Ten Points of Departure

TEN POINTS OF DEPARTURE 10

DESIGNSCA P E A R C H I T E C T S

1

10

Peart House completed July 2005

Dudbridge enabling works Jan 2006

Lambridge completed Nov 2007

Chris Mackenzie founded Designscape 10.08.05

Alex Sykes joins Designscape Jan 2007

2005

2006

2007 bus

y

y

bus

y

Dudbridge appointment June 2005

bus

Fourwoods completed June 2005

Squash House completed Sept 2007

Study trip: Budapest

denotes award winning / short listed projects

Spencer and I first met as freshers at Portsmouth Polytechnic, an awfully long time ago in 1984. More by luck than judgement – certainly on my part – we found ourselves in a very open minded and stimulating architectural school under the leadership of Geoffrey Broadbent, with inspirational and diverse teachers like Hans Klaentschi and Peter Hodson. We benefited from close relationships and staff crossovers with the AA and Hampshire County Council, and our influences were wide and varied. There was a philosophy of allowing students to follow their own interests, and all were supported to achieve the highest standard, blind to architectural style constraints. These were the early days of postmodernism (Charles Jencks, Michael Graves and Charles Moore), the rise in certain quarters of neo classicism (HRH and the carbuncle affair), the emergence of Italian Rationalism (Aldo Rossi and 2

Twinneys completed Nov 2008

INTRODUCTION

Hill Farm Dairy completed July 2009

Study trip: Madrid

Spencer back joins Designscape July 2010

2008

2009

Study trip: Porto

2010

Study trip: Cambridge

The Fosse completed Aug 2010

Marlborough completed Aug 2010

Georgio Grassi), and then all the new excitement of Bernard Tschumi and Peter Eisenman’s “Deconstructivism”. The modern Brits – Rogers, Foster, Michael & Patty Hopkins, Farrell and Grimshaw – were really establishing themselves, and the whole topic of environmental design was still pretty much on the fringes. All in all, a bewildering yet exciting time to be studying architecture.

Spencer had a period studying in Cincinnati before returning to Portsmouth, and we both graduated with distinction in the vintage year of 1990. On reflection I would say that we had quite different interests and priorities at the time, but I would also credit Portsmouth’s architectural multiculturalism for our desire to explore architecture from first principles without being shackled by

Study trip: Rome

Calderwood completed May 2011

Court Farm Phase I completed Aug 2011

Cedar House completed Sept 2011

Dudbridge occupied Aug 2012

2011

Windrush Cottage completed May 2012

Dane Rise completed March 2012

Villa Rosa completed June 2012

Court Farm Phase II completed Aug 2012

2012

Gospel Hall completed July 2011

Church Lane completed Aug 2011

denotes award winning / short listed projects

2013

Holcombe Mill completed March 2012

Neros Foundation / Sophie & Keila help with construction Aug 2011

Ivy Cottage completed March 2013

Hart Close completed Dec 2012

Study trip: Berlin

Innox Lodge completed May 2012

Hardy House completed Oct 2012

Whiteoaks completed Dec 2012

51 Sydney Buildings completed March 2013

any sort of superficial preconception about style. And now, looking back down that telescope from the other end, I feel that our education gave us a strong base from which to work.

Before we started working together formally there was a protracted period of long evenings discussing all sort of issues – including architecture. It was clear to both of us that our common ground was very broad and solid, and we were confident that it was a good basis for starting to work together. We feel the same way today and tend to agree about almost everything, and while we lead different projects in the office, almost all of our work involves both of us to some degree. We both feel that the work improves

Laggan Lodge completed July 2013

Dixcroft completed Sept 2013

Audley Grove completed June 2014

London Rd - Bath 1st public sector job

Springfield Farm completed Dec 2014

2014

Bloomfield Av completed Aug 2013

Study trip: Scotland

INTRODUCTION

IMAGINE BATH event June 2014

Cornbury Mill completed Nov 2015

60 Monkton Farleigh completed Dec 2015

2015

Meadow View Tellisford completed July 2014

Seco Bourges Appointment Study trip: Amsterdam 1st international job

Chilliswood completed Jan 2015

Electric Bear Brewery completed July 2015

Kelston Road completed Oct 2015

Lyncombe Hill completed Dec 2015

Study trip: Oxford

because of this collaboration: as friendly critics we try to keep ourselves sharp and focussed on the things that matter.

