_SPACE GROUP IS ONLY ARCHITECTS IN TOP 25 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

The _space team "wear it pink" on Breast Cancer Awareness day last year

National architectural firm, _space group, has become the only architectural firm in the UK to rank in the top 25 of the ‘Sunday Times Best Small Companies To Work For’ list.

The company, which employs 130 people across offices in Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds, placed 24^th, a 23 place jump from 2010.

_space group is also the only architectural firm to be awarded three star accreditation status by the Sunday Times ‘Best Companies’ projects team, and one of only 84 organisations in the UK to receive this accolade.

_space group chief executive, Rob Charlton, said: “It is absolutely incredible to think that we are highest ranking architectural firm in the UK in the ‘Sunday Times Best Small Companies To Work For’ list.

“We aren’t the sort of organisation that looks to be validated by how many awards are on our mantelpiece, but we do judge ourselves on the happiness of our people, as we know this has a marked effect on how well we perform as a business, and the high level of service we’re able to provide our clients.

“That our team thinks _space group is worthy of being a ‘Best Company’, and that this opinion is shared externally, is incredibly heartwarming. I am very proud of each and every person who works for _space group and hope that we are able to continue performing to this high a standard.”

Best Companies accreditation is based on eight different categories – my manager, leadership, my company, personal growth, my team, giving something back, fair deal, wellbeing.

_space group achieved its highest ranking in the ‘giving something back’ category, with the most common response being “my organisation makes a positive difference to the world we live in.”

The company, which has the vision of making life better for the communities in which it works, contributes time, resources and money to charity organisations in the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside and the North West, and has fostered a special relationship with organisations such as Children:North East, and Young Enterprise, working with the latter to coach teenagers on business and enterprise skills.

Janet Woodhouse, development officer, Young Enterprise North East, said: “We’ve been working with _space group since 2008 and they have consistently helped to make a positive difference to our students and their projects, encouraging them to think differently and creatively. Their high ranking comes as no surprise and we are very pleased for them.”

_space to re-join the fold

Welcome Home: Darren Purvis re-joins _space group as an interior designer

Northern architecture firm _space group, has strengthened its interior design team, _space interiors, with the appointment of a former employee, Darren Purvis.

He will jointly oversee the _space interiors team alongside Sophia Barton, based in the company’s Manchester office. With 12 years’ experience, across the hospitality, commercial, education and healthcare sectors, Darren will lead key projects in these sectors.

Darren said: “When I heard _space group was looking for another interior designer to boost the team, I got in touch straight away. They were keen to have me back and the rest is history.

“The company may have grown since I’ve been away, opening new offices and working further afield, but it is still the same friendly and open organisation I used to know and I can’t wait to get immersed in that again.”

Darren, 35, worked for the company under its former name, Waring and Netts, before joining specialist interiors firm, Ward Robinson.

Andy Roberts, _space group’s Managing Director of Architecture, said of the appointment: “Thanks to a number of project wins with a significant interior design element, we needed to increase our interiors team and we were very lucky that Darren was keen to work for us again.

“He is a great addition to the team, and we’re extremely happy to have him back. He’s a capable, confident individual who delivers exemplary projects of the highest standard. I am sure that he will settle back in very quickly.”

As well as a successful interior designer, having worked on projects nationwide, Darren is a keen distance runner, running for his local team, Birtley Athletics Club, as well as participating in distance races such as the London Marathon and the Great North Run, having completed the latter in under 71 minutes in 2010.

Darren continued: “What I’m passionate about is the challenge that interior design brings. I have been lucky enough to work on projects as diverse as the Corn Exchange in Leeds, and _space group’s Newcastle office, with the former being a listed building and the latter my future workplace. It is this diversity that interests me and keeps work fresh and exciting.”

Darren will also be involved in helping _space interiors to pursue new business opportunities and grow its offer in different sectors.

Creating space to halt in Haltwhistle

Our environmental arm, _space environment, has been called in to help put the official geographical centre of Britain - Haltwhistle - firmly on the map as a destination site and gateway to attractions such as Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland National Park.

