Official opening of the Campbeltown Picture House

The Campbeltown Picture House, which has undergone a £3.5m restoration and extension, has been re-launched by Nicholas Ferguson CBE, Chairman of Savills and Chairman of the Argyll & Bute Economic Forum.  A Category A Listed building, The Picture House has the joint accolade of being one of Europe’s few surviving atmospheric cinemas and Scotland’s oldest purpose-built cinema still in operation. The centenary project, led by Burrell Foley Fischer, has seen the art nouveau exterior extensively restored and the main auditorium returned to its 1930s design, as well as the addition of a new state of the art second screen, café, education room and other facilities.

Designed by Albert V. Gardner, one of the most celebrated cinema designers in the first half of the 20th century, Campbeltown Picture House opened in 1913. Gardner had studied architecture at The Glasgow School of Art between 1901 and 1905, and the influence of this seminal building is reflected in the Glasgow School Art Nouveau design of the 1913 building. Twenty years later Gardner was invited back to Campbeltown to modernise the interior of the cinema which he did in the “atmospheric” style which was all the rage at the time.

Popular from the late 1920s atmospheric cinemas transported audiences to exotic places such as European courtyards or gardens. The ceilings were often painted with starry skies or with wispy floating clouds and other elements such as trellises, balconies and painted trees created the special atmosphere. Few of these cinemas now survive with Campbeltown Picture House being the only extant example in Scotland and one of only a handful in Europe.

For Campbeltown Picture House Gardner embellished the cinema with a blue sky with moving white clouds projected across it, and two plasterwork buildings (known locally as the “wee houses”) on either side of the screen that gave the ambiance of a Mediterranean courtyard. These special features have been meticulously restored with other elements of the original design such as the stunning art deco lights recreated by contemporary craftspeople.

The re-launch of the cinema marks the culmination of more than three decades of work and commitment by Campbeltown Community Business Ltd to bring this historic gem back to its full glory. 

Nicholas Ferguson CBE said:

“Campbeltown Picture House has been a central part of the life of the town for over a hundred years and today marks the beginning of a new chapter in its long and illustrious history. I am delighted to have been asked officially to reopen the cinema after its wonderful restoration.”

“What we see today could not have been possible without the vision of two very special people, Jane and David Mayo. Through their unfailing commitment, energy and enthusiasm not only has the original cinema been restored to its full glory, but there is now a state of the art second screen, flexible education, workshop and business space and a lovely café.”

 “The restored Picture House will offer a wonderful resource for the people of Campbeltown and the Argyll peninsular, and we hope will attract people from far and wide to come and visit.”

The restoration has been made possible with a major grant from The National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and grants from Coastal Communities Fund, Creative Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Historic Environment Scotland, Argyll & Bute Council, The Robertson Trust, Architectural heritage Fund, and many other donations.

Lucy Casot, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland said: “To see this much-loved Picture House as magnificent as it was the day it opened over 100 years ago is a delight. With the help of National Lottery funding, history and 21st century design have come together to create an incredible cultural centre for the local community. Standing proud on the seafront, it will bring joy to those who visit from near and far for many years to come.”

Since reopening last December, the Centenary Project has been well received, bringing back old audiences and attracting new audiences across the age range.  The extended opening hours makes the facility accessible to islanders on Gigha, as well as to residents of Campbeltown and across the Kintyre Peninsular.

The re-launch also saw the first screening of The Wee Pictures, a specially commissioned film. Oban based filmmaking duo Andy Crabb and James Gray have followed the restoration of the Picture House over the last year and a half. Weaving together fascinating footage from the restoration with interviews with key figures from the cinemas past, archive materials and the redoubtable Mr Burnette (played to a tee by Roddy MacEachen) to create a  “Charming, quirky and delightful” portrait of this unique and historic cinema.

For further information on Campbeltown Picture House visit their official website.

Aidan Ridyard to address British Dyslexia Association Conference

Aidan Ridyard is this afternoon speaking about his experience of dyslexia at the British Dyslexia Association’s prestigious Telford International Centre. Through the power of social media an unexpected link was made. Aidan saw a post about the International Conference and posted “Hey there fellow dyslexics: you might be interested to know Telford International Centre was designed by this particular dyslexic!!”

Telford International Centre by Aidan Ridyard at Hickton Madeley Architects

The 11th British Dyslexia Association’s International Conference (BDA IC) and EXPO is a leading conference on Dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties.