Our philosophy is to look for a strong idea first, before an aesthetic emerges. A strong and clear idea can be understood by anyone and will help to preserve the important aspects of the design through the ravages and malign influences of planning and budget constraints. We have to be pragmatic, in what can be a bruising process, but a clear idea will see the project through. You can never win all the battles, but at the end of the project it is the architect’s fate to be the one who bears the scars of battles lost, yet learns and moves on. A strong idea will come together with good design principles – basic building physics and environmental

considerations, choice of materials, a thorough knowledge of craftsmanship and detail – allowing decent buildings and places to emerge. A sense of social purpose and place is also always a profound driver – whether that is simply about addressing the public realm, or an understanding of the wider social implications of environmental design, and these factors become tools in the hands of the architect, which positively inform and shape our buildings.

Since the Portsmouth days much has happened. Spencer enjoyed some formative years in London, gaining valuable experience at Alsop and Lyall and then Foggo Associates, before moving to Bristol. I also spent a number of years in various commercial practices in London and Bristol, designing projects in the UK and overseas, before returning to Bath to work at Feilden Clegg Bradley in the late 90s (almost ten years after they first offered me a job which was then cancelled by the 90s recession.)

It is now almost 11 years since Designscape was founded in 2005, and six years since Spencer finally come to join the Designscape project. Now feels like an appropriate time for a bit of reflection on the journey so far, and a moment to take stock and to look ahead to the next ten years. They say that architects don’t start producing their best work until they are in their 50s, so before testing that theory to destruction it’s fair to say that we are feeling confident and excited about the next ten years. We have, we think, built a decent back catalogue of projects we are proud of, and we have a happy team of people around us with diverse talents.

INTRODUCTION

We always wanted the practice to be a place where others can feel that they can make a real contribution in their own right, which is partly why it is called Designscape, rather than the more obvious combination or acronym of partners’ names. We hope we have built a solid reputation with our clients for providing excellent design and an excellent service, and we hope that our collaborators – staff and other professionals we have worked with - have enjoyed working with Designscape too.

We must thank all the people who have contributed so much to our lives and our work. Clients and colleagues alike, nothing is possible without all these people - surviving the ups and downs and particularly the late 2000s recession - but we feel we have emerged stronger and wiser, and looking forward to the challenges ahead.

We thought it would therefore, at this point, be interesting to ask an “outsider” to write something about us, to try to put Designscape in some sort of context, and to allow us to reflect with a bit of a different perspective. So we asked Rob Gregory, from a series of rather random conversations, to try to make some sort of sense of the practice and what we look like from the outside world…

NOT SO TALL STORIES

by Rob Gregory There are times when writing about architects is a pleasure, and times when it is a pain. I guess this can be said about many jobs. In the highly competitive field of contemporary architectural practice, the predisposition for architects to find their place by distinguishing themselves from one another often distracts them from developing and presenting a more meaningful understanding of their work.

Yes, it makes sense for architects to focus on positive attributes of their work, and to draw on these qualities when defining what they do; this is what enriches the architectural culture that we enjoy. But, having interviewed and written about many genuinely talented architects, I am still surprised by the ability of some to move from the pretentious to the preposterous when describing buildings and places that are by definition, completely down to earth. Puff and nonsense lead some to inflate and over state the obvious, while others reach out and rely on far-fetched distant conceptual references. As such, when a writer is asked to help articulate their architecture, it often needs a serious amount of unpicking.

This tendency stems from the anxiety of the university crit room, where increasingly large cohorts of students, (those challenged by the same brief, on the same site, for the same characterless client), vie for the attention and endorsement of their tutors. In this necessarily fictional world, aspiring architects learn to derive distinction by responding to constraints and challenges that they invent. The problem is that some architects forget to unlearn this ability to fictionalise, and as a result go on to develop a form of communication that can alienate clients, planners and if given the chance the broader public beyond. In my opinion, great architecture is down to earth and is almost exclusively produced by architects who have developed a more mature understanding - that distinction no longer needs to be invented, but that it can and should be derived from the specifics of each project.