Experts at the firm have worked with Haltwhistle Town Council and the Haltwhistle Community Partnership to produce a brief to encourage innovative developers to put forward proposals for a 7.5 hectare site south east of the town, close to the A69. The site is owned by Northumberland County Council, which has commissioned _space environment to act as its adviser.

The Council’s vision is to create what will be known as the Haltwhistle Gateway, to encourage people who would otherwise bypass the town to stop and explore what is on offer, both in the town centre, and the surrounding area.

Phase one is likely to see construction of a visitor information point, hotel, restaurant and petrol station, which will be surrounded by footpaths, cycle track and public open spaces.

The Council is inviting developers to submit expressions of interest before the end of January, after which the shortlisted developers will be given the _space group brief to help them create detailed proposals.

The _space group team will then assess the proposals and advise the Council on which submissions they feel best show exemplary design and build quality.

This is the latest in a series of Tyne Valley community projects carried out by _space environment, which provides urban design, master planning, historical and natural environment and landscape services. Earlier this year the team completed a £2.2m extension to Haltwhistle Library, giving local residents more library space plus community activity spaces and offices.

Tony Wyatt, associate director of _space environment, said: “This is a very exciting development opportunity that could really boost the fortunes of Haltwhistle and the surrounding area.

“It’s a beautiful example of a Northumberland market town and the perfect spot for people to use as a base for exploring the area. With the World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Wall right on the doorstep, and thousands of hectares of stunning scenery in the Northumberland National Park, there are a host of things to see and do.

“Around 10,000 vehicles pass Haltwhistle every day and therein lies the problem – they currently pass by.

“What the town needs now is a developer with the imagination and skill to create the right mixed use development that will establish Haltwhistle as a special destination. This will help to encourage people to eat, shop and visit its local attractions, all of which will bring in much needed tourism revenue and create employment for local people.”

Hooray for new starters!

Our new team members: (back to front row, l-r) Lisa Rogan, Judith Forster, talent manager Diane Charlton, Imran Zulfqar, Ed Cutler, David Owen and Andrew Wilson

_space group has doubled its graduate recruitment intake this year as it looks to supply the country with the next generation of architects.

The budding architects, who fought off stiff national competition for their placements, will work with us, across our offices in the North East, North West and Yorkshire.

Ed Cutler from Great Ayton, near Middlesbrough, has joined _space group after recently qualifying from the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA). He will now fulfil his part one qualification at _space group’s North West office.

He said: “I graduated from the MSA with a BA in July 2009, but was unable to find work, prompting a decision to take a Masters degree a couple of years earlier than planned. I am delighted to have been accepted onto _space group’s graduate recruitment programme, giving me the opportunity to further both my personal and professional development.

“Being part of a team working on exciting educational projects will really help me develop a range of skills that will hold me in good stead for the rest of my career. Not only am I looking forward to developing my experience in a working environment, but _space group has a great reputation for training its team members.”

The training will see the graduates work on live projects with senior architects, gaining a practical insight into architecture, alongside tailored seminars with _space group directors that expose the new starters to a wide variety of theoretical topics such as practice management and legislation.

The news comes as graduates are facing intense competition for jobs as the class of 2009 was rocked by the recession. According to gradplus.com, recruitment growth in the UK continued to slow in September this year.*

_space group talent manager Diane Charlton said: “Every year we look forward to welcoming the latest fresh young talent the UK has to offer and we have some excellent recruits this year.

“Training is something at the core of _space group’s principles – we are a company who want to provide as much opportunity to young talented individuals as possible, and our training programme is a great platform for them to shine. Our graduate programme also creates fantastic career opportunities. Some of our past training programme recruits have come back to work with us as qualified architects, and have become respected in the industry.”

A previous recruit onto _space group’s training programme was Carinna Gebhard. Carinna has now worked at the design, build and operate firm for a number of years, seeing her career expand into the education sector with a portfolio of high profile projects to her name.