Tom Gray, Chief Executive Officer of the Southwater Event Group, “We are looking forward to welcoming all the guests, delegates and visitors to the British Dyslexia Association International Conference and are thrilled by the coincidental connection relating to Aidan being instrumental in our Centre’s design.  He did a great job as the striking architecture of our venue is regularly and favourably commented upon”.

Aidan described a little of his inspirational journey from a boy who could barely read and write to a successful architect with 25 years in practice, and now a Principal at Burrell Foley Fischer, a practice of 30 people in London and Birmingham.

“I was born in the late 60’s, so growing up there wasn’t much awareness of dyslexia. My parents couldn’t figure out how I seemed intelligent and articulate enough but could barely read and write at school. Fortunately, they heard about a research group at Aston University and took me there in the early 70’s. Lo and behold, when we understood my problem, we could address it!” 

Helen Boden, Incoming CEO at the British Dyslexia Association, explained, “A discrepancy between oral ability and reading and/or writing is often one of the first indicators of dyslexia in a child’s first few years at school.“

Telford International Centre by Aidan Ridyard at Hickton Madeley Architects

Dyslexia affects approximately 10% of the population. Many adults and children with dyslexia struggle to fulfil their potential, as a large percentage of the population still does not understand what dyslexia is; the difficulties which the condition presents and how to support someone with dyslexia. Dyslexia is not an obvious difficulty; it is hidden. As a result, people with dyslexia must overcome numerous barriers to reach their full potential and recognise their differences as strengths.

After being diagnosed with dyslexia, Aidan Ridyard managed, through much hard work, to get O and A levels then to go on and be awarded a first-class degree in Architecture. Despite his high level of academic achievements, he still finds its challenging to read out loud, but has found ways to make his skills eclipse his difficulties.

Recently, Aidan Ridyard spoke about careers in architecture at the Skills Show, NEC. After the presentation a young lady approached him and said, “I really like architecture, but I’m worried I couldn’t do it because I’m dyslexic.“ When he replied to say that he is too and that she’d be a better architect because she’s dyslexic, he was rewarded with a wonderful smile! 

Depot Lewes shortlisted for South East LABC Building Excellence Awards 2018

The Depot Lewes has been shortlisted for South East LABC Building Excellence Awards 2018. The Local Authority Building Control awards celebrate achievements in the construction industry. They reward excellent buildings, outstanding companies, and partnerships and individuals that go that extra mile. The Depot has been shortlisted in three categories, Best Change of Use of an Existing Building or Conversion, Best Public Service Building and Best Inclusive Building.

The Depot is a new three-screen community cinema on the site of the modest but much loved existing warehouse of the old Harveys brewery depot in Lewes. The three screens have been discreetly inserted within the saved brick shell, with the major design move being to attach a new glazed extension with the depot structure fully visible as the historic backdrop to the new box office, café bar, restaurant and film education and training facilities. Reflecting the historic site layout of orchards and meadows, the former tarmacked service yard is landscaped to provide a new public realm. 

The project has also been shortlisted for an RIBA South East Award and the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2018 in the excellence in planning for heritage & culture category.

The Depot Cinema, Lewes shortlisted for an RIBA South East Regional RIBA Award

The Depot has been shortlisted for a Royal Institute of British Architects South East Regional Award. It is one of 14 projects shortlisted in the region, from 44 entries, and will now be visited by the Jury Panel, with the winners announced in May. 

James Robinson, RIBA Regional Director said of the shortlist: “We are very lucky to have such outstanding buildings on the shortlist this year. It’s been a good year. The standard and variety of the entries is very high; from small private houses to the larger public and institutional buildings. The shortlist also demonstrates the fantastic amount of design talent in and around the regions, in practices both large and small, local and working nationally or indeed, internationally.

“The region has an amazing architectural heritage with buildings that have the capacity to amaze, inspire and improve our quality of life. This year’s RIBA Awards shortlist and the winners we are about to celebrate, show that they are still being built.”

3 new screens and new place in the community

The Depot is a new community cinema for the town of Lewes, in East Sussex, built on the site of the old Harvey's Brewery depot. It shows feature and independent art-house films, as well as hosting events, exhibitions and festivals, and provides facilities for film education and community activities. A café/bar and restaurant allow filmgoers to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat at all times of day.

BFF’s approach

Burrell Foley Fischer were commissioned by Lewes Community Screen, who built and operate the new venue. BFF’s radical approach was to retain the much loved existing warehouse building, a popular landmark in a prominent location close to the town’s railway station, and insert the three new screens (140, 129 and 37 seats) within it. A new glazed foyer houses the box office, café/bar, restaurant, and film education and training facilities, giving a contemporary setting with the former industrial building as a visible backdrop. Reflecting the historic site layout of orchards and meadows, the former tarmacked service yard is landscaped to provide a new public realm.  It includes native and local plant species providing seasonal colour and a small orchard and wild flower meadow. 