This is why it has been refreshing to write about Designscape, a practice who as their name suggests, want to apply as broad a view as possible to contemporary architectural design. ‘We should probably write something to celebrate our tenth anniversary’ – was my brief. So a series of discussions followed that led to this short and hopefully interesting publication, shedding some light on the work, ideas and philosophy of Designscape Architects.

I know the practice reasonably well, despite the fact that until this point they have been relatively quiet when it comes to blowing their own trumpet. Our roots and branches have crossed a number of times, living and working in the South West, and sharing relationships with the studios of Feilden Clegg Bradley, Hopkins Architects, and the University of Bath. As such many things went unsaid, which in itself helped focus our attention on the reality of what actually brings distinction to the work of this particular group of architects.

It didn’t take long to agree on a matter of fact unforced approach, in which we agreed not to restate that which can and should go without saying. Of course Designscape care greatly about architecture, and believe in its potential to make positive differences to our world. They, like many of their peers, work extremely hard to get the most out of every project. Environmental stability is at their core – starting with careful efficient planning, that in pursuit of spatial delight and organisational effectiveness, ensures they only build what is absolutely necessary. This is not a practice which indulges in ‘“shapemaking’”. When specifying materials and producing construction

details they prioritise a ‘fabric-first’ approach, spending their client’s’ money wisely on enduring materials and components, instead of buying in the latest gadgets and gizmos. A love of craft and construction informs the next layer of decisions, which in a non-showy way has helped them develop an authentic style-free architectural language. And where possible they look to start every project from first principles, leading their clients through a process that draws inspiration from both the physical and social contexts in which they are invited to work. But with respect, operating as one of a many of award-winning, design led practicses, none of this should come as a surprise. And, while this should not lead us to be complacent or take any of this for granted, you can read about most of this on their website. These things are good and true, but these values alone do not bring distinction.

As our conversations developed, through the personal recollections of founding director Chris Mackenzie, and long term colleague and co-director for the last six years, Spencer Back, we spoke of chance phone calls taken, expertise gained in various specialist areas, of risks taken, and we focussed in on a series of key points of departure that we feel deviate sufficiently from the textbook of architectural good manners. Crucially, these moments, opportunities seized and chances taken, have brought Designscape to where they are today: Surviving the recession, operating within a very particular architectural culture that is not London, and developing firm foundations for whatever the next ten years may bring.

10

I hope you enjoy this snapshot of Designscape’s work, which as a reflection of the first decade of Designscape, is presented as ten short stories.

Those ten stories in this book are an attempt to illustrate the culture and experience of the practice, rather than being a catalogue of the work, which can be explored elsewhere. The illustrations are picked out as being in some way informative about the way in which Designscape work, and the things they have tried to achieve with the opportunities that have arisen. The hope is that this illustrates one of their key objectives – namely that they want to have breadth and variety in their work, rather than only being known for working in a particular sector or for a particular client type. Designscape do not want to be seen as specialists, which only narrows the possibilities. Designscape want to continue to develop areas of expertise, but somehow also manage to avoid being pigeonholed.

By far the most important objective is to work with and for good, interesting people and hopefully on interesting and challenging briefs. Working always from first principles, listening carefully and forming a thorough understanding of their clients’ needs, asking stupid / obvious questions, and responding with imagination, ingenuity, sensitivity and expertise. Not having done it all before can be a distinct advantage…

Rob Gregory 11

TEN POINTS OF DEPARTURE

12

13

LAMBRIDGE 14

WORKING WITH SMALL THINGS

More than four pieces of glass and two bits of steel While size is unimportant, quality is, and in this early commission the design for a rear porch linking the living room to the only WC on that level was boiled down to its essence. The link needed to be as clear as possible to maintain light into the living room, without competing with the Grade II listed host building. While we could have dispensed with the steel, we felt that a clearly expressed structural support system, especially done as a ‘“no hands’” cantilever, was a less clichéd alternative to a glass beam. All glass living spaces on the back of terraced houses risk a lack of privacy, but as this serves only as an entrance the glass roof element was justifiable. Another tiny victory in the ongoing struggle to introduce honest, uncompromised contemporary architecture into the fabric of Georgian Bath. The struggle goes on!

