Architecture

Haverfield Gardens, Kew – Permission Granted!

Almost a year to the day of our last post on the project!!

We are really delighted with the result of the Planning Committee at London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on Wednesday night. After 2 and a half years and a great deal of effort spent by the whole team, our scheme for 5 new homes received a resolution to grant consent which was passed unanimously by the members.

The scheme on Haverfield Gardens, is a sensitive infill project carefully integrated and positioned on the site to avoid over-looking and any loss of privacy to the many adjacent properties. The mews style properties are compliant with the London Design Code and have been designed in accordance with all relevant Local Authority Policy requirements. The scheme brings new life to an otherwise low grade, underused site. A design cue has been taken from the scale of the adjacent terraced housing and studies have been carried out on the proportion of solid to void of the adjacent elevations

Providing 5 spacious family homes with generous external spaces including a first floor terrace and a split level rear garden, the accommodation is arranged over 3 floors including a basement with an integrated garage for 2 cars. Materials reflect the many and varied surroundings with a London Stock brick under a green sedum-roof. The bio-diversity net gain for the site has been improved by 127% according to the assessment completed as part of the application.

Our client, Rockhold have shown great persistence and resilience through-out the application period and we look forward to the next stages. Onwards!!

Martello Tower_A New Beginning

At Forge Design Studio we are very familiar with working with Listed Buildings and the planning constraints that are attached to them, however, Martello Tower F is a Scheduled Ancient Monument which carries with it a new level of Heritage involvement.

Martello Towers are small coastal artillery forts constructed after the renewal of war with France in 1803 to defend England against the threat of invasion. Their design and name were taken from a tower at Martello Bay, Corsica. 103 towers were constructed along the coast in two phases, those in Essex and Suffolk being built between 1809 and 1812.

Martello Tower F is the only remaining moated example on the Essex coast. The tower is an important local landmark which has been through a variety of uses over its lifetime.

Creating a viable long-term, sustainable use is a constant issue, appointed by our clients in the summer of 2020, the brief was to bring forward a series of design ideas to bring the redundant monument back to life and provide a sustainable multi-functional events space, specifically aimed at Weddings and Hospitality functions.

We propose a ring of lightweight masted structures located in the moat which will take a flexible tensile tented roof which can be tailored to suit the size of the event being catered for. Historic England stipulated that no fixings should be made into the fabric of either the tower or the moat walls – we worked closely with the engineers to arrive at a suitable solution.

A lightweight ‘saucer like’ structure is added to the roof to create an exclusive, unique vantage point which can be used to host a variety of gatherings – from weddings to corporate events. Services and functions will take place within the restored first floor space.

Our design team have put together a comprehensive a Pre-Application design submission which sets out the proposal for a complete self-contained venue which can accommodate all aspects of a wedding celebration. The key factor in this design is flexibility, the venue needs to accommodate small parties as well as larger events.

We look forward to continuing work on this truly unique project and are very excited to fill this important old building with life and celebration!

Sunshine Garden Centre_Visioning Document

Forge Design Studio have developed a vision for the future development of the Sunshine Garden Centre which is situated nr Alexandra Palace, North London.

Located on the site of a former open-air lido the Garden Centre is a very successful business which has long out-grown its premises. Significant aspects of the retail operation have moved on line yet the stock remains on site and takes up a great deal of valuable space.

The nature of the business means that there is also substantial footfall who still visit the site. Balancing these sometimes conflicting demands as well as dealing with deliveries presents great challenges to the management team. In addition the building fabric is in poor condition and is also in urgent need of renewal.

The site is well located on a main route and sits alongside a popular local park. Opportunity exists to engage with the local community and to make a much more positive contribution to the neighbourhood. The site is famous locally for its Christmas displays and is fantastically busy.

A comprehensive masterplan was required to fully explore the relationships and inter-connectivity with the existing facilities, the neighbouring park, car parking/deliveries and access and the proposed new residential uses which will help the viability of the whole development.

The Practice were responsible for developing the initial designs through 3d massing models and visualisations. Inter-connections for pedestrians/community uses and customers were considered in detail and the whole site was opened up and made more accessible.

Valuable shopfront and much more kerbside appeal was created to the main road which will appeal to the many notable brands for which the Garden Centre holds the franchise.

These exciting proposals represents the continued investment and commitment by the Management team to the long term future of the operation. We are looking forward to maintaining our involvement as the project moves forward.

Odyssey Health Club – Permission Granted!

Forge Design Studio are proud to have been involved with the redevelopment of the site at Odyssey Heath Club in Stevenage since 2015.

