLB architects work across the Residential, education, Commercial

& industrial, Conservation, Urban/Regeneration and masterplanning sectors. an update on a few of our current and recent projects follows.

etone coLLege: We have now been appointed to progress the post 16 facility for a detailed planning application which should be lodged in late September when all the relevant supporting reports have been prepared. We have also been commissioned to look at a feasibility of providing a new BSF 900 pupil school on the site whilst the school remains in occupation.

city of woLverhAmpton coLLege: The nursery Block was handed over and occupied in July 2008, on programme and to budget. The Civil engineering and Construction block is on programme for opening in time for september term intake. The sports Block and external works including sports pitches are due for delivery before

Christmas, all currently on programme. morgan ashurst is the main contractor carrying out the construction work at the college .

eArLsdon pArk: The planning application was approved in august 2007 and work is progressing on Phase 1 (QCa, a commercial building) with John sisk & sons Contractors, due for completion in may 2009. Phase 2 (Block J), a residential, timber frame, 5 storey building is also on site with sisks, due for completion in may 2009. The next phase of work is due to be appointed later this month.

dronfieLd foundry: This 7021m2 industrial & commercial project is on site with the main steel structure of the foundry erected, cladding to the roof completed and a substantial amount of the walls being clad. The office steelwork is due on site in the next few weeks. The furnace installation is due to commence mid october together with the moulding line installation. work is on programme and first castings are scheduled for Christmas 2008.

project UPDaTes

BBLB, Turner & Townsend, Fitzpatrick and white Young green have joined

forces to raise money for and to design and build an inclusive children’s playground based at Barnardo’s harris house project, in moseley. Barnardo’s harris house provides support to families who have disabled children with very specific needs and who require intensive levels of care. Currently, harris house offers professional advice and support as well as the use of a fully equipped sensory room and toy library facility.

each of the companies has committed to raising enough money over the next twelve months to pay for a bespoke playground which meets the specific requirements of the disabled children who will access the new facilities at the harris house site. it is anticipated that the playground will be built summer/autumn 2009, with the companies engaging the rest of the construction community with a series of industry events.

shereen khan, services manager at harris house, says: “we are delighted to be working with the construction industry. harris house is integral to the Birmingham community. There are often a number of factors which prevent parents addressing the best interests of their disabled children, and also those of their non disabled siblings.

access to services such as the existing sensory room, and an additional facility of the playground mean that trained staff can help parents manage and improve the behaviour of their children, as well as giving families much needed advice and respite.”

coffee & cAkes

haRRis hoUse

at a recent BBLB staff coffee morning our efforts at cake baking, and subsequent

eating of course, kick started our harris house fundraising efforts and we raised £150. we have several other fundraising and social activities coming up including raffling a day’s holiday!

6 BBLB news

The first stage to transforming the former Town Library and Technical institute

building in stourbridge into a prestigious new headquarters office building for the practice is now complete. mansell have successfully undertaken the ‘soft strip’ work in preparation for refurbishment.

The 24,000 sq ft grade ii listed building was purchased earlier this year to provide extensive new offices for staff from BBLB’s current offices in Redditch and Bridgnorth.

The schedule of works for the refurbishment has been prepared in consultation with the Planning and Conservation officers at Dudley mBC.

John Bradshaw, Partner commented: “we are determined to preserve as much of the historical integrity of the building as we can,

so these preliminary works are very important in helping us to assess what can be saved and which features can be incorporated.”

“it is an interesting challenge for us to work on a building with such a fine historical pedigree, striving to create a commercial space that will meet the needs of a modern business without compromising its unique character.”

The Partners have recently gone out to tender for the completion of works and anticipate that works for main contract will commence in october with a move in date in the new year.

(Pictured are the four BBLB Partners outside the building - simon Jones, ed Baverstock, Terry Bolton and John Bradshaw.)

ResToRaTion Begins aT stourBridge

stAff PRoFiLes

jAne humByAssociAteRedditch office

fAvourite piece of ArchitectureBurj al arab hotel, Dubai...the one that looks like a billowing sail. i watched a programme on the construction of it not so long ago, which was fascinating, wouldn’t mind staying in it one day as well!!

why i joined the industrymy father was a Chartered surveyor and had his own business in Redditch, and when i was quite young, i used to ‘help’ him in school holidays, measuring up houses and drawing a few plans now and then, so that’s what i intended to do, to become a chartered surveyor and join my Dad’s practice, however, things took a slightly different

course (as they often do!), and although i did work for a chartered surveyor for a short while, i never did join the practice! i went on to work for a housing association for a couple of years before moving to westbury homes and then David wilson homes, before joining BLB in 2001.

