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Planning Permission granted for the Innovation Centre on Kent Medical Campus
Bond Bryan, in collaboration with Maidstone Borough Council have received planning permission for the proposed £9.5 million Innovation Centre, on the Kent Medical Campus in Maidstone – part of the North Kent Enterprise Zone.
The high-profile Innovation Centre is intended as a gateway to the Kent Medical Campus and a manifestation of Maidstone Borough Councils ambition and aspirations for the town. This new four-storey, highly-flexible home for small and medium businesses comprises of office suites, open collaboration spaces, hot desking areas, and meeting and conference spaces.
Bond Bryan Director, Zubin Masters, explained: “We have enjoyed working with Maidstone Borough Council and the team to develop the designs for the Innovation Centre. The approval is a real testament to the teams’ efforts to date and we now look forward to seeing this unique facility come to fruition. The design aims to create a high quality and adaptable solution that also creates an architecturally distinctive addition to the campus, reflecting the importance of the new facility to the region.”
William Cornall, Director of Regeneration and Place at Maidstone Borough Council, said: “The Innovation Centre is a real statement of Maidstone Borough Council’s intent to attract high-value, highly-skilled jobs and innovative businesses. It will complement the services provided by Kent Medical Campus by establishing Maidstone as a regional hub for innovation and creativity in the healthcare and medical sector.”
Tony Collins, Chairman of Kent Medical Campus, added: “Once again, Maidstone Borough Council has signalled its belief that the campus is the largest economic driver for the borough and a major centre for science, healthcare and education employment.
“Our existing planning permission for 98,000m2of commercial space, combined with Enterprise Zone status, the arrival of Cygnet Health Care and work under way on Care UK’s latest care home, means the campus is already delivering on its potential for Maidstone.”
Construction will commence in late autumn 2019 and the Innovation Centre will be ready to welcome its first tenants in summer 2021.
Bond Bryan & SimpsonHaugh collaborate on new City Centre Campus
The Manchester College – part of the LTE Group – recently appointed Bond Bryan and SimpsonHaugh to design their new City Centre Campus, opening in 2021/22.
The aim for the new city campus is to create a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for higher and further education students – comprising exciting and flexible teaching and learning facilities that meet the future skills needs of the local and regional economy. The new campus also forms an important part of the continuing regeneration and transformation of Manchester – bringing a vibrant new student amenity into the city’s centre.
John Thornhill, Chief Executive of the LTE Group commented: “The vision for this exciting new educational learning centre is to develop ‘centres of excellence’ in partnership with the region’s employers, and with a strong focus on the skills required by the region’s growth sectors – including creative and digital, as well as business, financial and professional services in phase 2. This will be a landmark college for Manchester, providing future students with innovative ways of learning and preparing them for employment.”
The combined Bond Bryan and SimpsonHaugh architectural team offers the different and highly complementary skills and experience needed to create and deliver a truly innovative and inspiring City Campus for The Manchester College.
Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal at The Manchester College, said: “We are excited to work with leading architects Bond Bryan and SimpsonHaugh on this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a centre of educational excellence for the city, with opportunities for thousands of students to join from 2021/22.”
The acquisition of this prime site – close to major transport hubs and at the heart of a major regeneration scheme – has been made possible by the strategic support of both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
The proposed new city centre campus forms a key part of Manchester City Council’s skills strategy, and will make a major contribution to the city’s vision for the Great Ducie Street ‘Strategic Regeneration Framework’.
Matthew Hutton, Director, Bond Bryan said: “We are delighted to be involved in this new campus in collaboration with the wider project team – in creating a distinctive new learning destination and forming an important part of the continuing regeneration and transformation of the City Centre.”
David Green, Partner, SimpsonHaugh, said: “We are thrilled to be delivering a new education facility in the heart of Manchester City Centre. The building’s innovative teaching space, performances spaces, creative studios and training facilities will be key to creating a distinctive sense of place for the new neighbourhood which is developing around Great Ducie Street.”
We are supported by a wider consultant team including cost and project manager Pearson Fraser Ltd, structural engineer AECOM, services engineer and BREEAM assessor BDP, fire and acoustic engineer Hoare Lea, and principal designer Robinson Low Francis.
Bond Bryan have been shortlisted for two RIBA awards – for the Mercia School and for the Sir Henry Royce Institute (SHRI).
Mercia School, rated ‘Very Good’ by BREEAM, was funded and commissioned by Sheffield City Council and run by the Mercia Learning Trust; it was brought to fruition by Andrea Ashley, Pete Severn, Jana Bareham and Rich Bint. The new-build secondary and sixth form has recently opened its doors to students and the wider community in Sheffield – capable of taking in 900 secondary school students and an additional 300 sixth form students.
