40 GSSreview 50m National Innovation Centre GSSArchitecture are delighted to have been awarded the commission to deliver a new 50m National Innovation Centre in central Newcastle. The appointment was granted after GSS were successful in their bid to design the latest development on the city s Science Central mixed use regeneration area. The new innovation centre is one of the most significant recent developments in the region and is aimed at providing a range of bespoke, flexible facilities that will promote innovation, engage with local and national businesses, and support the development of new technology and innovations in the fields of ageing sciences and data. Three initial concept designs for the new building formed part of the bid submission requirements; however the preferred design has now progressed, including a public consultation session, ongoing testing of the client brief, and the preparation of a planning application and elements of the detailed design. The facility on the Newcastle Science City Partnership site will have a specific focus on innovation and commercialisation of new technology in partnership with local and international businesses, which is a distinctly different concept from traditional university- based research. GSS have undertaken a world study tour and a wide range of recent research into designing for innovation. The spaces created will provide engaging working environments where people feel comfortable to meet for discussions and debates. The internal spaces will be innovative, engaging environments that are highly flexible and easy to reconfigure. Public access exhibition, event and meeting spaces will also be designed to encourage wider interaction with local businesses, industry partners, consumers, members of the public and visitors by promoting visibility between spaces and using carefully considered positioning to create a sense of openness and accessibility. The design will also act as a showcase space, and by incorporating display areas and galleries, the building will celebrate the successes of the new National Innovation Centre. Newcastle Science Central is currently the largest and most significant development area in the North East, and this scheme will deliver a new centre for innovation with national importance and recognition. Initial designs commenced in September 2016, with a target completion date of 2019.
From the Editor Welcome to the latest edition of the GSS Review. In this issue we will show you a cross-section of our current projects, which cover the whole of the UK. All of our offices nationally are working on a wide range of exciting and varied projects across most sectors, including residential, commercial, industrial, education and healthcare. We have recently been awarded several new commissions and have achieved significant completions for the practice in the industrial and commercial sectors, some of national importance. The stories we have chosen to highlight in this issue focus on some of our commercial projects and include: Newcastle s National Innovation Centre, the Courtyard Residences in Hull, and Sunderland s Hope Street Xchange. I would like to welcome Anna McTaggart to the Partnership of the Practice. Anna is a Chartered Architect with over 20 years experience and joined GSS 5 years ago, and we look forward to working together to continue developing our practice. Having successfully gained accreditation for Cyber Essentials PLUS and BS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System, we have been able to combine all of our management systems (Environmental Management System, Quality Management System and Investors in People) into one integrated system. I would like to thank everyone involved for all of their hard work to make this possible. Newcastle Studio As part of GSSArchitecture s continued sustainable growth and expansion, the practice has recently added a new studio office in Newcastle to our four existing offices in Kettering, Harrogate, Gloucester and Milton Keynes. The Newcastle studio has opened with a number of existing staff, together with new employees, and will deliver the growing number of projects secured in Newcastle and the surrounding region. GSS has appointed Simon Rennison-Rae to lead its Newcastle studio, which will be overseen by Partner, Jonathan Hunter. Simon brings with him over 10 years experience of working in the North East and experience across a range of sectors, including Defence Estates (MOD), motor retail, education, residential, and building conservation and conversions. Simon will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Newcastle studio, and will help GSS to grow and diversify in the North East region and across all sectors. In addition, Simon will support the practice in building upon established client relationships, as well as forging new connections. Speaking about his new position, Simon said It s a very exciting time to join GSS. The company has a very strong foundation and is establishing roots in the North East, showing their commitment to the region. The Newcastle studio is a great working environment and I look forward to helping with the further expansion of the business and team, supported by the wider practice. GSS have already made me feel like an established and valued member of the team, and their exciting range of projects and the focus on training and development, particularly Revit and BIM, were the key reasons for joining the company. Quarter of a Million Square Feet Distribution Developments Additionally, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, who continue to entrust us with projects covering virtually every sector, and look forward to an exciting body of work for the future. I would also like to thank our various teams for their continuous hard work, without whom we would not be able to deliver our service. Our website is regularly updated with information on the practice, sectors and our projects. Also, please pay a visit to our LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages for updates and our latest news. David Allsop The GSS commercial team are currently developing over a quarter of a million square feet of high efficiency, new build distribution facilities for end user clients. The proposals include 16-metre high, very narrow, aisle-racking systems designed to accommodate clients specific palleting and sorting/picking processes to efficiently support round-the-clock distribution to national clients. The projects include three storey offices with modern staff facilities, together with conference and showroom areas. Externally, lorry manoeuvring and parking areas allow access to a range of dock level doors and level access doors to accommodate the clients range of vehicles and products.