The new recruits will complete the same in-house training as _space group chief executive Rob Charlton undertook 19 years ago when the organisation was known as Waring and Netts.

It almost goes without saying (but we're going to say it anyway) that we're thrilled to have been able to do this, and offer opportunities to the next decade's brilliant architectural minds! Watch this _space to see how they get on...

How do we know what 'the next big thing' is?

There’s an article on the BBC website about the end of Google Wave, which was, launched to great fanfare, just one year ago.

Wave was a system that combined e-mail, instant messaging, and features that allowed users to collaborate on documents in real time. On paper, this sounds like a great way of encouraging and promoting collaborative working, with users being able to see comments from other users as they typed, and ideas being created, developed and completed by groups of people living far away from each other, truly reinforcing the idea of the “global village”.

How then, could it be, that Google had to wave goodbye (excuse the awful pun) to their dream?

I wonder whether maybe they wanted to do too much, too quickly? Collaborative working is wonderful, and it’s something that companies like ours do on a daily basis, with teams working across Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, to ensure we get the best out of our resources for our clients. But it doesn’t mean we collaborate on work in real time – too many cooks and all that. I’m also of the opinion that video messaging is something that’s yet to catch on, at least in the UK, although perhaps that’ll all be changed by iPhone 4 and the fairly obvious next release of the iPad, which is sure to contain a webcam.

But here’s the thing. Google was convinced that this would be ‘the next big thing’, and that people would be lining up to use it. More than most, they know their market and their consumer. So, if Google don’t know, then who does? Or do Google know too soon? Jim Cameron spent 10 years plus brow beating everyone in Hollywood about 3D film to relatively small take up (although some bloke called Spielberg and his mate Lucas seem to be fans now, and I seem to remember they hold some sway in tinsel town…) until he released Avatar last year, and now the world seems to be all over 3D like a rash, with cinemas retrofitting their screens like it’s going out of fashion and 3D sport finding its way into local pubs. Could it be that we’ll see the same thing here? In 10 years time, will Google look back and say that Wave simply a pre-cursor to what we’ll have then? Or, will we see it going the same way as Betamax and Cuil and other ‘groundbreaking’ products too numerous to mention – hailed as the next big thing at the time, but yet pretty much sinking without a trace.

Most technology trailblazers – Apple, Pixar, Cameron and all – broadly believe that going for it, even if it means you might fail, is the best solution when it comes to new technology, and Google is no exception to that. Taking a chance on trailblazing technology is a philosophy we also subscribe to – try something new, think differently, and it might just get you results (we have high hopes that _spacehus will do just that).

Now you’ve got to wonder – how well do those companies we place so much stock in know that what they’re doing is actually going to be a commercial success, or are their products just an exercise in cosmic dice rolling? People are fickle folk – sometimes we want bacon, sometimes we want cheese, sometimes we want Steve Jobs, sometimes we want Bill Gates. Maybe the best indicator of the next big thing is as easy as what mood the general public are in.

Image from www.freegamesonnet.com

On site at Constructionarium 2010

_space group Associate Technical Advisor, David Savage, at Constructionarium 2010

_space group feels strongly about aiding the development of students preparing to join the industries in which we work, and investing in future skills. One of the ways we help is via Constructionarium - a five day working field course based at former air base RAF Bircham Newton, King's Lynn, designed to provide a practical experience of construction for students.

Several universities send groups of students to Constructionarium to understand what it's like to work on site and help them to prepare for the construction industry. _space group has been acting as technical advisors for students from Northumbria University taking part in the project this year. David Savage, our Associate Technical Director, spent last week at the Constructionarium site with the Northumbria University students, advising them on their four projects - 1:10 scale versions of the Swiss re building (better known as "The Gherkin"), the canopy roof and access shaft for Naples Airport Underground Station, the Barcelona tower, and a scaled down version of the Millennium Galleries project in Sheffield. Below is a short diary he kept on the construction of each project.

