Meet the Team: Jeremy Pilling

“Sky” Photographs taken by Jeremy

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September is a special month here at gcp as it marks the company’s birthday! This year is our 32nd anniversary and to celebrate we will be reflecting on past staff events over on social media.

As part of this celebration, we have conducted Director-interviews to add to our meet-the-team series. First up is Jeremy Pilling, Architect and Managing Director who, since completing his professional qualifications in 1984, has lived and worked in the Bristol area.  Jeremy has a wide network of local contacts and was a Council Member for the Avon Branch of the RIBA between 1992 and 1998.

Jeremy worked for eight years with JT Design and Build, a Bristol based construction company specialising in development through Design and Build.  This experience provided Jeremy with an excellent understanding of commercial design and cooperative working between design and construction teams.

In 1987 Jeremy founded gcp Chartered Architects with Graham Carruthers, initially established in Bath. Jeremy has led the company through its growth, incorporation in 1994 and relocation to Bristol in 1998.  Jeremy is the senior Director and majority shareholder of the company with principle responsibility for financial and business management.

Jeremy has delivered a wide range of projects, managing complex developments through all project stages. Jeremy is passionate about finding new uses for redundant buildings and giving tired buildings a new lease of life. He is particularly knowledgeable about planning regulations and has helped to achieve consents on some complex and sensitive sites in a range of settings.

Jeremy is always keen to consider multiple options for a project weighing up their relative feasibility in terms of cost benefit, whilst striving to achieve the best possible outcomes in terms of the quality and practicality of the design.  Sometimes the solution may be to challenge the problem and rewrite the brief. Frequently his advice has been to reorganise a building or a site in a smarter way, build less from scratch and achieve a viable solution well within a budget.

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Morning Jeremy. Considering your impressive CV and professional experience, not to mention leading gcp for 32 years I think it would be difficult to capture everything in one interview! Today I’d like people reading this to get to know you a little better on a personal level, so could we begin by hearing about what inspired you to pursue architecture?

My dad was a local authority planner and being an architect was the only thing I wanted to do from the age of about 14 apart from be a footballer of course!

And apart from professional footballer, if you weren’t an architect, what would you be?

Rich – Ha ha!

Well you managed a smile from me, self-confessed hater of cheesy jokes, so perhaps comedian might have been an option as well! Why don’t you tell me some of the things you like to do in your spare time.

Playing golf, learning to play the piano, skiing, swimming, cycling, drinking, cooking and gardening and I do like seeing new places – sorry – I wish I had some more spare time!

Fantastic. My favourite thing to ask in these interviews is “tell me something we might not know about you” – do you think you could?

I collect cigarette cards and have nearly thirty thousand of them.

Wow. This one gets me every time. Considering I’ve worked alongside you for twelve years now, spending most of that time sitting in the same section maybe I need to start paying more attention!

As much as I like the jokes and fun facts, I hope you don’t mind if I ask a few more serious questions about your time in charge of gcp. I’d really like to hear about a favourite project that you’ve worked on to date.

There have been so many projects that I have really enjoyed but probably Lisson Grove Medical Centre in Plymouth in the 1990s. Life was a bit simpler then!

I can agree with that – I was still at school then (and it’s not often I get to say that, believe me !). Moving on quickly before I get a pencil thrown in my direction, what’s your proudest personal achievement?

Not quite a personal achievement but I am proudest of my children and their strength and independence.

Lovely and it’s thirty-two years old for the company this year – older than your children. How has gcp changed over the years?

 It is better organised and has developed systems which allow staff to work efficiently and to their strengths.

And what has been your best moment at gcp in the last year?

Resolving the roof construction at Swindon Town Football Foundation pavilion and a staff ‘camping’ weekend away down in Devon.

I’ll link out to the Swindon Drone footage for anyone who’d like to see the complex shape of the pavilion. As for the staff camping pictures – check out our Instagram page for fixed social stories.

It’s been a colourful 30 years. Looking forward for a moment, where do you see the future of the practice?

I am going to work hard to usher in employee ownership in 2020 and believe the business has now developed a core strength which will enable it to thrive irrespective of minor or temporary vagaries of the market.

Thanks Jeremy, I couldn’t agree more. We really have a strong, diverse and dedicated team here and I think we are all looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings. I won’t keep you for much longer, but maybe before you go you could tell us what you are looking forward to in the next year? 

Seeing my daughter move into her first house, manage the transition to employee ownership and plans to visit New York and New England again next September.

Exciting! To finish – and this is a tough one considering there will be lots to choose from – could you share a special memory or moment from your time at gcp? 

Probably the effort everyone put into our 30th year events in 2017 but over the years definitely the people who I have had the pleasure of working with – you know who you are!

Lovely, what a nice thing to end on. It really sums up what is at the heart of our successful team, the people who we work with and the relationships we have forged over the years.  

