Progress for Tomorrow Ltd @180 The Strand

Work is progressing to the Tomorrow Offices at the Vinyl Factory’s 180 the Strand where Fleet have designed new headquarters for Italian Fashion Agency, Tomorrow Ltd.  The Office in the repurposed 1960s slab block is sited opposite the office Fleet also designed for Arts Media company Frieze.

The design plays on the inherited fabric of the building with painted blockwork walls, perp-end planters, splashes of colour on doors and generous planting including palms and cacti.  The overall impression, contracting to the September weather of London, references the sun baked domestic modernism of Palm Springs.

NHLF Visit to Peterson’s Smokehouse

As part of the gateway review of the NHLF and AHF funded Peterson’s Smokehouse project The Vicky Hartung of the Great Grimsby Ice House Trust hosted a visit and walk around the currently derelict Grade II listed smoke house in the historic Kasbah area of Great Grimsby Docks.

Both the Smokehouse and building 89 Wharncliffe Road, also part of the project, have been cleared of the considerable pigeon guano which had accumulated over the years and the narrow spaces addressing the smoke houses are now more apparent and  more of a sense of how they once functioned in the bustling fishing port.

Thankfully six of the historic cowls, which rotate to address the wind, have been found in the building, allowing for accurate replacements to be manufactured for the remaining 4 chimneys.

The next stage of the works will involve a range of opening up surveys to ascertain the condition of the timbers and then, finally a chance to get into the smokehouses.

The proposals Fleet have prepared with the team, including BB Heritage Studio, YOU&ME, Appleyard and Trew and SWECO will allow the re-opening of Peterson’s as a working Grimsby method fish smokery.   Building 89 will house a community café and act as the threshold for visits hosted at the Peterson’s.

The NHLF team were also taken to meet Patrick Salmon of Alfred Enderby’s, an existing working smokehouse with the Kasbah where samples of the famous produce were sampled.

HatHouse in Luton Prepares to Open its Doors

Fleet Architects, with YOU&ME, have been restoring and renovating a pair of historic Hat Factories in Luton’s Hat District.  The first of the projects, known as ‘Hathouse’, will be handed over this week in time for the new tenants to more into the workspaces carved out of this elegant 4 storey building.

The project is funded by SEMLEP and sits alongside the conversion of the grade II listed factory, HatWorks, funded by the NLHF.

Both projects are being undertaken on behalf of Luton Culture, a charity based in the town providing museum, library and education services across the borough.

Official photos to follow.

Designing for a Client with Cerebral Palsy

Designing for a Client with Cerebral Palsy

Fleet have recently submitted a planning proposal to redesign a family home in North Kent including improvements to the circulation, rooms sizes, flows, and the inclusion of therapy spaces to support the care and development of a young boy, one of a pair of identical twins, born with a diagnosis of  quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

His condition will require ongoing medical and therapeutic intervention and the refurbished and extended house will be adapted to meet these needs. The condition means he has abnormal muscle tone and strength, as well as sensory impairments.  At present he is completely dependent on his family and equipment in order to move, develop and participate in play.

He will benefit greatly from therapy, which is carried out for 3-5 hours a day by his family in the relatively confined spaces of the family home. These encompass Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy as well as other Motor and Sensory Therapies.  He requires this very high level of input to maximise his developmental potential and this is vital both in the early years and on an ongoing basis.

Care and development models for cerebral palsy emphasise that early intervention can make a significant difference to development and quality of life.

Therapy must be delivered in an area with adequate room for equipment, a challenge in a conventional detached family home.  Care also requires a quiet, discrete area to promote concentration, with acoustics and natural lighting to compliment this.  Care of a child with cerebral palsy requires many pieces of medical equipment, which will be used daily. These include specialised seating, a standing frame, walker, chairs, therapy benches and sensory equipment.  At present he has the smallest size of each, but these will need to be replaced with much larger sizes as he grows and the storage is designed (maximised) to allow for this.  The ongoing care requires space for a plinth and mobile hoist for transfers as well as enough space on the floor for mat work.