Project 1 - The Swiss re building/"The Gherkin"

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The students dug an excavation hole to the underside of the foundation level. They installed formwork for the core base and started to assemble the diagrids that give the building its distinctive shape. These will be added into place later on in the week, in large sections, rather than individually.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Flexible plastic formers have been used to form a run for the concrete base and despite a substantial amount of timber propping, these formers have been found to not be strong enough and has led to the first concrete pour for the base of the structure becoming deformed. The students have also had to contend with a lack of concrete, and schedule an urgent delivery for the morning.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

The second concrete pour has been completed, and due to the deformation caused by the plastic formers, the dimensions have been checked and re-checked to ensure that the foundation could support the diagrid baseplates. The results were positive and the students have been able to mark out the baseplate positions for the diagrid structures to be fitted to the foundations.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Despite experiencing more problems with broken drill bits, the students have been able to hoist the upper floor diagrids into place and bolt them to the base frame. They used a scaffold and crane to achive this and worked until 6.30, past the end of their working day, to ensure they were on schedule to complete the next day.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

The project was completed at approx. 3.30 pm. Despite some problems, the students have worked hard to pick themselves up and get on with the job.

All the students celebrate successful completion of "The Gherkin"

Project 2 - Millennium Galleries

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The students have prepared excavations for foundations and formwork of the structure.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Concrete for the structure has been cast and the students have completed construction of the shutters. They've also tied lifting hoops to the reinforcing cages so that they can avoid the risk of the hoops pulling out - a problem last year's students experienced.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

The students have prepared the shuttering for the roof section, in preparation for casting the roof in one piece.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Pre-cast walls end walls have been lifted into place. The students have had to break out part of the foundation to accommodate one of the walls as a result of the foundation former moving slightly on day two.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

Project completed mid-afternoon.

Project 3 - Naples Airport Underground Roof

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The first set of precast rings are in place and the excavations for the ring beam completed. The structure's timber ribs have all had baseplates fitted.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Precast rings have been placed and sunk. The students have also placed reinforcement and column formers into the structure.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

Students have sunk the precast rings to the correct depth, set the scaffold rails and poured concrete to the columns.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

Baseplate holes have been set out and drilling for fixings carried out. However, some of the columns are out of position and this may be due to the movement of the concrete during its placement yesterday, as the formers were not held at the base.

Day five, Friday 30 April:

The students completed the project by mid-afternoon.

The completed structure

Project 4 - Barcelona Tower

Day one, Monday 26 April:

The project has proceeded well, despite some survey equipment not being available on the first day. The students haven't let these problems delay them and have instead used trigonometry and tape measurements to set out their project.

Day two, Tuesday 27 April:

Central column based and reinforcements were put in place. The students also continued with the pre-fabrication of the external metal structure (started yesterday), which was a complex and very time consuming process.

Day three, Wednesday 28 April:

A scaffold and shuttering were both erected and two seperate pours of concrete were completed. The students also cast the perimeter foundations for the cable ties and provided temporary props for the central column.

Day four, Thursday 29 April:

The scaffold was lifted and the final pour of concrete for the central column cast. The students were also able to add external features - a _space sign and seating, painted "_space pink".

Day five, Friday 30 April:

Shuttering was struck, the scaffold adjusted, main structure lifted into place,tie cables installed and tensioned. By mid afternoon the shuttering was removed and the project completed.

To see more images from the week, check out our flickr uploads - http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Constructionarium. We've also got video footage of the site, which we're currently in the process of editing. We'll be putting this footage up on our youtube channel shortly, so watch this _space for more on Constructionarium.

SPACE GROUP DEEMED OUTSTANDING AT STAFF ENGAGEMENT

_space group celebrate their success.

National architectural firm _space group has shown that it is ‘outstanding’ at motivating its people after being accredited as one of the top companies in the UK by the company behind the Sunday Times Best projects.

The company, which employs 140 people across its network of offices in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, has become one of just 140 companies in the whole of the UK to be recognised in the 2010 Best Companies Accreditation survey.