National Headquarters Remodel GSSArchitecture are providing Architectural services for the new headquarters building for Opus Energy. The scheme, which is being carried out with Lambert Smith Hampton, includes the remodelling and regeneration of an existing 1990 s office which previously housed Northamptonshire County Council. The design proposals will transform the outdated office building into a new corporate HQ and will create a modern, flexible working environment that responds to current working practices and the use of technology in the workplace. The spaces are flexible in that the design allows staff to operate in different ways, and promotes communication and collaboration. In addition to the fluid approach to working spaces, the building will also be able to respond and adapt to short and long term changes in working practices, technology, and staff requirements and expectations. Some key features of the design include a new main entrance and reception, the introduction of a café space, and a range of flexible breakout and touch down areas. GSSArchitecture s in-house graphics and visualisation team have worked closely with the client to produce 360 degree virtual reality (VR) experiences in order to showcase the development in an immersive environment, allowing the client and staff to experience and tour the offices prior to construction. The 360 VR animation of the Opus Energy office regeneration can be found on the GSSArchitecture YouTube channel.
GSS Staff Update New Partner Top left clockwise: Maria Garvey, Misbah Uddin, Cathy Bailey, Juran Kerr, Simon Rennison-Rae Female staff from Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Business Administration, ICT, and Graphics Design We would like to welcome Chartered Architect, Simon Rennison-Rae, who has joined the Newcastle Studio as an Associate, together with Juran Kerr, a Senior Architectural Technologist. At the Kettering office, Maria Garvey has joined as a Year Out Architectural Assistant, whilst Chartered Architect, Cathy Bailey, has joined the Milton Keynes office, along with Misbah Uddin, an Architectural Technologist. We would like to congratulate Chartered Architect, Tom Jagger, on being appointed as an Associate of the Practice. Congratulations also go out to Lindsey Cuoghi-Jackson for qualifying as a Chartered Architectural Technologist and becoming a Member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (MCIAT), and to Amric Manku, firstly for qualifying as a Chartered Architect and becoming a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and secondly on the birth of his son, Kuran Jai Singh Manku. At GSS we believe that our staff are the greatest contributors to our success and underpin our ability to deliver our goal: to produce creative design which provides cost-effective results that exceed our clients expectations. the sector. We are proud that 34% of our workforce is female, working in various roles throughout the practice, and are dedicated to increasing equal prospects for all, giving everyone the same chance to grow and succeed. As recognised Investors in People, we continue to offer educational and training opportunities to all staff. Across all of our offices, GSS currently has 13 staff members either undertaking year-out placements, studying part-time to become fully qualified, or on apprenticeship schemes or work experience, working within Architecture, Architectural Technology, Quantity Surveying, Graphics Design, ICT, and Business Administration. In addition to those currently training, GSS has recently had three staff members qualify as Architects and become members of the RIBA, and one staff member qualify as a Chartered Architectural Technologist and become a member of MCIAT, all after completing part-time courses which were supported by GSS. Furthermore, staff regularly attend GSS organised internal and external seminars to keep up-to-date with changing regulations and requirements and technological advancements within the industry. GSSArchitecture are delighted to announce the appointment of Anna McTaggart as a Partner of the Practice, based at their Northamptonshire Head Office. Anna is a Chartered Architect with over 20 years experience. Combining design ability and communication skills with a detailed practical knowledge of construction and job-running, she has worked within a range of sectors, including education, sports and leisure, commercial, and scientific research. Originally from Nairn in Scotland, Anna studied architecture at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating, Anna worked in Glasgow for many years before moving to work in London. Anna joined GSSArchitecture five years ago in 2012. In 2015, she was made as an Associate of the Practice, and has led teams to deliver many highly successful developments. Anna is currently running projects at Nottingham Trent University and Corby Technical School. Anna is married to James and has two daughters, and is involved in local community activities. Senior Partner, David Allsop said, We are very pleased that Anna has agreed to become a Partner of GSSArchitecture. Anna will be the first female Partner since the Practice was founded in 1879. The recent Women in Construction campaign highlighted that the UK construction industry is still predominantly perceived as male dominated, with women making up around only 12.8% of employees in Speaking of her new position, Anna added I am delighted to become a partner at GSSArchitecture. They are a great team of people and I shall enjoy the challenges that my new role brings. Summer Event We recently had our team building summer event at Doncaster Races. We were hosted in the Royal Box for the day, and representatives from each of our offices were honoured to present the trophy for the Queen s winning horse, Learn By Heart, in the second race of the day. It was a truly enjoyable and successful day, bringing together the teams from all of our five offices. (L-R) Evie Rowles, Chelsea Holgate, David Allsop, Simon Rennison-Rae, Paul Blanch and Sam Manser