The inspired brief

The Depot is a privately funded philanthropic project, delivered without any draw on public funding. The project aims to make a positive contribution to the South Downs National Park and to respond to its unique and special qualities. It is now a contemporary exemplar of local flint craftsmanship. Because of the topography of Lewes and the South Downs, particular thought was given to the design of the roofscape, which is visible as a fifth elevation, and it features flint paving and a green roof planted with chalk loving plants, all found in the SDNP. There was extensive consultation with local access groups to ensure a welcoming and accessible facility.

The screens and backdrop spaces

Screen 1 has a stage and the technical infrastructure for small scale comedy acts and music performances and live music events are held in the café/bar. Screen 3 is available for private screenings and events and benefits from its own bar/lounge. As well as a cinema, the Depot has a café/bar and restaurant open throughout the day. It provides a welcoming and safe environment for all sectors of the community and visitors to Lewes. Proximity to the station makes it accessible to visitors from the wider district. 

Local creativity

As well as the use of local flint in the design the project also celebrates local creativity. The foyers can accommodate the mounting of temporary exhibitions in addition to the permanent display of Stephen Chambers ‘The Big Country’, which has been donated by the artist. The acoustic wall panels in Screens 1, 2 and 3 are digitally printed with a reproduction of the life-size animated figures painted on the walls of the Depot by Julian Bell, when he used it as his studio prior to its conversion. There are facilities for film education, including a small film library and study space, and a multi-use room with a flat floor that is used for a range of training and workshop events. The extensive external landscaping incorporates facilities for outdoor screenings and events.

New Housing for the London Borough of Islington at Dixon Clark Court granted Planning Permission

Planning Permission has been granted for BFF’s scheme for 41 new dwellings at Dixon Clark Court. The scheme is the latest in a succession of new build housing projects designed by BFF for Islington Council on areas of social housing identified as capable of being significantly improved as better places to live, with new homes and landscaping.

The existing Dixon Clark Court estate consists of a single residential tower surrounded mostly by tarmac and concrete except for a fenced-off communal garden and a grassed area and trees that screen it from the busy Highbury Corner roundabout. Planned improvements by TfL and the London Borough of Islington will replace the existing roundabout to create a new publicly accessible Arboretum.

The 41 new apartments, 27 for social rent, are arranged in individual houses around the existing tower to place it in a mews setting. It will establish a new enhanced garden setting for the existing tower, and the existing 59 flats will have, for the first time, a directly accessible communal south-facing garden. The western boundary is to be defined by retaining the majority of existing mature trees, within an improved amenity garden accessible to residents and informally planted in a wild meadow style with some car parking alongside, just to meet the current need.

A new residential building onto Canonbury Road frames the existing tower to give a new active street presence and entrance to the estate and some enclosure and shelter to the new internal, shared garden spaces.

The mews houses range in height from one to four storeys and contain a variety of unit types and sizes. These are planned with generous ‘through’ spaces between them with courtyard gardens and roof terraces.

These ‘through’ spaces allow the passage of light, air, and views and establish an individual identity and human scale for each group of dwellings, with ground level entrance doors. Views both in and out of the site will be experienced by Dixon Clark Court residents and the residents in the neighbouring buildings and the conservation area.

The scheme provides 41 new dwellings, well within the permitted density for this city centre site, and there will be an increase in usable, ‘green’ ground-level space. There will be no demolition except for small stores that will be re-provided. Roof terrace areas and greened roof areas will be additional amenities. An added bonus is that the garden spaces are directly accessible from all of the dwellings, making them more practical and likely to be used. A significant increase in the number of trees on the site is planned to provide shade and variety, and to define new spaces. These will more than compensate and exceed the few trees lost as a result of the proposals.

Commendation for Depot at Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design

We are delighted that the Depot, Lewes, was awarded a Commendation in this year’s Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design. The cinema was selected as just one of three projects to be recognised in this category, from the 234 projects entered into the 2018 Civic Trust Awards. The Commendation states that 'the design, layout and location of the Cinema maximises inclusive access in all respects', and that it 'provides welcoming and accessible, cultural and social facilities for visitors across the age and social spectrum regardless of abilities'.