_space, which operates across six sectors providing a full range of property related services, has been awarded two stars for displaying ‘outstanding’ levels of staff engagement. _space group is hopeful that based on its Best Companies ranking in 2010, that it may also be awarded a place in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list this year, with the results announced towards the end of February.

Best Companies Founder and CEO Jonathan Austin said: “We would like to congratulate _space group on their outstanding achievement. An engaged workforce is essential as organisations move out of the recession and into a more stable economic situation. “No doubt many organisations have tackled redundancies and rapid change this year but organisations like _space group that have kept on engaging their staff and making sure they are involved in the business will be in a good position for the future and should be congratulated for their efforts.”

A record 1,086 organisations from the private and public sectors applied for Best Companies Accreditation this year, showing how high a priority staff engagement is. As the name behind The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For lists, Best Companies conducts the largest employee engagement survey in the world having received nearly one million survey responses from more 3,000 different organisations.

_space group chief executive said: “With so many other things going on in the economy it would be easy to take our eye off investing in our talent. However, we are working as hard as ever at sustaining our company culture where our people feel valued. This goes from really simple things like referring to everyone as _space people, rather than staff, all the way through to encouraging people to take part in initiatives such as lunchtime yoga sessions and playing on the company’s pool tables.

“Talent engagement is not a project, it is something we work on all year, every year and we are delighted to have had that recognised by Best Companies.”

Best Companies established the accreditation award scheme to acknowledge excellence in the workplace. Based on staff feedback, it looks at employee engagement as an integral part of a company’s success and growth, and sets a benchmark for other employers. The accreditation scheme follows a Michelin star style system with companies awarded one star for first class, two stars for outstanding and three stars for extraordinary performance.

"MY SCHOOL IS LIKE A FUNFAIR"

STUDENTS and teachers from two Middlesbrough schools have teamed up with an architectural practice to create a ‘wish list’ of design ideas for their new secondary school.

Newcastle-based Space Group is in the running to become the appointed architect to design a new building for the soon to be amalgamated Hall Garth and King’s Manor school under the Council’s Building Schools for the Future project.

Hall Garth and King’s Manor schools will be amalgamated from September 2010. Earlier this year, Middlesbrough Council ran a school competition seeking proposals to run the new school. Endeavour Educational Trust was selected and a new principal, Michael Hutton, was appointed in October 2009.

The new school has a working name of Acklam Base – a new name will be chosen in 2010.

To start the design stage of the project, Space Group held a ‘design festival’ for 16 students and a selection of staff from both schools to get their thoughts on how they would like their new school to look and function.

The design festival was broken up into an afternoon session for the students and an evening sitting for the teaching staff and members of the community.

Both workshops included activities such as a ‘Wish Wall’ where the students answered the question ‘I wish my school was…’ and posted their answers onto the wall.

There was also a ‘Smiley Wall’ where they voted for their favourite examples of different school designs using smiley face stickers.

The session also included a ‘Metaphor Tree’ where the students thought of what sort of things their new school could be compared with. Some of the answers generated interesting results not immediately obvious for a school environment but no less stimulating for the architect. Examples included, ‘like a funfair’ and ‘like a funky rainbow’.

The information gained at the design festival will now be collated into a report and presented to Middlesbrough Council’s BSF Team.

Andrew Grounsell, lead architect on the project and associate director at Space Group, said: “The design festival was held as an engagement session to gain opinions and ideas on the new school design from all stakeholders. We always aim to get this community engagement from the start of any new project.

“This is obviously the very early stages of the development, but we would certainly take all design concepts into consideration and strike a happy medium between the opinions of the children and those of the teachers – which, by comparison, were very different. We will be looking to capture the idea of a funky rainbow in our design proposals.

“We were very open minded before we went into the design festival and had no pre conceptions about what everyone would have to say about the new layout and the overall look and feel. The students seized the opportunity to put their ideas forward and one of the strong themes that came across was the sense of togetherness and community spirit that they both wanted to gain from the new school.

