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(UPDATED AUGUST 2011) |
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UPDATES ON RECENT PROJECTS |
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| Solar Panels at Offwell |
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| Planning permission has been granted for an array of ground mounted solar panels in the AONB, with surplus electricity feed to the National Grid. |
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| Farm Diversification - Flat Racing |
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| Planning permission granted for conversion of redundant modern steel framed agricultural building to 14 stables, an office and staff facilities; together with a 2 km gallop. |
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| NEW BUILD - Commercial Bee/Honey Farm, Devon |
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The initiative for this project came from Ken and Dan Basterfield (father and son). Ken having many years experience and a well respected figure in the bee-keeping community.
This being a ‘greenfield’ site in the AONB necessitated a compelling case to be presented to the Planning Authority to justify the granting of permission.
The design needed to be efficient, cost effective and incorporate ‘state of the art’ facilities for modern production and processing of bee products. The finalised buildings were recognised as a ‘text book’ example of commercial bee farming set up, resulting in it becoming the hub of bee keeping associations in the South West. |
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The project comprises three buildings, each of 24m x 12m, together with an 'agricultural workers dwelling'. The enterprise will initially comprise 480 'on and off site' beehives, producing 12 tonnes of honey, 300kg of pollen and 1 ton of beeswax per annum
Left: Completed commercial bee farm buildings including extracting room, honey production and storage building and laboratory/classroom.
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| Putting Art in Architecture - Project for Colyton Youth and Community Centre: |
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In the majority of instances the art in architecture is that of the design of the building itself being the art form. However, in many instances this can prove expensive where the circumstances dictate a very simple cost-effective structure. Nevertheless, with a little imagination there is the opportunity to utilise a very plain rectangular building as a blank canvas. |
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We were provided with an opportunity of this nature when designing the new building that will serve as a pre-school, scouts and youth centre in Colyton, Devon. |
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ELEVATION TOWARDS PLAYING FIELD |
ELEVATION VIEWED FROM TOWN |
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Practical design considerations included: very low window sill heights for toddlers and varying sill heights for other age groups, positions of entrance and exit doors and a simple economic form of construction. The resulting sketch design was influenced by Kandinski and Mondrian.
Hopefully this should provide a building that is interesting, intriguing, welcoming and above all, despite its simple form, have an individual identity projecting the uses of the building by the youngsters. Construction is now virtually complete. |
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| INTERIOR OF YOUTH/COMMUNITY CENTRE |
ELEVATION FROM PLAYING FIELD |
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FRONT ELEVATION |
ROAD ELEVATION |
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| Conversion and Re-use of Redundant Farm Buildings: |
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Conversion of 19th century 'model' Farm buildings in Dorset, together with 122 acres of pasture, arable land and extensive woodlands for a new business project for a Hong Kong based client who is seeking to establish a European base. |
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| Conversion of Three Grade II Listed Barns. |
'Hoppin's Barns' consists of a range of 2-storey barns arranged in a U-shape about a large courtyard. These date back from the 'high-farming' period 1840 - 1870. These beautifully built barns constructed of cob walls with brick quoins under a slate roof, had been redundant for a number of years. Whilst they were structurally sound, they were very much in need of restoration or adaptation to a use which would help preserve their future; in this case 'live to work' units. This necessitated sympathetic design, both to preserve and enhance the character of the buildings, and balancing this with adaptation to bring the buildings up to current habitable standards.
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WORKS IN PROGRESS - EXTERIOR OF UNIT A |
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INTERIOR OF THRESHING BARN - TRADITIONAL COB BRICKS ARE STACKED BY WALL |
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| Recession |
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In the current financial climate, one of the options for mitigating the effects of a recession is that, when there are freehold premises, of seeking planning permissions for additional or alternative uses to uplift property value.
During the last recession in the 1990's, this practice was instructed by the South West Regional Debt Recovery Unit of a major high street bank, to seek planning consents where it had been necessary to foreclose on properties.
Ideally this situation is best avoided, wherever possible, through taking action at an early stage; even as a precautionary measure in the event of a significant downturn in the economy and as a result a businesses turnover. |
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