15

16

Photo: Mark Bolton

Gospel Hall

Kelston Road

Cleveland Terrace

MORE SMALL THINGS 17

EXACTAFORM

18

Size matters - but shouldn’t mean a compromise in quality This project, which starts on site in 2016, is for a high precision tool manufacturer and comes to us out of our successful working relationship with interior designers Wylde IA. Having an owner/occupier client allows us to talk specifics – for example daylighting, servicing strategies or managing heat generated by machinery – enabling us to create a better building than if it were a speculative development.

The idea of the design is straightforward: by introducing care and elegance into what would otherwise be a single form commercial building on an industrial estate allows the occupier to project an image consistent with their product. The shaping of the front of the box is a carefully designed overhang, shading the glass façade and sheltering a recreational outdoor terrace for staff.

Our design builds on our experience of designing manufacturing, distribution, research, training, sales and marketing spaces, and those layers of experience also reflect the client’s culture. By encouraging overlaps – for example dissolving boundaries between staff and customers or between blue and white collar workers, the building encourages close partnerships through spaces where new relationships and possibilities can emerge.

WORKING WITH BIGGER THINGS 19

20

Science Studios

MORE BIG THINGS

Green Park Station

Seco Bourges 21

TWINNEYS 22

WORKING IN THE RURAL LANDSCAPE

Understanding and working with the genius loci Twinneys is a house and studio in the challenging planning environment of the Bath Green Belt and the Cotswold AONB. Our client - a retired farmer and his artist wife – was born next door to the former piggery which had been in the family for a few generations, so there was more than just a property transaction at stake.

After eleven fruitless years attempting to get planning consent for a new dwelling on the site, our client came to us. Our solution - a landscape wall with a lightweight cabin oversailing it - was driven primarily by a sensitivity to the site and (more precisely) the views into and out of it. Good design was a pre-requisite, as the planning constraints had prevented a much more conventional house being built on the site. A sensitive design, a good model, together with diplomacy and persuasion eventually carried the day. The house was completed in 2009 and won a RIBA award – a fitting testament to our client’s determination and a just reward for their investment of time and money in good design.

Winner - RIBA Award

23

24

Mayfield Farm

MORE RURAL SOLUTIONS Sun House

Hither Dairy

25

51 SYDNEY BUILDINGS 26

Photo: Mark Wray

WORKING WITH HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Respecting the elderly and being true to ourselves

Working regularly with historic buildings has taught us that the best way to approach negotiations with conservation officers is through demonstrating a good knowledge and understanding of the building and its setting. Once the conservation officer has confidence in the design team, they are less likely to revert to the least risky common denominator – the ‘“facsimile’” option. In our view the convincing copy is even more of a threat to the historic environment than a poor quality fake, as it can confuse even a trained eye. We recently came across a building whose 2005 alterations had found their way into a 2011 listing citation as original features. We are strong advocates of the SPAB philosophy of honest and legible alteration.

While 51 Sydney Buildings presented tricky ‘planning’ challenges, we eventually retained the most important transformed the previously dismal and damp bedsits into a light, warm and welcoming family home, at ease in its garden setting. The replacement of the garage required another epic conservation officer battle: but with the help of a design review panel we have obtained consent and hope to complete the scheme in the next year or so.

27

Photo: Mark Wray

elements of the scheme without undue architectural compromise. An extensive repair and upgrade programme

28

Photo: Mark Wray Photo: Mark Wray

Photo: Mark Wray

Court Barn

Innox Lodge

Gospel Hall

MORE HISTORIC BUILDINGS 29

CALDERWOOD 30

The ‘good ordinary’

WORKING WITH THE ORDINARY

VIeW A lot of our work is for special situations, with unusual clients and briefs. But there is also an ambition to make the ordinary much better.

TheFrOM main GarDen challenges with “ordinary” buildings are technical ones, and finding the right balance between the possible and the good sense. Or, put another way, knowing where to stop if demolition and starting again might be a cheaper and more worthwhile option. The rather illogical situation of 0% VAT on new houses exacerbates this dilemma, although sometimes it does help to tip the balance towards new build, which in the longer term can be a better solution.

