RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR NEW RECRUIT

Space Group’s new senior urban designer Richard Charge.

LEEDS based architecture practice Space Group will further strengthen its position in the environment sector with the appointment of Richard Charge.

Mr Charge, has joined the firm’s integrated regeneration urban design and environment service as a senior urban designer.

The 29-year-old brings with him seven years’ expertise in developing masterplans and urban design frameworks for a range of national and international projects. His masterplanning experience across England and Northern Ireland includes contributing towards West Hull Masterplan as part of the emerging Area Action Plan.

Mr Charge previously worked as a senior urban designer for Tribal’s Urban Design and Masterplanning Team where he worked alongside ARUP on a Science City Masterplan, looking at ways to integrate science into the city of Magdeburg in Germany.

He was also a finalist at the 49th International Federation of Housing and Planning (IFHP) International Design Competition, where he received a commendation at the at the World Congress in Rome.

His expertise covers site specific design guidance, dealing with major planning applications and community consultation design workshops.

Mr Charge said: “Space Group’s ethos of people focused, sustainable design really appealed to me, and I’m looking forward to contributing to such a dynamic and creative team and at a time when the sustainability agenda and creating sustainable communities is of all time importance.

“I am looking forward to using my regional, national and international experience to build up this area of Space Group’s business.”

Space environment associate director Tony Wyatt said: “Welcoming Richard as our latest recruit confirms that Space Group is committed to creating and developing sustainable buildings and communities for people in Yorkshire and the Humber and his expertise will only enhance this.

“Richard really displays the attitudes and values that we look for in new recruits. We are delighted to be welcoming him to our ever growing team.”

As well as being a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), Mr Charge is also a qualified BREEAM Eco Homes Assessor and has a degree in town planning and a diploma and masters specialising in urban design.

STUDENTS HELP TO CREATE SPACE FOR NEW ECO SCHOOL

Image of the proposed Eco Centre.

STUDENTS in the North East have been working with an architectural firm on provisional plans for a new Eco centre at their school.

Students at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland have worked closely with Newcastle architectural practice Space Group and the initial design for the new zero carbon eco-centre has now been unveiled.

A planning application will be presented to Northumberland County Council in September, with work scheduled to start in January.

If planning approval is given Space Group will work with constructor GB Building Solutions as part of the Northumberland Council Framework.

A group of sixth form students who attended agricultural courses in old buildings, decided to undertake a feasibility study on creating new classrooms within a new Zero Carbon Eco centre.

With the help of the council, they lodged a £1m bid with the Government’s Department of Children, Schools and Families, which was successful.

It is planned that half of the money will fund the new Eco centre and the other half on improving the energy performance and carbon footprint of the existing school, which is a typical 1960’s flat roofed building.

The renewable energy measures will apply to the Eco centre and the existing school, and will encompass, Photovoltaic panels, solar water heating, a small scale wind turbine, a biomass boiler, that will serve the existing school, and an air sourced heat pump for the new Eco Centre.

The school has the largest catchment area of any school in England, with a total of around 700 pupils, 60 of whom are boarders. Plans for the eco centre, which would deliver agricultural, sustainability and environmental education, include a flexible science lab, greenhouses and land for horticultural needs.

Space Group project lead Keith Handy said: “For us, this has been a really great project to work on.

“We initially met with year 12 student focus groups and drew up plans that encompassed some of the original ideas which the students spent so much time researching. We used our own valuable experience to develop a design that was pleasing to all, and which delivered in terms of both functionality and sustainability.

“This is an exemplar project that has to deliver on number of sustainability issues, it is also intended that this project will help to influence future schools for both refurbishment projects and new school buildings.

“The use of renewable technologies incorporated into both the new and existing buildings will be monitored in great detail to appreciate the benefits in both energy usage and carbon reductions which can be achieved. The design also has to be sustainable in functional content, allowing it to meet a wide range of end user requirements and flexibility is a key feature of the design, allowing the spaces to be used for a wide range of activities from science labs to lecture space.