Inspired and driven artistically by the open green spaces surrounding it, the building’s design creates a distinctive and striking form. Throughout the building itself, renewable technology and sustainable design principles further cement this built form into its natural setting.
Community integration has been key to the success of this project. Alongside the open and encouraging design principles, the School also features separate sports facilities open to the community, with an accessible route being included from the changing facilities to the pitches.
Produced by Matt Hutton, Yasser Fadhl, Adam Stone and Joe Chapman in close collaboration with J F Finnegan Ltd, the SHRI aims to drive growth and productivity across the region and will be fundamental to the future of British industry as global demands continue to grow. The SHRI will bridge the gap between industry needs and academic research – with some leading names in global manufacturing being involved in the creation of the facilities.
Set up to develop and trial new materials, the Royce Translational Centre (RTC) features a lustrous bronze-effect rainscreen cladding system with interlocking joints. Specially selected to fulfil the client’s ambitions, the bronze will dull over time, giving the RTC a sophisticated industrial look.
In the Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) – an acoustics and vibration testing facility – various tests take place. These will lead to the production of lighter and safer designs for various industries, such as those in the aircraft and wind turbine sectors.
The third of the research facilities – the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) – translates disruptive technologies from advanced manufacturing systems into the infrastructure sectors. The processes developed within the centre need to stand the test of time, so it was appropriate that the building also should do that – both architecturally and aesthetically.
The awards are to be held at Aspire in Leeds on the 16th May 2019, good luck to all!
Bond Bryan and Fallons win Best Futura Mega Project, MIPIM Award 2019
last night, FUTURE PARK won a major prize at MIPIM – having been voted as one of the best schemes on show at the annual property conference.
FUTURE PARK will be one of the UK’s most significant cultural and energy-efficient attractions to be built in the 21st Century. Located in the heart of Yorkshire, England, this unique interactive park explores, unites and celebrates the best food & drink experiences in the world.
The park, which is described as a synergy of architecture, landscape and infrastructure, is dedicated to sharing the biodiversity of cuisine whilst showcasing a range of innovative technologies with a special focus towards the environmental and agricultural sectors.
Users are given the opportunity to submerge themselves within the park and enjoy the experience through its Farms & Livestock, Restaurants, Factories, Shops & Marketplace, Education, Research Facilities & Events.
Inspired by the ‘dry valleys’ that define the local Yorkshire landscape, the structure is formed around an existing lake with an overall building form that seeks to become part of the natural landscape – rather than a statement object within it. The low linear building hugs the edge of the lake – the lowest part of the site, – so maximising views across the landscape.
Co-founder, James Mottram said: “Future Park showcases a whole range of innovative technologies from home and abroad, assisting economies locally by increasing the number of employment and businesses within the UK. The parks are a synergy of architecture, landscape and infrastructure – creating the most significant cultural attractions in the UK.
Hedonistic Sustainability is at the heart of our developments – ensuring that design and architecture can be economically profitable as well as environmentally sustainable.”
Matt Hutton, Director, Bond Bryan said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award – this will create something really unique for the region and we are really proud to be a part of it.”
To find out more about the scheme, please visit: www.futureparks.co.uk
Planning permission secured for St Dunstan’s College
Bond Bryan have recently secured planning permission for St Dunstan’s College – a co-educational Independent school in Catford, London Borough of Lewisham – seeking to upgrade their facilities and redevelop their campus. The scheme combines a new all-through Junior School and a STEM Building for the Secondary School into a single integrated building, adjacent to the College’s main building.
Bond Bryan worked closely with the College and its stakeholders to develop a solution that fully addressed the concerns of the Local Authority. The primary school will include a full suite of teaching accommodation, staff and support spaces. The secondary school creates a new central HUB comprising a lecture theatre, sixth form centre with social/IT spaces, teaching spaces, design & technology workshops, science labs and maths classrooms.
Bond Bryan’s solution was to deliver a simple compact and linear building, responding to the planning constraints and minimising construction on the adjoining playing fields (designated metropolitan open land). The split-level building and landscape take advantage of the site topography by stepping up from the front to the rear – primary school at the front and secondary school at the rear and “stepping up through the learning journey”
The solution retains, showcases and restores the headmaster’s house at the front of the site. The junior school wraps around the headmaster’s house, linking the old with the new via a light-weight glazed link.
Zubin Masters, Director at Bond Bryan explained: “Our design for the site delivers a bespoke solution to revitalise an established and prestigious independent school through a new elegant and contemporary brick building and associated landscape areas.