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As part of the interview, Jeremy was asked to pick three, favourite and  iconic projects that he’s worked on. He chose:

Junction 3, a regeneration scheme comprising a new library, crèche, work space units, apartments and houses. The bold shapes and bright colours brought a new lease of life to the area which had suffered from neglect.

He chose this because it was very challenging to build but a huge achievement and the project went on to win several awards. 

Filwood Green Business Park was designed by Stride Treglown through to planning stage and then we took on technical design stage working for Midas Construction. This is one of Jeremy’s favourites because of what the building provides - small units for start-up businesses where they can develop and grow.

Jeremy’s final choice was Bristol Water HQ.

Bristol Water’s offices were in desperate need of refurbishment when we were instructed. gcp’s relationship with Bristol Water goes back to 1999 when we embarked on the design of a new fishing lodge at Chew Valley Lake. The relationship continued and in 2010 we were asked to prepare a feasibility for a refurbishment of the head office building. 

The iconic 1960s office building was revived with a new extension, over-cladding of the existing envelope and full internal refurbishment. On completion, two hundred network staff joined their colleagues under the same roof for the first time to enjoy the stunning new facilities.

This is one of Jeremy’s favourite projects because it is the perfect example of recycling old buildings and creating something new and improved. The finished article is hugely successful.

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Meet the Team: Esther Brown

Esther joined gcp in 2017 after completing her Part 2 studies in Canterbury and moving back home to Bristol. Prior to this, Esther worked in a global practice in Bristol, gaining experience on large, multidisciplinary projects. She also had the opportunity to work in UAE and Qatar on large, fast-paced Rail projects developing her Revit skills greatly.

Esther is currently at the University of the West of England completing her Professional Practice qualification to become a fully qualified Architect. She is hoping to qualify in 2019.

This month marks Esther’s second-year anniversary at gcp, so what better time to ask her a little more about herself.

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So Esther, by now you know the format! Tell us, what inspired you to pursue architecture?

I always liked designing, creating and rebuilding. From a really young age I started redesigning my bedroom and rearranging my furniture!  

If you weren’t training to become an architect, what would you be doing? 

Although I’ve always wanted to be an architect, I have also loved the idea of joining the police force. 

What’s your favourite project that you’ve worked on to date? 

I would probably say Malvern as it my first opportunity to really understand the construction side of the project and get to see the progress as it is being built. 

Also favourite non-project is setting up the Instagram account with the Media team. 

Esther has been instrumental in getting gcp’s Instagram account up and running this year. Her boundless enthusiasm really shows on our account. Check it out here. 

So what’s been your best moment at gcp in the last year?  

Being able to wear my Santa onesie to work on the last day before Christmas! 

(Photographs NOT available, unfortunately!) Moving on … tell us about a happy moment from your personal life. 

Meeting my nephew when he was just a day old. 

Ahh! We love seeing all the cute pictures and videos you take of him here in the office!  

Tell us something we might not know about you? What do you like to do in your spare time? 

I like to learn instruments. So far I’ve taught myself drums, guitar, bass, ukulele, banjolele and I’m currently learning the piano and harmonica. 

Wow. You really have surprised me with that! Thanks Esther, it’s been a pleasure. Just to wrap up, how about you tell us about a favourite place you’ve visited? 

I went to do a volunteer house build project in Costa Rica which was amazing then travelled around the country after. It has some stunning beaches and lots of cute monkeys and sloths.

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Esther has worked on a wide range of housing jobs whilst with gcp including West Road, Lympsham; Station Road, Brent knoll; Malvern and of course, Corbet Close, which was featured this week on Instagram.

Outside of her architectural work, Esther is a prominent member of the media team and, along with Sarah Makroum, instigator of weekly volleyball matches and daily five-to-four quizzes!

August has been a busy month for staff interviews and we’re not done yet! Keep an eye on our blog for what’s to come.

The Willows, Corbet Close

Over the past few years, we have been working with Curo on 2 projects in Lawrence Weston, helping them develop 185 new homes over the next few years. Century Park, Henacre will provide 128 new homes of which 30% will be affordable and The Willows will provide 57, 100% affordable homes.

We are thrilled that planning for the Willows, originally known as Corbet Close, was granted last month (July) after a long planning process.

The development, split over three connected parcels of land, contains a mix of houses and apartments and includes unused office space which will be converted to residential use. The Willows brings a unique identity with the use of coloured panels around entrances and bay windows. The office building, which sits in the middle, is to be reclad to visually tie the new accommodation together. 

The Willows, Corbet Close - Entrance

Esther has worked on the project for 18 months. Here is what she says about her time on the project and the issues the team faced.

Most architecture practices will understand there is always one project in the office that has been running for years, with changes in size and brief, with almost every member of staff having worked on it at some point. This was one of those schemes, but in 2017, a brief was finalised when Curo agreed the purchase of the 3rd parcel of land, finally defining the size of the project.  