The Depot is a new three-screen community cinema on the site of the modest but much loved existing warehouse of the old Harveys brewery depot in Lewes. The three screens have been discreetly inserted within the saved brick shell, with the major design move being to attach a new glazed extension with the depot structure fully visible as the historic backdrop to the new box office, café bar, restaurant.

The Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design is given to projects which have demonstrated excellence in providing a scheme which is accessible for all users, from people with decreased mobility, to parents with small children, to people with sensory impairments and everything in-between. 

This award recognises BFF's long-standing commitment to inclusive design. Previous BFF cinemas that have won accessibility awards include Broadway, Nottingham’s Media Centre, which was given an Adapt award in 1998 and Norwich Cinema City which won the East of England LABC Award in 2008 for Best Project for Access and Compliance with Disability Regulations and went on to win the National award for that year.  Most recently Newlyn Filmhouse was awarded Best Inclusive Building at the South West LABC (Local Authority Building Control) Awards 2017.

Slab completed for new arts centre at Sherborne Girls

The main contractor has been making good progress on the new Arts Centre for Sherborne Girls over the past few weeks, and the concrete was poured for the main slab over half term week. The next stage is for the CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) sections to arrive from the production plant in Austria and be erected.

The new Arts Centre, located at the heart of the campus, will comprise a new recital hall with 300 fixed seats (or capacity for 560 for school assembly). A multifunctional link building will provide a social space for exhibitions, display space to showcase talented artists, host talks by guest speakers, match teas and social events, whilst anchoring the new performing arts centre to the existing Art Building and Music Department. Once the new Arts Centre is complete, the music school will relocate and the Student Centre will be converted into the new Drama School.

Hall For Cornwall refurbishment to commence this summer

Hall For Cornwall has announced that, this June, they will close for an ambitious and much-needed refurbishment of their theatre, seeking to safeguard the heritage of the building and transform the venue into a dynamic and high-quality environment that will give the people of Cornwall access to the best performing arts to rival any city in the country.

After six years of planning, the funding is now in place to enable this exciting project to move forward, which will see the auditorium increase in size, enabling the theatre to attract top West End shows and promote and support creative talent, alongside developing their work with schools and young people. In addition, new cafés and bars, a Heritage Lottery funded project and new digital creative business hub, will combine to create a venue that will continue to inspire, educate and be enjoyed.

Upon the foundations of the existing site, the project, designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, will unearth the history and heritage of the Grade II* listed building and create a new theatre within, alongside an improved café, bar and public spaces. The theatre's new home will be a vital community asset and one which will continue to inspire, engage, educate entertain and challenge all audiences, firmly placing them at the heart of Truro’s cultural and economic offering and securing their long-term future. Support has come from the government, along with Arts Council England, Cornwall Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) and, most recently, the Cornwall Local Enterprise Partnership.

Their final and celebratory performance, with Local Cornish band The People’s String Foundation Orchestra, will conclude the current chapter in Hall For Cornwall's history will be Saturday 2 June 2018. It is anticipated that the newly refurbished theatre will open 2020.

Depot, Lewes Community Screen is nominated for prestigious planning industry award

Depot, Lewes Community Screen has been announced as a finalist in the category for Excellence for Planning in Heritage and Culture at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2018. The RTPI Awards are the most established and respected awards in the UK planning industry. Running for over 40 years, they celebrate exceptional examples of planning and the contribution planners make to society.

The transformation of the former Harvey’s brewery depot in Lewes, a prominent location close to the railway station, into a major arts venue - with a cinema, restaurant and education facilities known as ‘Depot, Lewes Community Screen’ - has already been crowned the overall winner at the RTPI South East Awards for Planning Excellence and has now been shortlisted for a national award.

The previously vacant site is in a prominent, sensitive location within Lewes Conservation Area, the South Downs National Park, and surrounded by numerous listed buildings, which has been sensitively redeveloped to provide a new community 3-screen cinema with a café/bar, restaurant and film education and training facilities. The redevelopment, designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, also includes new green infrastructure including an orchard, wild flower garden and landscaping.

John Acres MRTPI, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute said:

“This year’s finalists reflect the important contribution planners and planning makes to creating great places and tackling the challenges we face across the UK. Planners are taking on new and innovative projects and the finalists show they are succeeding. It’s a huge achievement just to be shortlisted this year given the 6% rise in entries to the awards and the high calibre of entries will make judging very difficult.”

The winners will be announced during a ceremony held at Milton Court at The Barbican, London on 24 May 2018.

Learn more about the finalists here.