“It’s not often you get to work on a something that’s going to have such a real life impact and the students have put a lot of work into the research, their enthusiasm has been infectious.

“Our design philosophy for the Eco Centre incorporates the key elements of Passivhaus principles, this is a sustainable design philosophy, which focuses on both minimising heat loss through the building fabric and maximising heat gains by both the environment and internal usage. This reduces the reliance on over complicated, building services and exploits basic good practice design principles, for example, orientation, fenestration, building envelope and air tightness. This is fundamental to the wider design of quality management procedures, we as a practice are adopting.”

If planning approval is given, the centre will be built by the school’s existing greenhouses, so the ‘statement’ structure can be highly visible, without being a hindrance to any potential future redevelopment of the rest of the school.

It will be centred around two rooms – a science lab and a general classroom – and will also feature a ‘break-out’ centre space and external sections for outdoor learning.

Benches in the lab will be movable to create space for events if required, with the centre already being billed as an educational hub not only for Haydon Bridge, but for its partnership schools and the community.

It will also form a new centre for students undertaking the diploma in environmental and land-based studies.

Aluminium, wood panelling and glass will feature heavily in the design, with sophisticated double glazing meaning heat loss is minimised and overheating prevented.

A sedum roof over the larger classroom will reduce the surface water run-off into the existing sewers prevent the need for drainage systems, while water flowing from the other large roof will be utilised on the allotment gardens through a simple irrigation system. This is an essential requirement of all new developments.

Wind turbines and other renewable technologies will form the main power sources, in order to minimise the reliance upon energy sources from elsewhere.

SPACE’S GRAND DESIGN

York Hospital, deputy chief executive Mike Proctor’s new home completed by Space Group.

A HEALTH chief was so enthused by ward refurbishments at his hospital - he asked a Leeds architectural firm to complete a Grand Designs-style project to create a stunning new family home.

Following the success of work at York Hospitals, deputy chief executive Mike Proctor tasked Nigel Pilkington, associate director at Leeds-based Space Group, with designing a striking four bedroom home for himself, his wife and two children.

Mr Proctor originally considered extending a small 1950s bungalow on the site in Haxby, North Yorkshire, but soon realised that this would not maximise the site’s potential or provide the family’s dream home.

Amongst its many features, the interior design includes glazed partitions, timber framed picture windows and a dramatic skylight over the central staircase.

Space Group project architect Tania Kosma said: “We asked the family to compile a scrapbook of different buildings and interior images that reflected their aspirations for their new home. Following the initial consultations it became apparent that a ‘Grand Designs’ style project would satisfy their brief.

“It was clear that they wanted something very modern that would also be practical for a busy family life. The long, narrow 1,200 sq metre plot presented many design problems, but also many opportunities to adopt a creative design approach resulting in an elegant and minimal solution.”

York Hospitals’ deputy chief executive Mike Proctor said: “Space Group rescued us from the design wilderness; its ideas and vision fired our own imaginations and opened our eyes to possibilities we would never have been able to consider without them.

“We now have a wonderful home that works on every level. My experience in this project has reaffirmed my long held belief that to achieve success in anything in life you have to surround yourself with good people and trust their judgements. Our fabulous home is testament to the quality and skills of the architects.”

Space Group worked to take full advantage of the beautiful surrounding views, which start from the grand oak double door entrance, with glazed surround, allowing glimpses of the landscape beyond.

The interior opens up to the main living and dining area, which utilises a five metre wide sliding-folding glazed-screen to ‘bring the outside in’ and maximise the views to the garden.

“It was a great opportunity for us and fulfilling to know that following the successful healthcare projects that Mike would also commission us to build his family home,” Tania added.

As these Grand Design-style projects don’t come around as often as the architects would like, it’s now business as usual for Space Group, successfully winning ProCure21 contracts with North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.