This house was a late 1960s structure in a popular suburban area near the centre of Bath. Like its neighbours it was decidedly substandard: thin walled, cold and badly planned for contemporary needs. The reward for our inventiveness and persistence has been seeing the transformation of something rather ordinary and difficult to live in or love, turned into a place that is loved by the occupants where a family can grow and thrive. Good design is all about making good decisions, finding elegant solutions, and not always about spending more money.

Finalist – AJ Retrofit Awards 31

Cmw

32

MORE NOT-SO-ORDINARY Squash House

Photo: Mark Bolton

Cmw

Cedar House 33

Chilliswood

HILL FARM DAIRY

34

First principles design better than established expertise Architects are rarely involved in farm design, and we suspect not many would be too interested in it. Hugo Häring and Le Corbusier both designed farms, and we also see farm buildings as overlooked architectural opportunities. Whether heroic and spectacular, or demonstrating an intuitive sensitivity to their site, they usually demonstrate an admirable economy of means to achieve their purpose, and are an essential part of our built environment.

Our clients were novice farmers with ambitions to rear a goat herd and produce boutique, premium quality cheese. They appointed us precisely because we didn’t come with a tried and tested solution and, like them, we were eager to learn and design around the cheese making process. Of course we approached the project like any other, balancing the demands of the brief and budget with the opportunities of the site. Its hillside location allowed us to use gravity to bring milk from the parlour to the dairy below (cheese is better if the milk is not pumped) and building into the hill created cool areas for storing and maturing the cheese. While “experts” would have built a large column free flexible barn with no daylight and foodsafe surfaces, we wanted to design a pleasant working environment for humans.

The barn was also approached from a naïve starting point, and in the end was an adaption of a fairly standard agricultural barn frame. But the herd is happy and healthy, the humans are as well, and the cheese is top notch. Blessed are the cheesemakers.

WORKING WITH SPECIALISTS 35

36

MORE SPECIAL WORKS K FH E

J FH D

B

FH C

2230

Photo: Moresoda / Electric Bear Brewery

H

FH B

4540

FH A

6840

FH A/501

FH A/603.2

SIMILAR

SIMILAR

5970

PARAPET LEVEL +44.095 [=8420 MM ABOVE GROUND FFL] TOP OF ROOF STEEL +43.197 MM

MF3

3.2t

PLANT FH 1.05

LOBBY FH 1.03 MF1

+39.175

S12

FH A/614.1

FH A/616

MF3

MAIN WORK AREA FH 0.01

MF1

SEE PLAN FOR ALCOVES MF3

MF3

GROUND FLOOR FFL +35.675

FH A/614.2 FOR STAIR SEE

C/104

FH A/505.1

Electric Bear Brewery

0M

2M

4M

6M

8M

Science Studios

37

10M

K

J

H CONSTRUCTION RELEASE

B C1

Date

Project

Structural Engineer

Associate

Photo: Studio One

SCIENCE STUDIOS AND FORMALDEHYDE

38

Photo: Studio One

Dissecting and preserving a not so blank canvas A series of large, fire damaged factory buildings on an industrial estate doesn’t immediately sound like an artist’s studio. But if the artwork is on an epic scale, then the spaces required to make, store and show the work are also very large and specialised. While not experts in designing art buildings we learned quickly greatly assisted by our collaboration with Mike Rundell, and a project value of £23m was also a bit of a jolt for our (then) one year old practice of four people!

In many respects we had a dream client – decisive, with clear views about what they wanted, and prepared to pay for research and a solution that worked. While we sometimes had to work a long way outside the box, for many elements of the building we also worked with very standard building components – although we pushed those sometimes in new directions or to new limits. This project almost has it all: super heavy loaded, super flat walls with no joints or features; large areas of floor with no joints and very heavy point load requirements; giant frameless, electromagnetic levitating glass facades panels; giant bespoke doors; giant concrete walls containing cast in situ staircases; bespoke fire protection and escape strategies - the list goes on. Did we mention the formaldehyde studio? Almost every area of the project gave us the opportunity to research, invent, and play on a large scale – and in most cases without any precedents.

While it’s likely that this project is truly unique, we have become knowledgeable in some fairly unusual subject areas, and acquired skills that have, in one way or another, proved useful in ongoing projects.