This was one of the first schemes I started on when I joined gcp and, although there have been some ups and downs, I have loved seeing the project through, and so pleased to have finally received planning. I had never quite understood the complexity a project like this brings and the time it would take from submitting a design to getting an approval 11 months later. 

I believe there were two main constraints that defined the scheme. Firstly, we needed to ensure the development was unified, using similar materials and detailing to give a connected character across the three sites. The other main constraint was to  integrate the surrounding public realm and existing footpath through the site into a development that aimed to produce a high-density of new homes on a restricted site. The site is bounded on one side by a busy main road and on the other by a narrow street; Corbet Close, which is a main route to the local primary school. The local neighbourhood planning group, Ambition Lawrence Weston, also stressed their desire for houses in preference to apartments.  This gave us a lot to consider and some conflicting requirements to resolve in a constrained site.

Through innovative design, we achieved a mix of accommodation with houses and maisonettes on one parcel, refurbished apartments in the old office building, and apartments and maisonettes on the final parcel of land. We widened the existing narrow public footpath that runs through the centre of the site to form a landscaped ‘pedestrian street’ creating a safer, more attractive route for pedestrians. We are really happy with the finished design which creates an exciting new pedestrian route and uses colour and materials to unify the three sites whilst maintaining their separate characters.

As with most of our projects, working with the local community is an important part of the planning process. gcp supported a number of consultations with local community and the neighbourhood planning group, endeavouring to respond to the concerns that people have when new development is proposed. Whilst there were concerns over highways issues and traffic generation, the community was also strongly in favour of more affordable homes, particularly as the scheme will include a number of shared-ownership homes that offer affordable routes to home ownership.

The Willows, Corbet Close - Road View

Colin, a director at gcp, was lead on both this project and Century Park.

It was good to work with Curo on these projects – they are one of our most long-standing clients and their aspiration for these sites is to deliver high quality designs that make a positive contribution to the local area. Having a client with high expectations of the design team is a great starting point and makes our job more satisfying.

My favourite part of the Willows will be the new pedestrian street.  The first time I walked through the existing path, I thought what it would have been like if my children had to use this route to get to school. It felt narrow, enclosed and on a dull day would be dark and uninviting. The new street we have developed will be wider, more open and overlooked and will incorporate landscape, public art and places to sit and chat.  I think this will be a lovely space and provide a connection where both the new and existing community can meet.  

The Willows, Corbet Close - Maisonettes

Meet the Team: Jon Briscoe

We’ve mentioned before how incredibly proud we are that over half of our team have been at the company ten years or more; there are so many benefits to having skills and relationships built over this period of time – we think that makes this office a welcoming place for our new starters and apprentices, many of whom go on to join the ranks (we have a further 4 members of staff in the five to ten year bracket).

There is another special anniversary at gcp this month, as we take a few moments to celebrate the hugely impressive 19-year work anniversary of Jon Briscoe, who did his year out at gcp in 1997.

Jon studied at Liverpool University and joined gcp following his graduation in 2000. He has worked as an architect since completing his qualification in 2002.

Jon combines his role as an architect with managing gcp Consulting, a separate entity within the overall practice. gcp Consulting provides the knowledge and understanding needed to deliver sustainable low energy buildings, that meet the compliance requirements of funders and local authorities. As our lead assessor, Jon provides energy advice to clients, prepares SAP assessments for statutory compliance and prepares energy strategies to meet Local Authority targets for reductions in energy demand and carbon emissions.

Jon has also completed training to deliver Principal Designer services to meet the requirements of CDM 2015 Health & Safety Regulations.

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I think the introduction speaks for itself Jon, you really have achieved so much during your time with us. It would be really nice if you could answer a few questions about your life, career and time with gcp. Let’s start with what inspired you to pursue architecture.

Dreaming of being an architect developed out of my childhood enjoyment of drawing.

And if you weren’t an architect, what would you be?

I always fancied being a travel writer in the style of Bill Bryson. Although theme park design also sounds like a lot of fun.

That does sound fun! Maybe we should add a theme park design challenge to our staff events calendar. But on a more serious note – a 22 year association with gcp is a long time; do you think you could tell us a bit about how the office has evolved in that time?

Although some of the people are the same, the way we work has changed. When I first joined there were still some drawing boards in use and for a while the office’s only internet connection and e-mail account was through the computer I was working on. We also used to work until 6pm because that was when the pub opened.

Nowadays we try save the pub for special occasions, or Fridays.

So, in all your time at gcp, what has been your favourite project to work on?

For my favourite project I would have to pick the refurbishment of Fairfield Park Health Centre.

I’ve been doing this for a while now and I must say, I find the favourite project choices really interesting. On a more personal level, do you think you could tell me a bit about your time out in Australia?

I took a break from the world of work in 2007/8 to explore Australia and New Zealand. Of all the experiences, from cleaning out koala enclosures, snorkelling, or jumping out of an airplane, the most fun we had was enjoying life on the road in a campervan, especially if the days route took in a local vineyard!