Architecturally, the solution aims to be a contemporary addition to the site that is a sensitive response to the historical locally-listed College building. The elegant brick facades aim to reflect the proportions, materiality and features of the historical building, albeit in a contemporary and timeless language.”
Construction on site is planned to commence in Autumn 2019 with a completion date in Autumn 2021.
Bond Bryan and Fallon’s FUTURE PARK is a finalist for the Best Futura Mega Project, MIPIM Awards 2019.
FUTURE PARK will be one of the UK’s most significant cultural and energy-efficient attractions to be built in the 21st Century. Located in the heart of Yorkshire, England, this unique interactive park explores, unites and celebrates the best food & drink experiences in the world.
The park, which is described as a synergy of architecture, landscape and infrastructure, is dedicated to sharing the biodiversity of cuisine whilst showcasing a range of innovative technologies with a special focus towards the environmental and agricultural sectors.
Users are given the opportunity to submerge themselves within the park and enjoy the experience through its Farms & Livestock, Restaurants, Factories, Shops & Marketplace, Education, Research Facilities & Events.
Inspired by the ‘dry valleys’ that define the local Yorkshire landscape, the structure is formed around an existing lake with an overall building form that seeks to become part of the natural landscape – rather than a statement object within it. The low linear building hugs the edge of the lake – the lowest part of the site, – so maximising views across the landscape.
The awards ceremony will take place at MIPIM – the world’s leading property event 12 – 15 March 2019.
To find out more about the scheme, please visit: www.futureparks.co.uk
The image and adoption of prefabrication in construction, has seen a resurgence over recent years. Driven by technological advancements and a need for expedient delivery – as well as being backed by government – offsite construction is gaining momentum and is set to revolutionise the construction industry.
Attended by a variety of leading representatives from the construction industry – who are actively engaged in this area – the discussion focussed upon the current tendencies in offsite construction and on how the industry is preparing for its potential future in delivering efficient, sustainable and high-quality solutions.
All of the participants reported a high level of interest in offsite construction within the UK and in the international construction market, with some governments (China/Singapore) developing strategies to actively encourage its uptake. Although the benefits of offsite construction – time, quality, sustainability and health and safety – are widely understood, the adoption rate is relatively low due to a degree of apprehension and the perceived risks of using unfamiliar methods of building. Interestingly, this reticence is not limited to clients and their advisors alone, but is also prevalent within the construction industry itself.
Image: Greenford High school, Ealing by Bond Bryan and Osborne using the Innovare prefabricated insulated panel system.
The highest adoption rates were reported in the Hotels, Student Residential, Private Rental and School sectors, where delivery is time-critical. Notwithstanding the government directive to build more homes using offsite technologies, the majority of housebuilders are currently in the discovery phase and not necessarily delivering modular schemes. Principal contractors are encouraging a change in mindset by actively promoting and adopting the use of prefabricated components – partially due to the lack of construction skills but, also, in order to improve the quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness of the end product.
“Our presumption is in favour of offsite construction methods” Tim Carey, National Products Director, Willmott Dixon Construction
Image: University of Kent’s School of Economics by Bond Bryan and Willmott Dixon built using CLT Timber and offsite components, completion March 2019
Preconceived notions based on historical examples, a lack of the understanding of the full cost benefits and limited supplier capacity were mentioned as the key barriers to the adoption of offsite manufacture. From the manufacturers’ perspective, uncertainty in demand makes it challenging to invest in capacity, development and testing. Some participants felt that the current procurement routes were also not suitable for modular building procurement.
The participants discussed a number of interesting initiatives and innovations in which they were involved: this included predesigned offsite solutions for schools and healthcare, designers and manufacturers collaborating on prototyping designs and connection systems, developing tools to accurately estimate offsite construction and testing products for compliance with fire regulations. Particularly noteworthy, some of the participants are part of a team currently working with CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association) and Cambridge University on a key research project ‘Quantifying the benefits of offsite construction’. Collecting and analysing that data will allow the industry to quantify the benefits and allow clients to make evidence-based decisions on the use of offsite construction.
There was general agreement that offsite manufacture in all of its forms – volumetric, panelised, component build – could play a pivotal role in the future of the industry. This would, primarily, require increasing and aggregating demand, educating clients as well as the industry and developing suitable procurement methods. Government initiatives and incentives, particularly in the housing sector, were considered crucial to accelerate the rate of adoption.
Growth in offsite manufacture will ultimately be driven by consumer preferences and user experience. The participants felt that overcoming prejudices and skepticism towards offsite manufacture would be key to increasing adoption rates. Educating clients and consumers – through case studies and site visits to recently completed schemes – would allow them to dispel prejudices by experiencing the build quality and finish first hand. Demonstrating the quantifiable benefits of using offsite methods through data collection and analysis was also deemed to be a critical success factor.