New Boarding House for Tring Park School on site

A new Boarding House, the next phase of Burrell Foley Fischer’s masterplan for Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is now on site. This is the next stage in the school’s development plan, which began with Park Studios, five new build studios for dance and performing arts, set within the historic context of Registered Parks and Gardens and Grade II* listed buildings in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Announcing the news on their website the school commented: “Over a decade ago, the school’s governors recognised that it needed to invest in facilities to keep it at the leading edge of performing arts schools for the next century. Recent alumni have benefited from the award-winning Park Studios, which opened in 2011 to great acclaim, and transformed the life of the school. The new master plan, which consists of three main phases, aims to further enhance the school experience for future talented students.

The first phase – which started in January 2018 - is a building consisting of three floors plus a lower ground floor, which will contain a state-of-the-art boarding house for 70 pupils, six academic and vocational teaching spaces, a theatre workshop and other valuable pupil facilities. This exciting new building is due to open in September 2019.”

Pictured below is the groundbreaking ceremony with the Principal, Stefan Anderson, Deputy Principal, Anselm Barker, Jim Twitchin (Head of Estate Services), Kate Jarratt (Management Accountant) and the 2017/18 Head Girl and Head Boy.

Depot is a winner in the Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design

We are excited to have been informed that the Depot has been selected as one of just three winners in this year’s Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design. The project was selected from 234 applications entered into the 2018 Civic Trust Awards and the presentation will take place at the Awards Ceremony at Old Trafford next March.

The Depot is a new three-screen community cinema on the site of the modest but much loved existing warehouse of the old Harveys brewery depot in Lewes. The three screens have been discreetly inserted within the saved brick shell, with the major design move being to attach a new glazed extension with the depot structure fully visible as the historic backdrop to the new box office, café bar, restaurant. A Facebook user commented, “First visit yesterday, knocks spots off of the commercial cinemas, architecture beautiful, seats very comfortable and screen better than I have seen before. This feels like an upmarket cinema not a community/charity. The place has a soul!”

The Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design is given to projects which have demonstrated excellence in providing a scheme which is accessible for all users, from people with decreased mobility, to parents with small children, to people with sensory impairments and everything in-between. 

The vision for the project was to provide welcoming and accessible, cultural and social facilities for residents of Lewes and the surrounding region, as well as for visitors, and to engage with audiences and users of the facilities across the age and social spectrum, and regardless of abilities. To this end, local access groups were actively engaged with the project from early design stages and through construction and provided guidance on often little understood issues, such as design for people with dementia, for whom there are special screenings. There are also parent and baby screenings, for which buggy storage is available.

The equipping of the cinema auditoria with digital projection and technology has provided a facility for audio description and subtitles, which can be delivered to personal smart phones. There is infrared within the cinema and induction loops at sales points.

Physical access to all facilities has been incorporated in the design from the point of arrival. There are two on-site disabled parking bays and ramped access to the main entrance from entrance gates on both Pinwell Road South and West. Contrasting paving along the edge of the wheelchair friendly resin bonded gravel paths and ramps, helps to guide blind and visually impaired visitors to the main entrance. There are automatic sliding doors to the main entrance. All sales points are designed to accommodate wheelchair users.

Accessible toilets have been integrated with the toilets for the restaurant, and general visitor toilets.  Within the two main cinema auditoria a choice of wheelchair positions has been provided, which are not limited to the front rows, and are integrated with the main body of seating, enabling wheelchair users to sit next to able bodied companions. There is space for guide dogs.

Careful consideration was given in the interior decoration to providing the appropriate level of contrast between elements such as handrails and the surfaces they are against, and door leafs and door linings, to aid people with visual impairment. Braille signage is provided throughout.

The overall result provides an equally uplifting inclusive and enjoyable experience of the Depot for everyone who comes there.

Stefanie Fischer discusses the contribution made by independent cinemas to the night-time economy in town centres with RTPI Young Planners

Stefanie Fischer gave a talk at RTPI Young Planners' bi-annual meeting on the contribution made by independent cinema to the night-time economy, sustainable economic regeneration, improved trading for local businesses and the kickstarting of creative industry clusters.

Broadway Media Centre, Nottingham

She also discussed how independent cinemas can act as a driver for mixed use development and high street regeneration and provide natural security and improve public realm. Stefanie cited examples of how BFF projects, such as the Depot Lewes, Broadway Nottingham, the Scala Cinema and Arts Centre Prestatyn, Campbeltown Picturehouse and Newlyn Filmhouse, had led to these benefits.