Midsummer Reception We recently hosted our annual Midsummer Reception at The Orangery, Barton Hall Hotel. During the event, we were joined by many of our clients and contacts to thank them for their continued support over the years, and we look forward to welcoming them back next year. The event also gave us the opportunity to showcase our 3D capabilities, as we gave an interactive virtual reality demonstration, highlighting a range of projects that have been designed and developed by the practice. The virtual reality environment provides an engaging medium that allows clients and interested parties to develop a greater understanding of the design and aesthetic of a space, much more so than traditional architectural plan can provide. It can be shared on a variety of mainstream platforms, from YouTube and Facebook, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and inexpensive VR headsets, allowing for multiple user engagement and providing a wider outreach than solutions that rely on expensive dedicated technology. The past year has been very positive for GSS in our sustainable growth plans, and since the last event in 2016, we have worked on over 200 projects across the country. Cyber Essentials PLUS Achieved We have successfully been accredited with the government-backed, Cyber Essentials PLUS certification, following a rigorous assessment process. The Cyber Essentials scheme comes in two levels, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials PLUS, and is designed to improve the resilience of UK businesses against the most common cyber security threats, and is now mandatory when bidding for government work. The scheme requires companies to implement five key controls: secure configuration, boundary firewalls and internet gateways, access control and administrative privilege management, patch management, and malware protection. Our defences against cyber-attack were tested and accredited by external certifying body the BSI Group. The practice successfully met the criteria to achieve the considerably more demanding Cyber Essentials PLUS accreditation, demonstrating our commitment to meeting the highest possible standards of security. The Cyber Essentials PLUS certification complements our Integrated Management System which also includes, Environmental Management System, Quality Management System, Occupational Health and Safety Management System, and Investors in People. Partner, Jonathan Hunter said, This is an important step forward for our practice, and means that our valued clients can continue working with us, having the utmost confidence that project details and their data are safe and secure in our care. GSSArchitecture Three Peaks Challenge A team of 20 from GSS will be tackling the National Three Peaks Challenge on 9th September this year, in aid of Ewing s Sarcoma Research. This challenge is described as one of the toughest in the UK, conquering the three highest mountains of Scotland, England and Wales - Ben Nevis (1,345m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1,085m) - all in the space of 24 hours! To support the team please visit our Virgin Money Giving page at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/gss
London s New Studios Acting as Architects and Lead Consultants, GSSArchitecture have successfully delivered two new studio schools in London, with Farrans Construction. Studio schools operate a new approach to learning, which includes teaching through industry-led enterprise projects and work placements to offer a range of academic and vocational qualifications. The first project, Space Studio West London, accommodates 300 students, aged 14-18, and specialises in Space, Aerospace, Science and Maths. The Space Studio replicates a set of research buildings, including a mixture of laboratories, engineering workshops, food technology suites, and gym facilities, as opposed to a traditional school layout. The contemporary design also incorporates open plan elements, such as central free learning and social spaces, with a new café. The second project, Logic Studio School in Feltham accommodates 300 students, aged 14-19, and specialises in Computer Technologies and International Business. The development includes a front extension, to provide a new main entrance and circulation space to the first floor. Additionally, internal spaces have been remodelled in order to meet the new curriculum. The modern and unique design incorporates contemporary workspaces, as well as traditional teaching spaces, to prepare students for their professional careers. 30m Courtyard Residential Project Complete The University of Hull s new student residences, located at the Cottingham Road Campus, are complete and are now fully occupied by students. The 30m scheme, known as The Courtyard, provides 565 bed spaces, including standard rooms, deluxe rooms and rooftop studio apartments with roof terraces, together with living, social and learning spaces. The scheme also includes a large social space, named the Social Hub, which provides a collection of facilities to encourage social interaction and engagement with the wider University. This area comprises features such as a MasterChef style kitchen, a cinema space, games areas and a quiet reading room. The design concept focused significantly on the student experience and was based on up-to-date research undertaken by the team into the current needs and demands of the student population. Therefore, the design adopts a Scandinavian approach in its appearance, resulting in a highly contemporary and modern aesthetic which, confirmed through our research, appeals to the students most likely to attend the University of Hull. Externally, a number of green flat roofs provide an attractive appearance for the overlooking accommodation. GSSArchitecture were appointed by the University to provide a one-stop-shop service and lead the design team to deliver a complex development at the heart of a live university campus.