hoBBies And interestsmy hobbies and interests are mainly sports, hockey, rugby, cricket, but i also enjoy walking, bird-watching and drinking beer (real ale of course! These days it’s ‘quality’ and not ‘quantity’!)

fAvourite piece of ArchitectureThe first buildings i studied were villa savoye by Le Corbusier 1928 and Farnsworth house by mies van Der Rohe 1946. These two examples of residential modern architecture are among my favourites due to the fact that it was these that started my career path into architecture. i studied these buildings in a school project to design my own house at the age of 12 (the result of which is notably not my favourite piece of architecture!).

why i joined the industryi joined the construction industry because i enjoyed and was quite good at drawing from

an early age, the idea of drawing and designing for a living appealed and becoming an architect sounded cool! i left school at 15 following my o’levels and went to work for a Birmingham architectural practice while training to become an architectural Technician. i then went on to study architecture at manchester school of architecture. The rest, as they say, is history!

hoBBies And interestsoutside work my interests include fast cars and bikes, my friends and 4 year old daughter aimée. hobbies are relaxing when i can, badminton, golf, poker and anything with an element of competition...

recent stAff Achievements

ryAn tAyLorFirst year of BTeC national Certificate in Construction

steve BLAkemorehnC in Building studies

reBeccA cLeetonChartered institute of Personnel & Development exams.

micheLLe kingnvQ3 in Business administration

ed BAverstockpArtnerRedditch office

BBLB news 7

stoke Local service Centre - which we are working on with Carillion for stoke on

Trent City Council - is over half way through the construction phase with the building taking shape. The Carbon Trust grant is in place and we have introduced a number of LZC (low or zero carbon) technologies within the project as part of the sustainable approach to this building with an aim to reach a BReeam excellence rating.

The design team have worked extremely hard to obtain the Carbon Trust grant with the LsC being one of only 23 out of 178 applicants considered suitable for the funding due to its design and considered sustainable approach.

after site specific detailed analysis the technologies now incorporated into the project are as follows:

g.s.h.p. (ground source heAt pump): The ground source heat pumps are a vertical closed loop system with 85kw heating output, located within the existing clock tower as it is at the heart of the scheme, which extract heat from the ground through a series of vertical boreholes within the new public square.

This heat pump system provides heating through an underfloor heating

system to all parts of the library, one-stop shop and training rooms, with a seasonal C.o.P. (coefficient of performance) of 4.2 which provides the LsC with an efficient heating system all year round.

p.v. pAneLs (photo voLtAics): Located on a south facing roof of the new training rooms we have sited two banks of P.v. panels approx 60m² in total which generate electrical power for the LsC. They will reduce the Co² emissions associated with grid supplied electricity through their 8.3kw output area and provide a visual demonstration of the building’s sustainable approach.

soLAr thermAL pAneLs: Located on the sedum roof area the 5m² flat plate collector and 470 litres storage cylinder have been incorporated to generate hot water for hand washing and kitchen use and it is envisaged it will generate enough hot water for in excess of 50% of the building’s needs.

The technologies discussed form the elements of the building covered under the Carbon Trust grant.

it is important to mention a number of other solutions we have incorporated to reduce the building’s Co² emissions and make it a sustainable building, including:

a rainwater harvesting tank located •within the building which will provide filtered water to flush toilets for around 50% of their yearly use.a sedum or ‘grass’ roof which reduces •carbon dioxide levels and improves air quality. materials considered for their •recyclable qualities.we are on programme to complete the

LsC by Christmas this year, and are pleased that through the hard work and dedication undertaken by the team, we will be able to provide the City of stoke with a building that reduces its carbon footprint by over a 50% improvement to the current building regulations.

LocAL services centre sToke

Printed on recycled paperwww.bblb-architects.co.ukBBLB architects llp

updAte

ALLison street, BiRminghamRecently completed conversion of a grade ii Listed former Umbrella Factory

The BBLB designed scheme comprises 50 contemporary

apartments ranging from studios to two bed units and is conveniently located in Birmingham City Centre.

The converted building contains 38 of the apartments and the two newbuild blocks the remaining 12. many units in the existing building have original features such as large cast iron windows, exposed brickwork and original beams.

most apartments on the upper floor have a mezzanine level and double height space over the living area. in the centre of the development there is a landscaped courtyard for use by the residents. secure car and motorcycle parking has been provided for selected units.

our client for this regeneration project was mansell Construction services Ltd.

8 BBLB news