Initially we worked on the overall masterplan and redevelopment of the redundant part of the site for residential use. This was initially granted consent in May 2017. Since then the residential scheme has been subject to further change and design development and is now due to start on site imminently.

In the intervening period we have been commissioned to design and develop proposals for the internal re-modelling of key areas of the club including the changing areas, former squash courts, yoga studio and spa area.

Most recently Stephen Aucott, the Managing Director asked us to develop proposal for the external areas to include –

New Entrance and improved circulation
New tennis courts and floodlighting
Sun terraces
Open air outside pool
External exercise areas

A comprehensive masterplan was required to fully explore the relationships and inter-connectivity with the existing facilities, car parking and new residential uses. A planning application was prepared and submitted to North Herts in Dec 2021 and after a period of negotiation and discussion, consent was granted at the end of April

These exciting proposals represents the continued investment and commitment by the Management team to the long term future of the club. We are looking forward to maintaining our involvement as the project moves forward to construction.

Residential Project, Richmond upon Thames – Visual Communication

Forge Design Studio have worked with our client Rockhold alongside Iceni Planning Consultants, over the last 18 months on the detailed planning application for a 5-unit, high-value residential scheme within the Kew Green Conservation Area, Richmond.

The scheme is situated on a redundant site, currently occupied by lock-up garages at the end of a residential cul-de-sac. It is a tight, narrow, urban site which has presented numerous constraints and challenges through-out the process. Extensive consultation has taken place in the neighbourhood and a series of one-to-one meetings with adjacent owners was particularly informative.

A flavour of the project is included which shows our visualisations taken from the same point over the life of the scheme.

The five properties have been designed in response to the existing grain, scale and mass of the adjacent Edwardian terraces. Sited to reflect the adjacent housing they have a generous amount of south-facing private garden space.

Detailed elevational studies have been undertaken looking at proportion and arrangement of the main elements. A more contemporary approach is suggested which reflect the principles of the surrounding buildings without reverting to pastiche. This has been generally supported by the Planning Authority and has been welcomed by the client.

As ever, the means of communicating the design intention has been critical. We have drawn on our full range of graphic skills from initial hand drawn and coloured sketches, rudimentary sketch CAD modelling, through to completed CGI visuals developed in-conjunction with our good friends @MakeStudio in Bournemouth.

We have also modelled the scheme in the wider urban context to demonstrate how well it sits in the context.

Watch this space for the final conclusion to the Planning Application.

Rose & Crown, Aston – Permission Granted!!

It’s a Marathon not a Sprint!!

Forge Design Studio are delighted to confirm that May 2021 sees the conclusion of one of our longest running planning sagas.

Located in the rural village of Aston to the east of Stevenage, The Rose and Crown, and associated Barn, is a Listed Building which had been left vacant for over 12 months until our clients, purchased the site in 2016. Prior to this the pub had a chequered history having struggled in a really difficult trading environment with 11 different landlords in the previous 10 years.

We were appointed towards the end of 2016 to develop a design and planning strategy to utilise the site for housing whilst maintaining a fully functioning micro-pub. After a lengthy gestation period we submitted an application in July 2017 and proceeded to engage with the Local Authority Planning Officers culminating in an Officer Recommendation for Approval.

The project was taken to Planning Committee at East Herts District Council in March 2018 and was refused based on the strength of objections from local lobbyists.

It should be noted that the scheme is entirely Policy compliant and there is no argument about the principle of the re-use of the site. The chief protagonists set out an alternative vision which appeared to ignore the trading history and viability of the business bearing in mind there is another pub in the village.

There then followed a series of applications, refusals, withdrawals and appeals culminating in the final, mid-pandemic, application in July 2020. It was decided to omit the pub from the application on the basis that the market would find its true value and that the Local Community would sustain its re-birth!

So, after 5 years of effort we have permission for a modest new build scheme consisting of 4 residential units on a highly sustainable location on a vacant site in the centre of a village and a still vacant pub.

Given the uncertainties we all face in the aftermath of the Pandemic, if this timescale through the Planning process is the best that can be done, it’s going to be a long road to recovery.

Student Mentoring – UWE and AUB

As part of the innovative RIBA Student Mentoring scheme organised by the team at RIBA South West Forge Design Studio have been hosting students from Year 3 of the Architecture Course at University of the West of England.

We will be holding 3 sessions, with the first two being held in the studio. David, Petra and Olympia have had the chance to meet the team and to gain a greater understanding of the office procedures and working practices.