“Visiting live sites and experiencing the quality of the build for themselves convinced the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham that using offsite solutions was right for them.”
Paul Inch, Innovare Systems.
The attitude of funders, lenders, valuers, purchasers and insurance companies will also be a key influencing factor. Initiatives like BOPAS (Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme) provide confidence that the construction system is fit for purpose, will stand the test of time and thus remove the uncertainty about the construction for valuation purposes. This removes the risk of mortgages for developers being declined and helps to improve the business and technical risks to manufacturers.
Manufacturers could further instil confidence in clients by investing in development and testing, improving productivity, increasing capacity and demonstrating value. Pooling resources together – and collaborating to deliver larger schemes – could be another way to demonstrate capacity. Intellectual Property rights were seen to be a key barrier in this regard.
Sectors like affordable housing, hotels, student residential, hostels, shared ownership schemes, vertical extensions, education, assisted living and healthcare were considered to offer the greatest potential for offsite manufacture.
Image: Robert Clack School, Barking by Bond Bryan and Mid Group using the Innovare prefabricated insulated panel system in combination with pre-cast concrete slabs.
Evolving Role of Designers and the Supply Chain
The final part of the discussions focussed on how the role of the design and supply chain would need to adapt and evolve to suit offsite construction. It was recognised, by all, that the key to the success of prefabricated solutions is a fully-integrated approach between designers, manufacturers and contractors – adopting a BIM (Building Information Modelling) and DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) approach from the outset.
Designers need to develop a thorough understanding of the basic requirements and parameters of design and detailing prefabricated buildings. Design guides and tools from manufacturers would help to educate design teams. In order to maximise opportunities for economies of scale, designers need to adopt a fully-modularized approach to design by limiting module types. The designers expressed a concern about over-standardization making some professions redundant. It was thought that designers would play a vital role in balancing standardization against the need for customization in order to integrate with the context. For example, the development of contextual solutions with the innovative use of materials and production technologies – in order to create unique façade solutions.
Participants highlighted a particular concern about lack of skills in this sector. Graduate training schemes and school-based events – to create awareness about modern methods of construction as well as career options in design and construction – were some of the initiatives being carried out. More college/university courses in modern methods of construction, modular buildings, DfMA, and BIM were also suggested.
Fuelled by urgent need and growing demand – and driven by digital design and manufacture – the adoption of new construction processes on site and changing mindsets, prefabricated construction, in one form or another, is here to stay and is the future of the construction industry.
The long-term success of prefabricated offsite construction relies on:
Volume and Continuity: sufficient demand to make production facilities successful.
Repetition: a DfMA approach that harnesses the benefits of economies of scale.
Collaboration and Skills: investment of time and resources to create knowledgeable and skilled teams.
Prefabricated offsite construction can help to solve the issues faced by construction and housing in the UK. It, potentially, has a valuable role to play in the future of the industry. The industry, as a whole, needs to adapt and drive this change through a truly collaborative approach – by educating each other, aligning working processes and uniting as a single voice.
Bond Bryan would like to thank all those who attended for joining us and sharing their valuable insights and perspectives on this subject. We hope to continue and grow these discussions in the future.
Attending companies: Willmott Dixon Construction; Peter Dann Consulting Engineers; Meinhardt; Caledonian Modular; Innovare Systems; Bond Bryan
Nestled in the heart of the De Haviland Campus, this bespoke ‘Three in One’ design combines Business Incubator, Social, and Teaching facilities all under one roof for the University of Hertfordshire. Responding to the complex requirements of a brief that calls for a dynamic educational building, Bond Bryan have designed a collaborative environment wrapped up within a cost-effective solution and a fast-paced programme.
The new Business and Social Hub’s rectangular design maximises the space provided by the site, whilst the massing of the three-storey building and the internal configuration creates a set of flexible and interlinked, yet also independent, internal functions all connected by the two central atria. At ground floor, the building’s open-plan layout will serve as an informal learning and social space in the daytime, then as a place for social gatherings and events within the evening – utilising furniture to divide the space and create a unique atmosphere that the students can identify with.
The Business Incubator space creates an environment for the staff, students, researchers and alumni to assist and accelerate the development and growth of their start-up companies by housing a variety of social networking and creativity areas. This space also utilises a range of fixed and loose furniture to denote different meanings to the open space. This floor’s design and layout create an environment that fosters collaboration, problem-solving and open innovation between the varied creative teams working here, whilst also providing the option of cellular offices and meeting rooms for the more private business development and meeting needs.
