Sector: Work

Like many sectors the work place is changing. While the way we interact is in flux and the idea of employment evolves we are happiest moving with the times to create exciting and efficient working environments. We get a kick out of reimagining existing buildings, as Guinea pigs in our own office space, and also have experience of new office developments. We work closely with existing organisations to understand their process and how simple designed alterations might enable more operational success and happy employees.

Sunbeams Music Centre

‘To provide a sustainable legacy for people with disabilities…’ the client’s mantra driving the Sunbeams Music Centre - a bespoke music therapy facility designed on a site overlooking the Lake District.

The building is designed as a home and advert for the amazing work Sunbeams do working with disadvantaged members of society. Bringing music into the building was on of the key drivers alongside harmonising the building with the natural surroundings and wider environment.

The building exemplifies what we believe good design to embody; passive environmental principles, contextual connection through materials and techniques and innovation in form and layout. The design incorporates ground source heat pumps, photovoltaics and locally sourced materials such as sheep’s wool insulation.

Sunbeams Website

Awards

Architects Journal Awards - Healthcare and Wellbeing Project of the Year
Structural Timber Awards - Architect of the Year
RIBA MacEwen Award –Shortlisted
Civic Trust - Selwyn Goldsmith for Accessibility Shortlisted
Civic Trust - Civic Trust Commendation
Buildings Awards - Small Project of the Year finalist
LABC Northern - Best Public Service building Shortlisted
LABC Northern - Best Educational Building Shortlisted
LABC Northern - Best Inclusive Building Shortlisted
LABC Northern - Small Commercial project of the year
LABC National - Small Commercial project of the year Finalist
Offsite Awards - Healthcare Project of the Year Shortlisted
Offsite Awards - Best Use of Timber Technology Shortlisted
RICS North West - Community Benefit Award Finalist
Structural Timber Awards - Healthcare Project of the year Shortlisted

Framwell House

"Hanro and its partner on this project Impec could not be more delighted with the outcome. The quality of the finished building, the commercial letting, and return were far more than client expectations."
Duncan Barrie, The Hanro Group

Framwell House is the first new build office in Durham City Centre for 10 years, providing 1250sqm of high quality office space in the heart of Durham City Centre. The building has been carefully sited on the sloping site, built into the existing landscape, allowing it to be more sympathetic to the neighbouring Green Belt area and terraced housing. Taking cues from the industrial and rail heritage of the surrounding site, the building is clad in brick and corrugated panels in an innovative way. Using materials which are normally reserved for agricultural and industrial applications, the cutting-edge design and excellent craftsmanship makes for an excellence finished article.

Internally the craftsmanship and high-quality detailing/finish continues throughout. With exposed steel structure and services, the open plan offices are large light filled spaces with floor to ceiling windows providing expansive views of the city centre, the Cathedral and County Durham. As well as views the windows provide natural cross ventilation for the wellbeing of the user through ventilation panels.

The building is occupied by Durham's Probation Service who had strict design requirements which were interpreted to ensure these worked with the ethos of the building in terms of retaining the wellbeing aspects and servicing strategies.

LABC Northern - Best Non Residential New Build

Byker Town

Theatre Royal Back of House

This latest capital project at the Theatre Royal looked to enhance the actor experience and comprised half million pound refurbishment project over six floors including dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, band rooms, staff facilities with extensively reworked arrival and green room spaces.

Construction work within the Grade I listed building were phased to be completed on a floor by floor basis over 14 months while the building was alive with actors and staff fulfilling strict performance schedules for the majority of the works.

The Iconic building has had various works to the front of house and we were delighted to be involved in redesigning the back of house area to a brief of providing “the best dressing room facilities in the country”. In opening up the cellular spaces on the ground floor the back of house area has a new heart providing a welcoming arrival for newcomers and a relaxation area promoting interaction between theatre staff and touring companies.

Star & Shadow Cinema

Star and Shadow Cinema is a co-operative and registered Community Benefit Society which runs an independent theatre whilst providing a venue for artists and musicians. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers with decisions made democratically. Previously located on Stepney Bank Ouseburn they have grown out of their currently venue and managed to secure a dilapidated building on Warwick Street to transform into their new venue. This exciting community led scheme includes a Cinema, Venue Space, Café, Community Spaces, Artist Studios and Workshops which are all to be built by the volunteers who have many different skills and expertise– a truly immense DIY project .

Design development has been an holistic and bespoke process incorporating ‘found’ items, recycling materials from their current venue and allowing an evolving scheme to incorporate other items founded during construction. The design ethos is ‘buildings within building’ to make maximum use of the volume of the industrial shell whilst also creating the high acoustic performance needed within the cinema and venue space. The layout and design has been created to have a vibrant heart to the building, a welcoming face to the street frontage and to enable volunteers to have a sociable time in the building whatever they have been allocated to do.

Back High Street Mixed Use Scheme

Back High Street is a tight historic alley through the Gosforth conservation area of Newcastle characterised in recent history for the small industrial units nestled in the tight urban grain. Several had become vacant over time with an opportunity for redevelopment.

Our scheme unlocks the site with a new three floor block for multiple uses. A single five bedroom courtyard house has been created with passive house aspirations, rooftop productive garden and its own private access. This sits back to back with a block comprising office on the ground floor and two floors of assisted living apartments. This fronts onto the Back High Street giving the street enhanced frontage. The material palette has been developed giving a distinctive urban character that we hoped complements the neighbouring context.