Sounds brilliant, I’m always a bit jealous of your year out, it’s on my bucket list.

It’s been fantastic catching up Jon and hearing a bit more about your time at gcp. To finish up do you think you could tell us something we might not already know about you?

As a baseball fan I have enjoyed many trips to American ballparks, but was particularly excited to attend the two game series between the Red Sox and the Yankees in London this year.

Perfect. Pictures attached.

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Jon is a senior architect with experience working on projects in the residential, sports, education and health sectors. With involvement from initial scheme design through to completion on site, Jon has experience of working with clients, submitting planning applications, discharging planning conditions, complying with statutory regulations and working closely with contractors and consultants.

As part of his interest in sustainable design, Jon qualified as a Code for Sustainable Homes assessor, completed the transfer training for its successor, the Home Quality Mark, and is a certified SAP assessor. Extending this further Jon is accredited to prepare thermal bridging calculations.

Recently, Jon has been working predominantly in the residential sector. As a project leader he combines his architectural expertise and sustainable design knowledge to provide a design approach which delivers practical and sustainable housing solutions for Housing Association and private developer clients.

It really is a pleasure to celebrate our staff anniversaries and achievements, today is a particularly special one.

We have another staff interview coming next week and a special anniversary month in September, where we will celebrate gcp becoming another year older so keep an eye on our blog for interviews, images and reminiscing through our birthday month.

Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club

Located within the grounds of Frenchay Cricket Club, at the bottom of the M32, in Bristol, this scheme has been planned to develop a club room for Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club, which relocated to the site in 2015. The club room is needed to support the growing junior & senior memberships along with increasing diversity of tennis opportunities for all ages, abilities, & disabilities. The Club introduced the use of Clubspark both to manage membership, course bookings, & court bookings, & recently added non member Pay & Play options. The project would enable bad weather coaching to take place in the club room, using video technology as a coaching tool, a dry, warm area for visitors & parents to wait, a social area for all members to enjoy, & provide toilets & a small changing facility.

By working with Frenchay Cricket Club, the tennis club have devised a combined ‘off grid’ sustainable foul drainage solution that will serve both clubs.

It is anticipated a Planning Application will be submitted in Autumn 2019 after which time the club will prepare and submit capital funding applications to appropriate funding sources which include South Gloucestershire Council Section 106  funds.

Inspiring Generations: Parity in the Game

Parity in the game = driving up participation

In January 2019, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) unveiled the Inspiring Generations strategy. The strategy highlights key areas within the game where improvements could be made between 2020-24 to increase participation.

Of the six areas for improvement, the ‘biggest growth opportunity’ came from transforming women’s and girl’s cricket. The Inspiring Generations report identified that despite England Women winning the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup in Bristol, 35% of women questioned say “there is no cricket available for them”. Increasing numbers of women and girls are playing cricket recreationally, and whilst the desire exists, the infrastructure is frequently lacking.

In December 2018, gcp were appointed by the ECB to work on the first pilot Urban Cricket Centre in Leyton. The brief for this new cricket concept pilot was to embody the opportunities identified in both the Inspiring Generations strategy and the earlier South Asian Action Plan. One of the challenges facing gcp was to redesign an existing ‘male/ female’ changing facility to accommodate all genders taking account of any cultural sensitivities surrounding changing.

The Leyton Urban Cricket Centre pilot opened in July 2019, providing a new home for Essex Women’s XI as well as training facilities for many local schools and clubs.

First Urban Cricket Centre opens in Leyton

Leyton County Ground host the first in a series of new Urban Cricket Centres being planned be the England & Wales Cricket Board. Developed in association with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, new £1.7 million facility is the first of three pilots ahead of a roll out of up to create 20 new Urban Cricket Centres in major urban areas as part of the ECB’s 2020-2024 ‘Inspiring Generations’ strategy.

The ECB’s six-point strategy to secure the long-term future of the sport in England and Wales seeks to broaden the appeal of cricket to new audiences, transform women and girl’s cricket, inspire through our elite teams and support local communities.

gcp worked closely with the ECB on the development of the Urban Cricket Centre concept, before devising a site selection strategy to identify the first Urban Cricket Centre pilot site. The idea behind each centre is to increase the profile of the cricket to residents in city locations and attract greater diversity in the sport at grass roots level. A key element of the project is creating a space for the local community to socialise and engage with cricket in all its forms.

The Leyton Ground pilot involved the refurbishment of an existing 1905’s sports hall.  The design and construction of indoor cricket facilities has a focus on the flatness of the flooring; flicker free, high quality lighting and flexible configuration of netting all delivered to the exacting standard defined by the ECB. The aim was to create a first-class cricket centre in East London with the opportunities to play cricket in multiple formats. The project, commissioned in January 2019, was opened by Graham Gooch just over 6 months later, the day after the England vs Australia ODI match at Lords.