The most significant addition to the home is a therapy pool.  Hydrotherapy allows freedom to move and play in the water.  Hydrotherapy pools are available to book through NHS services but access is limited and varies by location.  Having access to a pool at home will allow the cardiovascular exercise that is required to keep healthy. Children with cerebral palsy often lack the opportunity to keep cardiovascularly fit and this places them at much greater risk of chest infections including pneumonia. With the effects of gravity altered by utilising the properties of warm water, a child with Cerebral Palsy can stretch through their trunk and limbs, with the benefits reducing the risk for surgical musculoskeletal intervention at a later date.

Critically hydrotherapy is an activity that is enjoyed by the whole family and has benefits both physically and psychologically for everyone.  The time and degree of care demanded is significant and the freedom to relax and enjoy the shared time in the pool is universally beneficial. Community pools are often not warm enough for these vulnerable children to use for the time required to carry out the therapy programme. Due to his limited movement, he requires specialised changing facilities for his temperature control and comfort which are allowed for in our design.

Our client is currently at a weight where he can be carried by his parents, he will require a hoist for transfers in the future. It will not be possible for him to sleep upstairs without inserting a platform lift, both expensive and space consuming. Our plans include a bedroom, wet room and therapy room at ground floor interconnected and accessed by a ceiling hoist. To allow for the hoist, the ceiling height is considered and has governed some fundamental decisions and arrangements.

This extension and the facilities within, we hope, will give our client the opportunity to participate in activities, keep fit and heathy, and develop to his greatest potential and it is an extremely rewarding project to work on.

This article has been prepared using information supplied by  Emma Cave, a professional therapist currently engaged in the care of our Client.

Frieze Move into The Vinyl Factory @ 180 The Strand

The building owned by The Vinyl Factory also hosts IMG Models, Dazed and Confused Magazine, Fashion Agency Tomorrow Ltd and the acclaimed Store X Café.

The project was a collaboration with furniture designers Simon Jones Studio with the desking and shelving being supplied by Hay, using the New Order 2.0 system.

The layout of the floor, proposed a re-imagining of the Burolandschaft where flexible neighborhoods and private work and meeting spaces are spread around the floor to encourage and enable both group and individual working.

Official photos to follow (these snaps are form the snagging before the Erco Compar lights were installed).

Arts Media company Frieze have moved into their new offices at 180 The Strand

Clapton Girls’ Academy X Fleet Architects Part 2

Hot on the heels of Doris from @ClaptonGA last week @fleetarchitects have been hosting a visit by Fiore Razzak who prepared a spatial briefing diagram for a Consulting/Examination room for a new GP practice in Lower Clapton. Here’s the wonderful result: #healthcarearchitecture #nhs #hackney #giraffe #cow #nowthatsbiophelia #architectsofthefuture

Work Experience with Clapton Girls Academy

Doris Imafidon has been with Fleet Architects this week for work experience, as a year 12 student from Clapton Girls Academy she has been developing a brief for the relocation of a local GP practice culminating in a spatial briefing diagram for the waiting area.

1 week.  No prior experience.  Very little tutoring. Well done Doris!  We look forward to welcoming another student from Clapton Girls next week!

Margate’s Much Loved Fort Road Hotel Gains Planning

Fleet and the Fort Road Hotel Ltd team have been working closely with Thanet District Council to finalise proposals for the refurbishment and extension of the historic Hotel which overlooks the Turner Contemporary gallery from its clifftop seat in Margate, Kent.

The scheme adds a deliberately simple and sober contemporary floor to the building, complementing but not mimicking the existing fabric which will be sensitively restored, as befitting of the building which has been long mooted for listing.

The building sits within the Margate Central conservation area and occupies a prominent location, it’s historic, sentimental and aesthetic importance to the grand seaside town is unquestionable having been speculated to have been patronised by JMW Turner.