Scala Cinema and Arts Centre, Prestatyn

Following their meeting, Luke Coffey MRTPI, RTPI Young Planner of the Year said:

“It’s clear proactive planning can play a key role in creating a vibrant, safe and diverse night time economy – not just in London but in cities and towns across the UK. The challenge for us, as young planners, is to put the preservation and enhancement of the cultural component of place at the heart of what we do to ensure that it is not an afterthought.”

Read more here.

Restoration of Birmingham Roundhouse featured in the Guardian

Our project to restore Birmingham Roundhouse has been featured in The Guardian.

The 19th century canal-side stables and stores in the city centre are to be transformed into a hub from which to explore the city by foot, bike or boat. The project is a pioneering partnership between the Canal & River Trust and the National Trust, with vital funding from the National Lottery, to bring an important Birmingham landmark back to life through an innovative blend of heritage and enterprise. 

Read the coverage by The Guardian.

A first look inside the refurbished Campbeltown Picture House

The first images of the refurbishment and remodelling of Campbeltown Picture House, a Grade A cinema on the Kintyre Peninsula, have been featured by BBC News and The Scotsman. The unique interior has been refurbished to bring it up to the standards expected by a modern cinemagoing audience, whilst respecting the historic building in which it is housed. A new second screen has been added, together with expanded front-of-house facilities.

The picture shows Ellen Mainwood, the cinema’s new general manager, checking a light in the main auditorium

Read more:

BBC News: Campbeltown Picture House returned to former glory

The Scotsman: New look for Campbeltown's old Picture House unveiled

Getty Images: Restorations Are Completed At The Oldest Community Cinema In The UK

Depot wins RTPI South East Regional Award for Planning Excellence

We are delighted that Depot Lewes has been recognised with two awards by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East. The new cinema was presented with the Excellence in Planning for Heritage Award and the overall Regional Winner for 2017 at a ceremony in the Brighton Pavilion.

The transformation of a former brewery in Lewes into a major arts venue - with a cinema, restaurant and education facilities known as ‘Depot, Lewes Community Screen’ is on the former Harvey’s Brewery depot, a prominent location close to Lewes railway station – it was crowned the overall winner at last night’s RTPI South East Awards for Planning Excellence.

The previously vacant site is in a prominent, sensitive location within Lewes Conservation Area and surrounded by numerous listed buildings, which has been sensitively redeveloped to provide a new community cinema with a café/bar, restaurant and film education and training facilities. The redevelopment – undertaken by Burrell Foley Fischer and the South Downs National Park Authority – also includes new green infrastructure including an orchard, wild flower garden and landscaping.

Sue Percy MRTPI, Chair of the RTPI South East Judges Panel said: “Through good planning practice and early community engagement the development was not only shaped by, but helped build, public support for the project resulting in an amazing community facility that locals and visitors will use, experience and be proud of for many years to come.”

A travel plan, community minibus, public transport discounts and pedestrian maps were also developed to minimise the impact of additional traffic in the area.

Visit one of Birmingham’s most interesting and iconic historic buildings ahead of major restoration works

A series of guided walks is about to give local people the chance to visit one of Birmingham’s most interesting and iconic historic buildings ahead of major restoration works, led by Burrell Foley Fischer, starting in the New Year.

The series of ‘Walkshops’ will enable people to enjoy a walking tour with a difference as they explore the secret stories and murky history of the Roundhouse and Birmingham’s famous canals. The Walkshops are being hosted by Roundhouse Birmingham, a partnership between the Canal & River Trust and the National Trust. 

Roundhouse, Birmingham

Led by Secret City Arts the evening walks, one aimed at families and another at adults, will enable visitors to create stories from the things they find on their walk.

Stomping Stories, which is aimed at families, will create tall tales from clues spotted around the city’s canals and streets. The adult walk, Dark and Wintry Tales, will enable people to explore hidden nooks and crannies to create dark, atmospheric stories.

Each circular walk will start and finish at the Roundhouse where restoration works are due to begin in early January. The project, made possible through a £2.5m National Lottery grant, will see the Grade II* listed building transformed into a city base from which to explore Birmingham’s canals by foot, bike or boat.

Chris Maher, visitor experience development manager for Roundhouse Birmingham, said; "We’re really looking forward to the Walkshops and we hope lots of people join us for a very different kind of guided walk.

"The Roundhouse is a really atmospheric place, particularly as darkness falls. We want people to join us as we venture out onto the city’s canals and streets to create the most amazing stories from the things we spot.

It promises to be a great experience so we’d encourage people to book their place, wrap up warm and get a totally different perspective on the city."  