Watch Lord Kamlesh Patel bowling to former England batsman Graham Gooch at the opening of Leyton Urban Cricket Club.

The next Urban cricket centre pilots of likely to be in West Yorkshire and Birmingham.

Click here to read about the work we are doing at Bristol Cricket Centre.

Meet the Team: James Pilling

James joined gcp in 2013, part way through a 2-year HNC course at the City of Bristol College, where he studied Construction Management. Prior to this, James worked within the construction industry for over 12 years and holds thorough knowledge of the built environment with his time working on sites as a general builder.

James is currently studying at Oxford Brookes University where he is undertaking an Office-based Part 1 accreditation with the RIBA Studio. 

James is celebrating his six-year anniversary at gcp in August, so to celebrate we interviewed him for the blog!

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Hi James, we’ll jump right in with the big questions. What inspired you to pursue architecture? 

The opportunity to improve lives, wellbeing, communities and the built environment. I enjoy making more of existing spaces that currently do not work, you don’t always need more space to create better space. 

And If you weren’t an architectural assistant, what would you be? 

I’ve always played some sort of sport, so probably a sportsman but it’s so competitive, I’d like to be good at golf – as you also get to travel. I have a recent interest in photography so maybe something in that field. 

What’s your favourite project that you’ve worked on to date? 

My favourite project has probably been my current one, which is the new Pavilion building for Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation. We have a great design team, contractor and client, who are all different, but together work so well and most importantly have a good laugh doing it! 

You’ve been here six years now, but let’s hear about your best moment at gcp in the last year? 

Best moment would probably be finally gaining planning approval on the Oldbury Court Project – three years in the making! Although the opportunity to eat cake every Monday is always a good moment. 

James often brings in amazing homemade cake, so this seems like a good segue into a few personal questions. First up, what do you like to do in your spare time? 

I don’t have a huge amount of spare time as I’m doing my studies too, but when I do have five minutes I will most likely be working on the house (renovating our Victorian Terrace) or playing some sort of sport, Cricket mainly. 

What’s your proudest personal achievement? 

Cycling to Paris from my front door (in Bristol) last year was pretty cool, the beer under the Eiffel tower is the best beer I’ve ever had! 

Yikes! You do quite a bit of travelling, so what’s the top place you’ve visited? 

Hvar or Santorini, both beautiful places and some of the best food I’ve ever tasted!  

Okay, now I’m hungry. Thanks for your time today James, it’s been fun. Before we go, how about you tell us something we might not know about you? 

I hate olives, shouldn’t be allowed if you ask me. 

Time for lunch! 

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James (with a beer), under the Eiffel Tower

As mentioned above, over the last year or so James has been heavily involved in Foundation Park, the new Pavillion Building for Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation. Most recently, this work has expanded to writing blog posts about this project, creating display materials for it and attending networking events there, such as the WIP site visit. 

Keep your eye on our blog for more meeting the team posts over the next few weeks as we are celebrating several work anniversaries through August.

Bristol County Ground ready for T20 Series

Bristol Cricket Centre: photos of new indoor nets ready for T20 series

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The County Ground is being transformed in time for the new T20 series with street art by Silent Hobo and the launch of the Bristol Cricket Centre.

The transformation work is part of a package of initiatives to modernise facilities around the ground that includes the redevelopment of the indoor practice net facility and confirming Bristol as an international cricket venue. The indoor nets, rebranded as Bristol Cricket Centre, have been designed to the ECB’s international practice standard. The work for the County Ground is one of several cricket project gcp have supported during this fantastic summer for cricket, with our main commission working directly for the ECB in developing their Urban Cricket Centre concept.

Click here to read about the first Urban Cricket Centre opening in Leyton, another project gcp are working on for the ECB.

Meet the Team: Siobhán Tarr

Images taken by Siobhán of her adventures outside of the office

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We are incredibly proud that over half of our team have been at the company ten years or more; there are so many benefits to having skills and relationships built over this period of time – we think this makes this office a welcoming place for our new starters and apprentices, many of whom go on to join the ranks (we have a further 4 members of staff in the five to ten year bracket).

 Today we are taking a moment to celebrate the work anniversary of Architectural Technician Siobhán Tarr, who has been with gcp for eleven years.

Siobhán works primarily within the technical team of gcp Architects, predominantly within the Housing sector and has an in depth understanding of Design Standards, Regulations and the importance of how these interact with Client Requirements. She has extensive experience of working at technical design stage on a range of complex projects, preparing technical Planning submissions, Building Regulation packages and coordinating Construction Stage information.

She worked and trained within the design team for Sheltered Housing developers McCarthy and Stone for 5 years before joining gcp in 2008. Most recently she has completed her training to become a Domestic SAP and Energy Assessor, joining the gcp consulting team.

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There is so much I could say about your time here, but I think it would be best if you answered some questions in your own words! So, Siobhán if you weren’t an architectural technician, what would you be?

