Really good to visit a recently completed project in the crisp winter sun – it is looking fantastic with the landscaping nearing completion. This project has a lovely design twist, being of traditional character to the street due to its sensitive setting in the conservation area, whilst having a more contemporary rear using a large ribbon of minimal framed glazing and sharp oak cladding. Super cool yet sympathetic at the same time.
Month: February 2022
Redesign for Major Scheme
Redesign for Major Scheme: Thinking Buildings have been appointed to revisit the feasibility design of a major development in Oxfordshire. With a dramatic shift in current demand over the last couple of years as a result of the pandemic, our client is looking for Thinking Buildings to redevelop the site to meet market trends. We are looking at multiple options, which include food retail, drive-thru restaurants, and electric forecourts.
This larger scale master planning scheme demonstrates Thinking Buildings’ ability to progress complex site redevelopment projects, and how we use in house 3D visualisations and BIM software to add value to the development process.
New House for a Brownfield Site
This proposal for a new 4-bed house in south Oxfordshire is currently making it’s way through the planning system.
Thinking Buildings originally did a scheme for the same site way back in 2013, as a one-for-one replacement of the existing cottage on the plot. Unfortunately, shortly after that successful application the existing building burnt down. The shell then sat vacant on the site for a number of years until it was sold to a local developer last year. Thinking Buildings were ask to revisit the project by the developer, taking on the pre-app design they had already commissioned, and bringing together a robust planning submission.
The design is a set of interlocking forms, with a minimal material palette to maintain the simplicity of the building. The building follows a fabric first approach, with high levels of insulation and on site renewables, to provide a low energy, modern family home.
Site Challenges – Archaeology
Our projects often require us to have knowledge beyond our areas of specialism. We may think of ourselves as a “Jack of all trades, a master of none” but as the saying continues ” . . . is often better than a master of one.” Indeed we are very skilled in architecture, but we also need to know a lot about other specialisms, such as ecology, structure, drainage, arboriculture, and archaeology to name just a few.
When it comes to Archaeology, it’s now common for the Local Planning Authority to ask for evidence to prove or disprove what may be in the ground as part of a planning application. Some sites are particularly sensitive, such as a school in Gloucester we dealt with recently where the site was within the grounds of an abbey and so designated a Scheduled Monument. This led to extensive investigations through a Desktop Study (review of historical information) and then a Watching Brief whereby an Archaeologist would monitor the groundworks as services were laid and foundations constructed. But Archaeology can be a factor on sites where there has been any historic use.
Our projects at John Port Spencer Academy in Derby sit on the site of the old Etwall Hall. The hall was once the ancestral home of the Port family who bought land in the village, south-west of Derby, in 1495. The mansion was demolished in 1955 and replaced with Etwall County Secondary Modern School and John Port Grammar, utilising 12-acres of parkland for playing fields and built around the two remaining ornamental lakes. The schools amalgamated in 1959 to create the John Port School which remains on the site today. (Image: Derbyshire Live.)
As part of the ongoing developments, we have appointed an archaeology consultant and have been involved in detailed discussions relating to the past use and the plans for new buildings.
There’s a lot more to architecture than drawings!