The Roundhouse was built in 1874 by the Birmingham Corporation and was originally used as stables and stores. Designed by local architect W.H. Ward, the horse-shoe shaped building has become a real landmark within the city but over the last ten years the majority of it has been steadily falling into disrepair.

As well as offering a base from which to explore the canal network, plans for the Roundhouse include a café, a cycle hire and repair workshop, volunteering opportunities and a shared working space. It’s anticipated that the Roundhouse will attract over 50,000 people a year, both from the local community and visitors from further afield.

Details of the Walkshops can found here.

Citation published for BFF’s International Making Cities Livable Award

The citation has been published by the jury which recently presented John Burrell with their Honor Award for Excellence in Designing Public Places for Community, Democratic Dialogue, Health & Equity at the International Making Cities Livable (IMCL) Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The award recognises Burrell Foley Fischer’s work with organisations such as SAVE Britain’s Heritage and The Spitalfields Trust in proposing alternative viable schemes for Smithfield Market, King’s College Strand and the Norton Folgate Area of Spitalfields.

The jury’s comments are:

'This project to save the historic fabric and vibrant quality of life of a section of London has enormous international significance, especially now, when large scale demolition of swathes of historic cities around the world is accelerating.

The Norton Folgate district was democratically designated a Conservation Area 40 years ago. Mayor Johnson unilaterally swept that aside and declared it available for development. The area is now threatened with wholesale demolition of scores of premises and replacement with over-scaled office slabs and investment properties.

Burrell Foley Fisher’s scheme demonstrates how to holistically protect the area’s rich heritage assets, retain the fine grained urban fabric, and enhance the character of "Place", providing diverse jobs for local people, greatly increasing the housing, including affordable housing, and celebrating the presence, lives and works of Christopher Marlowe, Charles Dickens and Sir John Betjeman in Norton Folgate.

The IMCL jury strongly condemns the undemocratic "taking” of urban districts and public streets by developer-oriented governments that amplify inequality; and supports the protection of fine-grained, diverse, human scale urban fabric, heritage assets, and character of "Place" so admirably demonstrated in Burrell’s proposal for Norton Folgate.'

Further details of the award can be found here.

After three years' work widely disseminating groundbreaking ideas and vivid imagery for a successful Public Inquiry, London’s historic Smithfield Market was saved from being demolished just to make way for a private office building. It will now be restored as a new Museum of London as a fully public building. The success established new conservation case law, valuing character and uses, not just façades.

Elsewhere, on Strand, an alternative strategy for a new public space opposed the demolition of a terrace of historic buildings and shops and the public outcry resulted in King's College withdrawing plans for a single building. There are now plans for the Strand next to King's College and Somerset House to become a new publicly accessible university precinct.

In the case of Norton Folgate, Spitalfields, the planning process and democratic planning decisions were ignored and overruled prompting legal challenges for a Judicial Review. The current threat of the demolition of scores of premises in the historic Norton Folgate district and replacement with six over-scaled office buildings (£100m) by a single organisation is being opposed using viable alternative more enlightened proposals. The community-backed scheme is going through the planning process and returning businesses, new occupiers, and affordable housing providers await the opportunity to return and preserve the scale and vibrant culture of this part of London.

Main contract commences for new Arts Centre at Sherborne Girls

The Main Contract for the new Arts Centre at Sherborne Girls has started on site. The transformational project designed by Burrell Foley Fischer will benefit the whole school and wider Sherborne community. Morgan Sindall, the Main Contractor for the project, took procession of the site at the end of October.

The new Arts Centre, located at the heart of the campus, will comprise a new recital hall with 300 fixed seats (or capacity for 560 for school assembly). A multifunctional link building will provide a social space for exhibitions, display space to showcase talented artists, host talks by guest speakers, match teas and social events, whilst anchoring the new performing arts centre to the existing Art Building and Music Department. Once the new Arts Centre is complete, the music school will relocate and the Student Centre will be converted into the new Drama School.

Prior to the main contract, a groundworks contract excavated the site which produced about 11,000 tonnes (about 7,000 cubic meters) of spoil from the main site and new tennis courts, which was spread across the playing fields to level the surface. Using the spoil to level the playing fields saved about 450 lorries taking it out of Sherborne for disposal. The School have published a time lapse video of the excavation.

ReEnergise has been appointed to install a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system for the new Arts Centre, which will displace natural gas for 100% of the heating for the new centre and will provide most of the cooling at a very attractive efficiency compared to traditional split air conditioning systems. They are installing approximately 200kW of heat pump compressor capacity and the site will collect the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive subsidy. The rationale for going ahead with the GSHP was both energy cost reduction and having a green energy source at the school.