“From Space Group’s perspective, as a firm that prides itself on creating sustainable communities that makes people’s lives better, this was a hugely rewarding day.”

The plans for the school will be developed early in 2010 and announced by the spring of 2010. The new school is due to be complete by summer of 2012.

Information on the BSF project is available on the council website, www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/bsf.

Space T-Shirts Go... to the British Virgin Islands

Kevin Drysdale from BCQS in the British Virgin Islands became the next person to wear the Space Group Tee, while standing in front of the BVI’s new Courts of Justice.

Kevin said "It’s one of the first buildings in the islands to do VRV systems, an excellent example of what an integrated design team working together can do.

"As you walk down the main street in Road Town, it certainly jumps out at you as one of the largest, handsomest buildings on the island, and I'm proud to have worked on it."

Christmas in Space...

The beginnings of our fantastic Christmas tree, at Space Works in Newcastle...

More pictures to follow!

PINK ARCHITECTS GET IN THE PINK

ARCHITECTURAL firm Space Group got in the pink today (30 October) to raise awareness and vital funds for breast cancer.

Space Group, which is based in Brewery Wharf, Leeds, is playing its part in the Breast Cancer Campaign’s national ‘Wear it Pink’ day by asking its staff to donate a minimum of £2 in exchange for a hot pink _space-branded t-shirt.

The company, whose corporate brand is pink, is also asking for a further £1 donation from staff who wish to wear jeans for the day, with all money raised going to support the work of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

Space Group associate director Nigel Pilkington said: “Breast cancer research has made considerable progress over the past two decades but vital work is still underway to improve quality of life and survival rates.

“As our corporate colour is hot pink, we felt this was something we could get behind by selling the crew neck t-shirts in exchange for a donation.

“One woman in nine in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime and every donation helps bring us a step closer to beating the disease.”

Breast Cancer Campaign uses all ‘Wear it Pink’ donations to fund innovative, world-class research throughout the UK and Ireland to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

Brightening up Percy Main Primary

Students at Percy Main Primary School

Pupils, parents and staff at Percy Main Primary School have been working with design and building professionals to brighten up their school hall for free.

The school is one of just five in the country to receive a free makeover as part of a major national education programme, the Big School Makeover, which is an initiative of the British Council for School Environments (BCSE). The programme aims to encourage teachers, parents and young people to get involved in refreshing or refurbishing a classroom, dining room or even an outdoor space.

The programme's slogan, Small Change to Big Difference, illustrates that with a little imagination and effort any area of the school can be turned into a pleasant and stimulating place of learning, whatever the budget.

BCSE Chief Executive Ty Goddard said: "We are in the middle of the biggest investment in school buildings since Victorian times. Every child in the country deserves the best possible school building - whether it's through a refresh of colour, a major refurbishment or a new build. We want to see young people and teachers up and down the country involved in designing and taking action in their schools."

The makeover project partners, Dulux Trade and construction firm Willmott Dixon, are worked with the BCSE, pupils and staff on design plans and implementation for the multi-use hall at Percy Main Primary School.

John Walsh, Headteacher Percy Main Primary School, said: "We are thrilled to be involved with the Big School Makeover and our whole school community are really looking forward to reaping the benefits from this project.

"The opportunity to work with a variety of professionals and witness their talent and 'know -how' first hand has raised the aspirations of us all, and the success of the collaboration has already made us ask; 'What can we improve next?"

Martha James from Dulux Trade said: "Good design is achieved by really thinking about what you want from an environment, who will use it and what they will be using it for. Schools have a central role in the community and the way people engage with a school building, positive or otherwise, can be directly affected by the colour and design of a space.

"Transforming the learning environment really can add colour to the lives of the people who use it. The Government's Better Public Building even states that 'the design of schools can promote the performance of pupils, the retention of staff and a more creative approach to teaching and learning'. Every child has the right to a stimulating, exciting school environment - one that nurtures learning and interaction. The Big School Makeover shows just how easy it is to achieve this."