Loretta has been showing them a number of projects and they’ve had the chance to exercise their knowledge in a number of real life scenarios which we have set ….. The Honeywood Files are not dead!!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywood-File-Adventure-Building-ebook/dp/B00MSYQ11S

Also joining us has been Simone Ulyate a second year student from Arts University Bournemouth studying Interior Architecture and Design. Simone will be with us for 10 weeks and has already settled in well. She has worked on the North Brook End House application and has been actively involved in co-ordinating the application.

The photographs show part of the initiation ceremony which all visitors to the office have to endure ……. the traditional communal lunch!!

The Annual Forge Design CPD Day Out 2018!

This year’s annual blockbuster CPD Trip took place on Thursday 22nd November.

London was the destination: first class seats on the 9.38 to Waterloo was a good start!!

Mike pulled a few strings, making use of a great family connection, and we checked into the new Bloomberg HQ building in London at 11.15. Special thanks to David Hellier for hosting and giving up time in his busy day to show us round. As you’ll no doubt be aware Foster + Partners won the people’s vote and were then announced as the winner of the Stirling Prize in Oct 2018. It was therefore doubly exciting to have access to the building which was truly impressive.

A lot has been written about the building which displays a ‘state of the art’ approach to communications – from the casual inter-action of colleagues bumping into each other over a cup of coffee to a global digital age with 24 hours news coverage being broadcast from the tv studio within the building. We can only add that it is one heck of a contrast from The Forge and lunch in the garden!!

Bloomerg – 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize Winner

We visited the Mithraeum SPACE in the basement which displays some of the 600 roman artefacts found during the construction of the building. It’s worth half an hour of your time to visit and can be found adjacent to the new Bloomberg tube station exit.

This was followed by a short walk between venues, which is a bit like a spot the building competition – it’s easy to forget just how rich in architectural heritage – past and present – the square mile is.

Lunch was in Searcys at the Gherkin – giving rise to comments about our heads being in the clouds!! Restricted visibility meant that we didn’t get the full panoramic effect but it did add a certain mystical quality.

Our tribute to Sir Norm continued with a trip to the British Museum – easy to lose yourselves amongst the exhibits for a few hours. The Great Court looked brilliant at dusk. As a great public space which was still full of visitors at 5.00pm it provided an interesting contrast to the rarified atmosphere of the Bloomberg.

I want to go home!!

The average number of tablets consumed by an average British person in their lifetime…14,000!!

The “Stolen Friend”

Handily, the Museum is just round the corner from the Holborn Dining Rooms. A choice from 300 gins provided the traditional close to a Forge Design Studio day out!

A Waterloo M&S buffet on the first class travel home finished off the day nicely!

Special thanks to our Director, Mike, for organising yet another a brilliant day out featuring an exclusive building tour, first class travel, great food and lots of laughs. We will have to try very hard to top this next year!

The Rose & Crown, Aston

The formal application for the re-development of the Rose and Crown Public House has been made to the Local Authority. Full Planning and Listed Building Consent is sought for the re-modelling and re-use of the existing buildings – the barn and the pub, as well as the new residential development in the former garden.

The pub has been derelict and boarded-up since 2014 and our client has sought innovative and creative ways of bringing it back to life in a sustainable and viable way. There is a strong local pub market and so we have proposed a unique micro-brewery and pub focussing on craft ales and spirits as a unique ‘offer’.

Retained trees within the garden have helped to create a strong sense of place with a focus on a shared garden at the heart of the residential layout. The design of the houses has responded to the context and setting, reflecting the local architecture.

We have worked with JPS Landscape Architects on the design of the external spaces and with Keith Hornblower to develop these traditional visuals which we think capture the essence of the design well.

A consultation with the Parish Council was undertaken at the Annual General Meeting on the 27th April 2017. Our final designs and visuals were presented at this meeting, see presentation boards above.

Competition Entry

Amongst a busy schedule we managed to fit in time to submit an entry to the RIBA Competition for a Co-living Project in Forest Gate, London.

The intention was to have some fun with the project, so when faced with the brief, which asked us to select one object which represented the concept of Co-living, in true Forge Design Studio we thought of our stomachs!!

Competition 1

A well known brand of sweets seemed to perfectly encapsulate the idea of community, individuality and connectivity. Unfortunately, the judges were obviously not ready for this and we didn’t get short-listed. Too bad. However, it was a really enjoyable exercise and gave us the excuse to buy several bags of Revels to have with our coffee in the studio.

Competition 2

Attached are 2 of the 4 sheets that we submitted. We thought you might like to see them!