Stage 1 has begun, with the installation of the borehole array, comprising 19 boreholes each 150m deep, located under the existing playing fields close to the new Arts Centre. The final total number of boreholes will depend on the results of a formal Thermal Response Test which is underway. According to Bean Beanland, ReEnergise Associate Partner and technical lead on this project, ''The ground-source heat pump system will deliver sustainable heating and cooling to this fabulous new arts facility with a carbon emissions footprint that will reduce year on year as the carbon factor of the national grid reduces towards zero. The design life of the borehole array (100 years plus) is such that it represents a statement investment, by the school and the Board of Governors, in combating climate change for many generations of future pupils. It is hoped that the extensive monitoring of the system will also provide an invaluable teaching aid as the school continues to educate those who will inherit responsibility for the planet in years to come.''

Previously: Breaking Ground on new Arts Centre for Sherborne Girls

BFF Cinema projects revealed as Regional Finalists for the 2018 Civic Trust Awards

The Depot, Lewes and Newlyn Filmhouse, two community cinemas designed by Burrell Foley Fischer have been revealed as Regional Finalists in the 2018 Civic Trust Awards. The awards were established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment and projects that demonstrate a positive civic contribution.

Newlyn Filmhouse

The Newlyn Filmhouse provides a new two-screen cultural cinema with a café bar in a former fish store on the Coombe in Newlyn, Cornwall. Externally the conversion makes use of existing large shuttered openings at ground and first floor level and retains the character and appearance of the building as a former light industrial building. Since opening the cinema has become a much-loved addition to the seaside town and fishing port, with one cinemagoer posting on Facebook “Best cinema seats ever, good steep sloped tiers, huge screen, good sound, not too hot. Lovely cafe. Perfect one on one service. Very very impressed.”

Depot Cinema, Lewes

The Depot is a new three-screen community cinema on the site of the modest but much loved existing warehouse of the old Harveys brewery depot in Lewes. The three screens have been discreetly inserted within the saved brick shell, with the major design move being to attach a new glazed extension with the depot structure fully visible as the historic backdrop to the new box office, café bar, restaurant. A Facebook user commented, “Enjoyed our first visit to our new local cinema yesterday - comfortable seats and excellent sound system certainly enhanced the experience. The after-screening drink in exterior seating area gave us a chance to appreciate how attractive the whole development is: contemporary, stylish and well laid out.”

As Regional Finalists, both cinemas will now by considered by the Civic Trust Awards for a National Award or Commendation.  In addition, The Depot has been shortlisted for consideration for the Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design. This award is given to projects which have demonstrated excellence in providing a scheme which is accessible for all users, from people with decreased mobility, to parents with small children, to people with sensory impairments and everything in-between.

Birmingham Roundhouse, 19th century canal-side stables, to be transformed into a hub to explore the city

Burrell Foley Fischer has been appointed architects for the Roundhouse in Birmingham. The 19th century canal-side stables and stores in the city centre are to be transformed into a hub from which to explore the city by foot, bike or boat. The project is a pioneering partnership between the Canal & River Trust and the National Trust, with vital funding from the National Lottery, to bring an important Birmingham landmark back to life through an innovative blend of heritage and enterprise. 

The Roundhouse is one of Birmingham's most interesting and iconic buildings. Built in 1874 by the Birmingham Corporation, it was originally used as stables and stores. Designed by local architect W. H. Ward, the horseshoe-shaped building has become a real landmark in the city.

As well as offering a base from which to explore the canal network, plans for the Roundhouse include a café, a cycle hire and repair workshop, volunteering opportunities and a shared working space. It is hoped that it will attract 50,000 people a year, both from the local community and visitors from further afield. The project has been awarded £2.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

BFF has been appointed to develop the designs, which Roundhouse Birmingham had previously secured planning permission for, ready for construction which is anticipated to commence in early 2018.

Stuart Mills, Property Director for the Canal & River Trust, said: “This project is fantastic news for Birmingham, and will breathe new life into one of the city’s most recognisable and much-loved historic buildings. The Roundhouse will be a fantastic place to showcase Birmingham’s waterways and heritage and inspire people to explore all that the city has to offer.”

Lucy Reid, Assistant Director of Operations at the National Trust, said: “The Roundhouse project is all about partnership and co-creation. The end result will be an inspiring and atmospheric space at the heart of our city’s canal network from which to explore the waterways and the hidden histories of the people who made Birmingham – lamplighters, boatspeople and horses.”