Architects from local architecture practice Space Group also spared their time to offer expertise and donate materials towards the school makeover.

Space Group architectural assistant Steven Paynter who has worked with the students on the school makeover said: "It has been great to work with the students on the design and layout of their new school hall. They have been very creative in coming up with ideas of how they would like it to look and it was exciting to see the whole thing come to life and the students enjoy their new learning environment.

"Previously the school hall was used for a wide variety of purposes but was in a poor state of decoration. The space is used for dining, gym, assemblies, performances and as a main thoroughfare. The hall is in constant use throughout the day and it therefore needed to be flexible to allow for the many changes of use. The students have worked hard to ensure the school identity is reflected in the new design."

Peter Owen, Willmott Dixon managing director for the Midlands and education sector manager, says: "This is the third consecutive year we have joined forces with the BCSE to carry out school makeovers. They are a tremendous opportunity to show just how easy it is to bring to life school space that is not being used to its best potential.

"The quality of the learning environment is key to helping children reach their potential and we are delighted to be able to transform space at Percy Main Primary School during the BCSE's Big School Makeover."

Hummersknott School - Space for a makeover

With the help of architectural practice Space Group, Hummersknott School and Language College in Darlington has just undergone a £14.5million refurbishment.

This saw the construction team build new parts of the school, with existing areas built in 1954 carefully refurbished and maintained.

MAKE SPACE FOR NEW SENSORY SCHOOL

SPECIAL needs children across Tyne and Wear and Cumbria have moved into their brand new state-of-the-art school with sensory garden this week.

Northumberland County Council appointed Space Group to design the new-build £6.2m Hexham Priory Special Needs School in Dene Park, Hexham, to accommodate for the increase in student demand.

As a special needs school, it caters for students with profound learning difficulties aged from three to 19, and will now house 80 students - double the number that attended the original school on the same site last year.

Space Group’s environment team were also commissioned to design the school’s adjoining 330sq metre sensory garden, which features a range of stimulants such as wind chimes, a water fountain, a colourful poker dot path and musical instruments. This was part funded by Northumberland based children’s charity Wooden Spoon. The new school also has a private memorial garden for the children to remember late fellow pupils.

Space Group landscape architect Katia Simmer said: “The sensory garden was created as a stimulating outdoor classroom for the children; a place where they can excite their five senses. They can touch, smell and even taste the plants in a herb garden.

“A colourful patterned path connects all musical instruments, water displays, mirrors, grass mounds, climbing boulders and timber seating. And stepping-stones made out of different materials allow the children to feel a different sensation on their feet.”

The original school, that housed only 40 pupils, will now be flattened to make way for a new playground.

Hexham Priory Special Needs School head teacher Michael Thompson said: “It has been so satisfying to see the pupils settle into their new school this week. The bright and airy contemporary design combined with the landscaped areas, and the separate nursery area for the younger children really works, and the pupils are responding well and thoroughly enjoying their new school.

“We needed a new school to accommodate recent increases in demand to take on students from across the county stretching from the border of Tyne and Wear to Cumbria in the West.

“Also as we have a series of outreach programmes, it is very accommodating to welcome the wider community to our new school.

“Funded by Northumberland County Council and designed and built by Space Group and GB Building Solutions, we now have a school which we are all proud of and which will certainly enrich the lives of our students.”

Space Group lead architect Ed Mapplebeck said: “We have worked closely on the design process with the teaching staff for the past two years and they have all been a pleasure to work with.

“Their vision to create a bright, vibrant and stimulating school design was music to our ears.

“We are all really pleased with the end results and it is great to see the children enjoying their new school environment.

“The school design strongly integrates into its environment, taking careful consideration of its surrounding landscape and context.

“Views both to and from the school have been carefully considered to ensure both students and staff have a strong sense of their place in the surrounding environment.”

MAKE _SPACE FOR SCOTTISH PROJECT COMPLETION

Space to Learn: The four completed schools across Dumfries and Galloway designed by Space Group.