The restored Fort Road Hotel will open in the late 2020 and will offer simple lodging rooms with views of Margate’s spectacular sunsets maximised. The entrance floor will be restored to offer a dining and shared lounge space.  The works will begin imminently.

Jaime Bishop, Fleet Director commented “ we are really pleased to have developed a proposal which is both modern but also sympathetic, we are very grateful for the time and careful consideration the planning and conservation team have allowed the project”.

Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr Bob Bayford:

“The Fort Road Hotel (previously the Fort Castle Public House) is one of Margate’s oldest buildings and one of the last surviving buildings in the seafront area today that the artist JMW Turner would recognise.

“We are delighted that plans for a boutique hotel, restaurant and roof terrace have been approved for this iconic site. The proposals retain historic features, will enhance the provision of quality hotel accommodation in Margate and contribute positively to the economic development of the town.” 

The building was bought by compulsory purchase order in 2010 by Thanet District Council after the owner left the building in a state of disrepair. The hotel was last discussed by the previous Labour controlled council in 2015, where a £950,000 budget was agreed for the building to be converted into social housing for elderly council tenants. After pressing ahead with a marketing campaign to attract bidders, the authority argued at the time that a hotel or tourist attraction was not a viable option.

Described by many as an ‘Eyesore’ due to is dilapidated state, and previous plans to turn the derelict building into a boutique hotel having fallen through, the Fort Road Hotel was subsequently sold off on the open market and purchased by the new owners, Fort Road Hotel Ltd in 2018.

Design in Mental Health Network

Fleet Architects Director, Jaime Bishop, will be at Design in Mental Health Networks‘ exhibition at Architects for Health stand number 126 hosted at the Richoh Arena over the next 2 days if anyone wants to chat about how engaged Clients working with Architects can arrange all this very clever stuff into a building which is not only safe, but also therapeutic. #mentalhealth #nhs #health #AfH #architecture.

AfH would also like to thank furniture sponsor Teal for the loan of the Roku chairs and table made from recycled plastic waste.

Something Fishy…

Fleet Architects and  BB Heritage Studio are excited to have been selected to undertake a development appraisal and business planning in support of a transformational regeneration project in the historic ‘Kasbah’ area of the Port of Grimsby.

Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust, North East Lincolnshire Council, and the landlord Associated British Ports Ltd are developing ambitious plans for the conservation and restoration of the Petersons Smokehouse building to create a fully operating smokehouse with an associated retail outlet.

Vicky Hartung, Chair of Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust said “After nine years advocating for Grimsby’s fishing heritage buildings, we can’t wait to get started on the development phase of the Peterson’s Project, and look forward very much to working with Fleet Architects and BB Heritage Studio.”

Jaime Bishop of Fleet Architects said “This is a great opportunity to add to our expanding portfolio of urban regeneration projects using historic industrial buildings. It follows on perfectly from our ongoing work in the Luton Hat District. We will continue our collaboration with You&Me who do a brilliant job with Stakeholder Engagement, and we are thrilled to be working with BB Heritage Studio who have a wealth of conservation experience and will be responsible for authoring the Conservation Management Plan. We also have Tim Kershaw on the team, he grew up in Grimsby and brings local knowledge and a lifelong fascination with the potential of the fish docks area.

It is marvellous to be involved in the first project of (hopefully) many in the Kasbah. We’ll pull out all the stops to ensure the satisfaction of the stakeholders, maximise the chances of securing funding, and stand ourselves in good stead for further work in this fascinating area”

Bernadette Bone of BB Heritage Studio said “We are really delighted to be working in collaboration with the project team to unlock the potential of Peterson’s Smokehouse.  We’ve seen first-hand how the revitalising of our industrial heritage can enable significant regeneration.  We are very much looking forward to being part of this journey in Grimsby and working to enable this unique heritage to breathe new life into the Kasbah area.”The Development Appraisal is funded by The Architectural Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.