Flagship City Centre Offices Hope Street Xchange has been successfully completed and is now fully operational. The new 11m hybrid business hub, run by the University of Sunderland, is located in the heart of Sunderland City Centre and provides bespoke, cutting-edge research facilities to support the development of new business ideas and improvements in industrial processes. The state-of-the-art building has been skilfully designed by GSSArchitecture to combine old and new, as the iconic Grade II Listed Swan building has been sensitively refurbished and paired with a large new modern expansion. As a contemporary workspace for a community of innovation-led businesses, Hope Street Xchange offers 3,500sqm of floor space, with 30 flexible offices and 7 workshops. The hub also features conference and event spaces, FabLab Sunderland and the Enterprise Place which nurture students and graduates to become future entrepreneurs. FabLab Sunderland is the first of its kind in the North East, and is packed with an array of 3D printers, Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, scanners, and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, which allow entrepreneurs, small businesses, students and schools to experiment with new products, and provide the support and expertise to bring them to the commercial market. The potential range of end users means that one of the key requirements of the centre was to ensure that the building layout facilitates future flexibility, to respond to a diverse range of needs for any type of enterprise without compromising the key design features of the building. Additionally, GSS were also appointed to undertake the design and development of the landscaping masterplan for this city centre regeneration..
Award Winning Research Labs Award winning in the Integration and Collaborative Working category of the Constructing Excellence in the North East Awards, The Institute of Cellular Medicine (ICM) Inflammation and Immunology Research Laboratory, located in the heart of Newcastle, has been successfully completed and is now fully operational. The new facility provides modern, open plan research laboratory spaces with associated tissue culture laboratories, advanced equipment, and cold and dark rooms. The new research laboratory is set to allow ICM researchers to explore cutting-edge scientific developments, enable the delivery of novel immunotherapies in local clinics, and attract leading scientists to the Faculty of Medical Sciences. This development was highly complex and exceptionally fast-paced, comprising the remodelling and refurbishment of two levels within the six-storey William Leech Building. GSS were appointed during March 2016 to provide a one-stop-shop service, based on their expertise in this type of project and their ability to deliver projects to extremely demanding timescales, and the project was handed over to the end users in December 2016. Professor Barry Hirst of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University said, The new open plan laboratory is of the highest quality required to deliver outstanding research of the highest international quality. News in Brief Construction of the new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) at Durham University has been successfully completed, and is now in full use by Collingwood College s students and sports teams. The new MUGA provides an all-weather surface to accommodate a variety of sporting activities and has been designed to allow multiple, concurrent sports activities to take place. The major restoration works to Sol House have been successfully completed. The development involved the sensitive refurbishment of the existing multi-storey building to provide high-end commercial office suites and flexible communal breakout areas. The scheme also comprised the introduction of a new main entrance and reception area to enhance the visitor arrival experience. GSS have been commissioned to assist in the preparation of a bid to secure Stage 2 Heritage Lottery Funding for the restoration of Mrs Smith s Cottage Museum, in Navenby. The museum displays artefacts and information relating to the life of Mrs Smith (the last resident of the cottage) in a rural village from the Edwardian period to the late 20th century, offering a glimpse into life in a bygone age. Partners Offices Chartered Architects Quantity Surveyors Lead Consultant David Allsop BA DipArch RIBA William Assheton BA(Hons) BArch RIBA AABC Ian Bray BSc(Hons) MRICS Jonathan Hunter BA(Hons) ArchTech MCIAT MCIOB FFB Thomas Lyons BA DipArch DipAP RIBA Michael Magri BA(Hons) DipArch RIBA Anna McTaggart MA MArch DipArch RIBA 35 Headlands Kettering Northamptonshire NN15 7ES T: 01536 513 165 North Warehouse The Tower Studio Fourth Avenue, Hornbeam Park Harrogate HG2 8QT T: 01423 815 121 Exchange House Practice Administrator Mary Lally BA(Hons) FInstAM Gloucester Docks Gloucester GL1 2EP 494 Midsummer Boulevard Milton Keynes MK9 2EA Associates Ben Asbury BA(Hons) MArch PGDip RIBA Chris Chapman MCIAT Tom Jagger BArch MArch PGDip RIBA Simon Rennison-Rae BA(Hons) DipArch RIBA Paul Vega BSc(Hons) CEnv FCIOB T: 01452 525 019 Hoults Yard Walker Road Newcastle NE6 2HL T: 0191 389 8917 T: 01908 255 620 www.gssarchitecture.com gss@gotch.co.uk @gssarchitecture Published: July 2017