 I really wouldn’t want to be anything else; my friends think it’s weird that I genuinely love my job even if the week is filled with challenges and deadlines.  

 What’s your favourite project that you’ve worked on to date?

 Surprisingly, my favourite project has been Torpoint! This project had a lot of firsts, it was my first large project to manage, first time with a new client, first time with a new in-office team and my first project using Revit. That combined with a very complex topography meant that every day was a new challenge, with something to figure out and incorporate across the drawing package. The end result looked amazing and was really successful.

 What’s been your best moment at gcp in the last year? Or longer.

 Finally establishing our Revit standards – it took a long time but I’m really happy with what we’ve produced!

 So, 11 years is a long time, why do you think you’ve stayed with gcp all this time?

 I am not a job-hopping type - I like to settle in, build relationships and then grow – I don’t plan on leaving! I enjoy establishing my expected role and then learning new skills in order to broaden my own development whilst also being able to offer more to the team. The teams have changed a lot over my 11 years which brings new development opportunity which is always really exciting.

Having worked with you for all of that time Siobhán, I found that answer genuinely moving.

Back to the interview … what’s next for you?

I’m hoping to finally complete my chartership and become a Chartered Architectural Technologist – there have been a few stumbles in my application, but I think I’m almost there. Even in just researching the requirements, and joining the CIAT community, I have found so many amazing resources and potential topics to pursue in the future.  

Fantastic. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a few personal questions now. Tell us what you like to do in your spare time? 

Lately I’ve been focussing on hobbies that bring some calm – I enjoy walking my pups, travelling with my boyfriend, occasional crafting and gardening. Currently we are trying to tame our new allotment plot, which I share with my best friend - we are in our first year and every season brings a new challenge, I think we underestimated how long it would take to get established but it’s getting there! 

You mention travelling. Favourite place you’ve visited? 

There are still so many places to visit but my favourite places so far have been San Francisco and Amsterdam – I love exploring the diverse neighbourhoods and finding weird little pockets of personality! I’ve been to both twice and could visit again – its always changing and is always interesting! My boyfriend travels for work and we just managed to fit in the rooftop tour of the Duomo di Milano which was amazing! 

Thanks for your time today Siobhán, I’ve really enjoyed it. I didn’t expect to find your answers so touching. As I know you like your music, could we finish with you telling us your favourite album? 

Feeder – Yesterday Went Too Soon, is and will always be my favourite album! Guaranteed to give me pep and make me sing (in my head if at work!).

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Siobhán has worked on many projects in her time with us including some of our award-winning housing projects, such as the above-mentioned Torpoint.  

Her experience includes working closely with contractors on Design-Build contracts and she brings a detailed understanding of the needs of contractors to her work. This has included working onsite in a Design Coordinator role as a part of the contractors team on a complex housing project in Bath. 

Siobhán has taken responsibility for developing technical drawing and BIM standards within gcp and is accountable for coordinating CPD events, as well as ensuring the team are kept up to date with Health and Safety matters and emerging office protocols. 

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Images: Siobhán’s trip to Milan, images from award-winning housing project Torpoint

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It really is a pleasure to celebrate all of our staff anniversaries and achievements, today is a particularly special one.  

We have many more to come over the next weeks so keep an eye on our blog!

#throwbackthursday: West Street, Bedminster

“This project proves what is possible when partners work together to deliver services where they’re most needed. This initiative provides both quality affordable housing and an opportunity to find work for men and women who have served this country and now need support to re-establish themselves in the community”

— Jay Lambe, Area Manager of the HCA (Bouygues UK Article)

On the anniversary of the opening of our project at West Street, Bedminster, we thought we’d take a look back at this project. Colin Powell, gcp Director and Architect on this project says:

The site at West Road Bedminster was a challenging project – a tight infill development of a site that had previously been used for various purposes including car repairs and the sale of garden buildings.

The site is closely overlooked by terraced housing on three sides and has some very large retaining structures on the side and rear boundaries. These are the sort of issues that make urban infills difficult and expensive.

For the client it was important to achieve a minimum level of development to make the site financially viable and the first design challenge for gcp was to find a form of development that could deliver the right number of homes whilst recognising these constraints.

gcp’s solution was to step the buildings across the site, using the site levels to reduce the height of buildings in the rear of the site whilst maintaining the higher storey height of the buildings on West Street. This creative approach to levels, reducing the impact of overlooking in the back of the site and the risk of adverse effects on the retained boundaries, delivered the number of homes needed whilst creating a neighbourly development.

Coming up with good solutions for sites like this is one of the more satisfying aspects of what we do.  Knowing that the project was creating homes and training opportunities for homeless ex-servicemen made this an extra-special project and it was a privilege to have played a part on the successful delivery of these homes.

“True partnership working has been paramount in bringing West Street through from an idea to a reality. We’re really pleased to have been part of such a pioneering project. Now that the project is complete, our Supported Housing team is looking forward to offering ongoing support to the new residents of West Street.”