A NORTH East architectural firm is continuing its development in Scotland after the successful completion of almost £40m worth of education projects.

Space Group – which has offices in Newcastle, Yorkshire and the North West – has joined forces with a consortium of building contractors to develop four new schools in Dumfries and Galloway.

Space Group has worked alongside contractors Farrans Construction, H and J Martins and Patton Group. It has designed new-build facilities to house Castle Douglas Primary School, Kirkcudbright Primary School, Wallace Hall Primary School and Academy and Stranraer Academy.

The first school to be completed is Castle Douglas Primary School with students due to move in this month (September 2009). The three other schools are set to receive their keys within the next six months.

Space Group director Steve Brooks said: “It has been very exciting for us to work on such a large scale brief and one in which we were able to showcase our capabilities and strengths.

“We have a very strong reputation in the education arena, having worked on projects that have received national recognition.”

Space Group has worked on each of the four sites over the past four years, further strengthening its reach and reputation in Scotland and is now considering a more permanent base in the region following the success of these projects.

The 200-strong practice, which was established in 1957, is gaining an increasingly strong reputation for its joined-up approach to sustainable communities.

Mr Brooks continued: “Space Group was appointed for its reputation in creating sustainable communities, in which a creative learning environment is at the heart.

“Every school has been designed with flexibility in mind - where every child can learn at their own pace and walk into a building that makes coming to school exciting and challenging.

“Our social responsibility is central to the business ethos, and we want our success to enable sustainable communities wherever we operate.”

Farrans’ contracts manager Warren Wright said: “As with every major construction project, this one brought its own distinct set of challenges. From day one, it became clear that the scale of the project involved building new educational facilities that would be a big deal for the region, and that would receive a very high public profile. There were also expectations of a high quality product, ready on time.

“Space maintained the pace and balanced contractors’ demands, providing timely information and expertise to bring value in a very competitive market. The team maintained good practice and at the same time gave precedence to maintenance and life cycle costs for the end user.”

The £40million construction projects included the new build of three schools and an extension to Stranraer Academy.

The key design aspiration of the Stranraer Academy extension was to create a ‘bold beacon’ - a landmark building that stands out and encourages lifelong learning for the secondary school students and wider community.

The existing building was retained and refurbished while the new building, which is hoped will become an important symbol of the community and the ‘face of Stranraer’, was designed as a simple, adjoining geometric cube.

The other projects included the amalgamation of two existing primary schools on the Kirkcudbright Primary School site to house pre-five and primary age students under one roof. The school was designed to be a landmark, featuring a multi-use games area which will be utilised by the local community.

The school has been separated into two zones, with the academic accommodation and a brand new sports hall flanking the entrance. The classrooms have been laid out as a natural evolution, with the pre-fives at the front of the school, graduating to Year 5 and Year 6 near the rear, towards the existing Academy, thus expressing progression throughout the pupils’ school lives.

Castle Douglas Primary School includes pre-five, primary and Additional Support for Learning Scotland (ASFL) students, who are due to move in this September.

The overall design provides specialised accommodation for each age group and the aim is to create a harmonious community under one roof.

The school is zoned to promote an open and welcoming learning area for students and the larger community, whilst also allowing for individualised learning spaces.

The building has been designed to embrace the surrounding landscape. The upper ground piggybacks the lower ground, forming a green roofed learning terrace that overlooks the scenery. This was designed to create a physical metaphor for ‘finding their own way’ as the students progress throughout their school years.

Wallace Hall Primary School and Academy are co-located on one site, incorporating a pre-five, primary and secondary school. Whilst the schools are separate, the accommodation has shared areas such as the sports, dining and administrative rooms.

This design is aimed to give the site a feeling of ‘one school under one roof’ and providing a thematic, consistent teaching approach throughout the students’ educational life. Inspiration for the location and design of this school was drawn from the surrounding landscape and the desire to create something bold and stimulating.

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.