A dedicated area for MBA students has also been created, allowing them to carry out their studies in a selection of formal and informal areas. Similarly, as in the Incubation space, this is open with the use of dividing furniture giving it the varying functions which it requires. In this part of the building, flexible teaching rooms can be combined – within one or two large exam halls alongside the main MBA area – with an open plan collaboration and break-out space being provided, together with a terrace.
The range of flexible spaces sits across the building’s three storeys, wrapped around the two central atria and is linked together by a feature staircase spanning all three storeys that animates the void and provides a physical and visual link between the assorted spaces. This centralised circulation method encompasses the building’s ethos, enabling people to meet within the building’s circulatory routes whilst also allowing visual permeability for the users of the building into the interconnected areas – creating a visual element of collaboration between the building’s many functions. This vibrancy from the ground floor filters up through the central atria whilst each floor is also able to maintain an element of privacy within each flexible, open-plan space.
Externally, the building’s appearance speaks to its diverse, yet harmonious, internal functions through the two contrasting materials used to form the interlocking volumes. This subtly reduces the massing and form of the building whilst also creating a strong 360-degree presence on the site, with each of the four elevations being equally important for the articulation of the building’s external form.
Working collaboratively with our client Willmott Dixon Construction, Bond Bryan are set to deliver the Business and Social Hub during 2019 with completion to take place in early 2020.
Each year, Bond Bryan adopts a Charity of the Year programme to raise additional funds to support their work. This year, Bond Bryan were delighted to support the work of Museums Sheffield and are extremely pleased to have raised a total of £6,500.
Bond Bryan’s team have organised, and taken part in, a number of events throughout the year to support Museums Sheffield with their quest to ensure that everyone in Sheffield and the city region has access to a consistent and high quality arts and cultural learning experience.
Bond Bryan Director, Bruce Raw added: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Museums Sheffield; the people involved are just so passionate about what they do and have a true commitment to ensuring that they are making a real difference by allowing more people from the region access the great art in the City”.
Grace Brierley, Museums Sheffield said: “Museums Sheffield are proud to have been chosen as Bond Bryan’s 2018 Charity of the year; we were inspired by the hard work the team put in to raising £6500, and their support will go a long way. Each year we need to raise over £1 million and every penny raised helps us continue to offer free exhibitions, engaging events, and inspire lifelong creative learning in Sheffield; the support from the Bond Bryan team has been truly inspirational and a great help in enabling us to reach our charitable goals.”
Funded and commissioned by Sheffield City Council and run by the Mercia Learning Trust, this new-build Secondary and Sixth Form School has opened its doors to students and the wider community in Sheffield.
Capable of taking on 900 Secondary School students with an additional 300 Sixth Form students, this project represents a big step forward for Sheffield City Council. It marks another advancement in their programme of educational works created to ensure the provision of Secondary-level education for the significantly large number of children currently coming through the city’s network of Primary schools. This school provides parents and students with a real educational choice within the South West area of Sheffield.
The School’s design is distinctive and striking, applying clever use of external brick and timber that helps the building sit harmoniously within the immediate landscape’s natural palette of colours. Wherever possible, this design has been inspired and driven artistically by the open green spaces surrounding it and the buildings of the surrounding residential area. Throughout the building itself, the use of renewable technology and sustainable design principles such as renewable energy PVs and green roofs further cements this built form into the natural setting. These features, along with other features such as the use of natural daylighting achieved via the large windows and rooflights, have guided the School to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating. The building utilises the natural contours of the site to create a lifted sports hall and also conservatively works with existing features on the site, such as the car parking facilities and access junction.
Exceeding a challenging brief, this building maximises the value of its serene setting by integrating sensitively into the open space – presenting a visually welcoming image of the School to both the attending students and the wider community. The design of the building achieves a preservation of the open nature surrounding it through the use of the finger design and the open courtyard, promoting an aesthetic assimilation into the parkland setting.
The School’s specialism of performing art spaces are linked by a central atrium area that also facilitates community access and even provides a ‘family’ dining area at the heart of the building. By preserving the open nature of the parkland setting and views of the tree-lined horizon, the community access to the wider site is maintained.
Community integration has been key to the success of this project, with the curtain walling and large, glazed elevation creating a unique and open frontage to the School’s main entrance and community facilities. Alongside the open and encouraging design principles, the School also features separate sports facilities open to the community, with an accessible route being included from the changing facilities to the pitches.
The Mercia School is a building that truly benefits from the surrounding area, choosing to sit in synchronisation with its surroundings, offering a welcoming and familiar feel for those around and in it – students, staff and community members alike.