— Nick Horne, Chief Executive of Knightstone (Bouygues UK Article)

Click here for the full article

Women in Property visit Foundation Park

On 10 July, Women in Property hosted a site visit and networking opportunity at Foundation Park, Swindon. If you’ve been following us on Twitter or Instagram, you will have seen activity around this project we are working on for Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation. You might have even read this round-up blog written by James Pilling.

Contractor Beard Construction organised this event through Women in Property and gcp were delighted to be able to attend. James, who has been heavily involved in this project, took colleague Esther and Architecture student Martha along to tour the site.

Esther said of the visit:

This was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the journey of Foundation Park – a project that will drastically change and uplift the area. Jon Holloway spoke of the struggles with planning and the challenges STFC Community Foundation faced to get enough funding to get the project started.

It was great to hear the passion he has, not only for this project, but the whole team. And in return, how much dedication the whole team involved have for Foundation Park.

It was great to hear him speak with such enthusiasm about this project and it really felt like that passion was replicated through the wider team as well.  

We were taken around the construction site and Dean Barnett from Beard answered many of our questions about particular construction points, helping us gain a deeper understanding about the process they have been through on site to date. Most people at the event were local to the area and it was a good opportunity to chat with them and to better understand what this project means to the wider community.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable and informative event and a great opportunity to see, what will surely be an iconic project, being constructed.

Another Energy Efficient Home

We hope to get this lovely new home in Eynsham started up on site in the coming months! It is the latest in a series of private energy efficient homes which gcp has been creating for some very happy clients, thanks to the expertise of our qualified PassivHaus Designer Colin Powell. 

The home is designed to be flexible to ensure the residents can enjoy it for many years to come, even as their needs change. To ensure high thermal performance, the house will be built using an Insulated Concrete Formwork system which we have used before at Church Road and Dundry. Keep your eyes peeled for site progress photos in the coming  year!

Completion: Morley Road

This site in Staple Hill, Bristol, comprising of 15 houses and 6 flats for LiveWest is now complete. The brick detailing has worked really well on this scheme.

The contractor on this scheme was Halsall Construction, who say of this development:

“A very tidy looking re-development of an inner city brownfield site which will provide much needed quality affordable housing for the area.”

— Halsall Construction

Complete: Vedelers Close, Wincanton

The Stonewater development of 15 houses at Vedelers Close, Wincanton has been officially opened and all the houses are occupied. gcp worked with Halsall Construction to deliver these affordable houses.

Meet the Team: Olia Kyritsi

Images by Olia: The relaxing effect of the Aegean blue, Arabic architecture and the microclimate of open spaces, Getting lost in the colourful souks of Marrakesh

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Architect Olia Kyritsi joined gcp last year at the start of a very busy summer period. Olia has 6 years working experience on residential, retirement living and commercial schemes, workspaces and leisure centres.

She holds a MArch from the National Technical University of Athens and an MSC on Environmental Design of Buildings from the Welsh School of Architecture.

Olia is celebrating her first-year anniversary this week so we took a little bit of time to find out more about her.  

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Hey Olia. Let’s jump right in with what inspired you to pursue architecture.

The idea that I will be an artist and an engineer at the same time…

So, if you weren’t an architect, what do you think you would you be?

Possibly a mathematician who writes cooking books in her spare time.

And an answer like that is exactly what makes you such a fun and interesting member of the team! How about your best moment at gcp in the last year?

Accepting the job offer and joining the gcp family.

I forgot to add delightful to the list above! You’ve brought a cheerful and calming influence to our side of the office for sure.

Tell us, what do you like to do in your spare time? Travelling in order to explore new cultures or cooking for friends.

And what’s your proudest personal achievement?

Surviving through my 7 year-long architectural studies.

We are pleased you did and even more so that you accepted the offer of joining our gang! Thanks for your time today Olia, just to finish could you tell us something we might not know about you?

My wardrobe is colour coordinated…

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Olia has been working closely with Jeremy Pilling this year on Bristol Down’s iconic Water Tower. She has been involved in our ongoing work at Trinity Community Arts Centre and working with Fare Share on their office redevelopment. Outside of her architectural work in the office, Olia attends many local CPD’s, industry talks and networking, connect on linked in if you’d like to catch up with her at an event.

Olia is a keen photographer and is often seen taking pictures at our gcp enrichment, industry and social events.

Keep an eye on our blog for more staff interviews over the coming weeks, the summer is a popular time to join our team!

Laying the foundations

With the technical design now complete, we continue to support Beard Construction on site delivering this new community facility for Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation.

We are now coming to the end of week 18 on this fast-moving project and have already experienced all four seasons. The guys on site have been doing a fantastic job of late, battling through some tough conditions, with the superstructure really starting to take shape.

There has been some impressive workmanship on site with one moment standing out, an apprentice carpenter forming the neat shuttering for the raft foundation. It’s always great to see new talent entering the industry.

The next few weeks will see a big change in appearance, with the standing seam roof on and the first fix trades moving in. We are excited to see the progress, keep up the good work team!

Foundation Park site progress photos

Women in Property are offering a site visit to the pavillion on 10 July. Click this text for more information.

Meet the Team: Matt Bonney

Architect Matt Bonney is celebrating his first-year anniversary with gcp. He joined us last year from 360 Architecture in Glasgow. Matt graduated Strathclyde University in 2016, where his studies focused on developing sustainable buildings with inter-seasonal energy storage.

We wanted to get to know Matt a little better, so asked him a few questions!

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So Matt, what inspired you to pursue architecture?

Meccano, K-nex and Lego along with a desire to create and an infinite imagination.

and if you weren’t an architect, what would you be?

Set designer or carpenter.

Can you tell us what’s your best moment at gcp in the last year?

The build up to Christmas!

Matt joins a long list of gcp employees who have a competitive streak - in the run up to Christmas last year we ran several games and challenges amongst the team to win chocolate, wine and - more importantly - glory!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Cycling or anything sporty really (not sure if appropriate but I also create beer pong tables as a side project).

Certainly interesting though! So, what’s your proudest personal achievement?

A-level art – creating a full-sized grand piano out of match sticks and coloured PVA (photos available)

And attached to this blog! Thanks for your time Matt, just to wrap up could you tell us your favourite project that you’ve worked on to date.

Leyton Urban Cricket Hub.

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Matt has worked on some interesting projects since starting with gcp, including Bristol County Ground, Bristol Tower blocks and the Urban Cricket Hub in Leyton. Outside of his architectural work in the office, he is on both our media and events groups; personally, he has just returned from a cycling expedition through the Alps.

Keep an eye on our blog for more staff interviews over the coming weeks.

gcp does the 10 Peaks Challenge

We’re putting on our walking boots here at gcp. In the Brecon Beacons on 11 August we shall attempt to complete the 32km route between 8am and 6pm.

Beyond the simple fun, we are making it count by fundraising for the fantastic work done by Mind, the mental health charity. Please click here to make contributions to our just giving collection, however small, to help with the really important work they do.

Here at gcp we recognise the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace and have a number of training sessions scheduled for later in the year.

Whilst there is always more work to be done, we are encouraging our employees to strive for the ever-elusive work-life balance and have supported many flexible working options, cycle schemes, further education and extended annual leave for bucket-list-inspiring trips around the World.

We are delighted to support staff-suggested initiatives such as job shares, daily quizzes, group visits to local buildings of interests and lunches at the local pub. We have model making and hand-sketching lunchtimes on the agenda, as well as volleyball matches and mindfulness Lego.

On a day-to-day basis in the office, it is really important to us that we align as much of the work our people do with their personal interests and the things that give them joy.

gcp has a family feel, our summer events include all partners and children. Our staff turnover is incredibly low - we are proud that most of our employees have been with us six or more years - keep your eye on socials over the coming months for interviews with our team members.

We hope you can join us in supporting Mind and the great work they do - if you are unable to donate then why not like our posts and share our just giving page. Join the conversation on socials by following Mind and using the #mindcharity hashtag.

Read on for some statistics and sources of information around mental health and the construction industry.

“Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. They range from common problems, such as depression and anxiety, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.”

— Mind.com

It is said that

“Male site workers in construction are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average UK male [...] The statistics as they stand are clearly unacceptable – mental health needs to be made an urgent priority by all employers in the construction industry. ”

— Construction Media

and there is so much more still to do across all industries to address this.

Read the full article here.

“IOSH’s speech highlighted how work-related stress, depression and anxiety have overtaken musculoskeletal disorders as the most reported workplace health issue in the construction industry. the construction industry has more suicides than any other profession, with 454 construction workers taking their own lives in 2016.”

— PBC Today

Read the full article here.

gcp staff socials

Our social team have been incredibly busy organising a calendar of events for 2019. A few weeks ago we headed over to Riddlr Escape rooms just up the road from our office. Team 1 were incredibly successful, escaping in an above-average time whilst Team 2 (confined to the super-scary Seance room, went over by about 3 minutes. Their screams could be heard in the lobby by all accounts). Lots of fun had by all and the challenge is on to escape their other rooms over the summer.

On Thursday we went to the Bristol Old Vic and took a behind the scenes tour where the staff were entertaining, engaging and very knowledgeable. This is the oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world. The architecture has a wealth of history and character, which is now complemented with the new theatre entrance that fronts King Street. A fantastic way to spend the morning.

Tomorrow we are having a lunch-time picnic and volleyball match.

It is really important to us that our team are well-bonded and get the opportunity to engage in a mix of team-building activities.

Equally important to us are client-focused events. Keep your eyes peeled for some staff-client events coming your way later this year.