WORKING WITH ARTISTS 39

40

Photo: Mark Wray

Hardy House

MORE ARTISTIC APPROACHES Twinneys

41

Photo: Neros Foundation

NEROS FOUNDATION 42

Every journey begins with the first step We had a personal connection with the Neros Foundation - a charity building essential facilities for remote communities on the Indonesian island of Flores. Initially approached to help with fundraising, we realised we could bring far more to their cause through our design skills. In essence, through designing a local medical centre, we adopted a first principles environmental approach that sought to wean the cash-poor community away from expensive and unsustainable building practices. Instead of cement – a carbon intensive material brought at huge cost to the community and environment from over 1,000 miles away – we proposed sun baked clay bricks, made on site using hand operated presses sourced from Thailand. Instead of unsustainable hardwood, we reintroduced the structural use of local bamboo (also used to reinforce the brick walls in an earthquake zone) , and researched innovative jointing techniques using found materials such as stainless steel crate packing straps.

We sponsored Keila and Sophie, both Part 1 qualified students who were doing work placements with us, to go to Flores and work with the local charity representative to help set out and start the construction process. The issues arising on site were a bit different from the normal argy bargy of a British building site, but challenging nonetheless - particularly for two young female architects in a male dominated society. We are proud of what they achieved and we hear that the brick machines are still in great demand. It might even catch on‌..

43

Photo: Neros Foundation

WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES

Bamboo Truss

Corrugated steel main roof

Bamboo purlin to support corrugated steel roof Ventilation gap at high level between piers for ventilation, & natural light

Bamboo beam Bamboo structural support End of bamboo must be sealed to prevent insect/mositure damage

Seperate roof over verandah walkway for high-wind building survival

Bamboo Edge beam

Reinforced concrete ring beam

Compressed Earth Block pier with reinforced concrete core

Reinforced concrete ring beam and lintol

Bamboo posts to support vernadah roof Concrete Floor

All photos: Neros Foundation

Foundation to keep bamboo posts - CEB surround with concrete core

Reinforced Concrete Foundations

44

Photo: Oli Warren

Green Park Station

MORE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS London Road

Imagine Bath 45

Photo: Mark Bolton

SOIL ASSOCIATION / CLARKS

46

Culture and legacy at work Working with different client organisations is always enriching and challenging, and we are particularly fortunate enough to have worked with many inspirational clients who want to do more than ‘“follow the market’”. Working with clients who take a long view, understand the difference between value and cost, and appreciate the time it takes to do something right, allow us to do our job well, and apply some of the lessons learned to other organisations we work for.

Recommendations 2 Amenity Spaces

Our 2009 competition design for the Soil Association HQ in Bristol explored the idea of the ‘“free range office worker’”, working in a flexible and pleasant environment, with task orientated workspaces all open to daylight, views, fresh air and outdoor spaces. Instead of a hermetically sealed, high carbon office machine, our alternative offered a quasi-domestic space where staff are valued highly and treated as humans. This idea clearly reflected the client’s own culture, and provided a yardstick for all our design decisions. It’s a shame that this one got away, but the thinking and the ideas remain to fight another day.

As the world’s largest shoe manufacturer, Clarks are acutely aware of the challenges of attracting young staff to their quiet Somerset HQ. They are a family company with a Quaker ethos, reflected in a strong ethical and paternal philosophy towards their employees, and a rich built heritage of workforce housing, a local lido and other facilities. We have enjoyed working with them to sustain that philosophy through new design projects – in particular remodelling their head office site (a jumble of converted factory spaces linked by too many corridors and unused courtyards). We hope that we can realise some of this work in due course, and demonstrate the added value that good design can bring to increasing the quantum, quality and efficiency of the space they have.

WORKING WITH ESTABLISHED ORGANISATIONS Entrance Courtyard, Blocks A/B - New Atrium

47

48

MORE CLIENT CULTURES

Seco Bourges 49

Bristol Grammar School

50

Photo: Oli Warren

IMAGINE BATH / LONDON ROAD

WORKING WITH THE CITY

Helping the city realise a greater potential

We are naturally very interested in urban life, particularly in our home city of Bath. As a World Heritage City, its challenges and opportunities for architects arise from pursuing a determination to promote good design in the face of the prevailing risk-averse culture shared by local people and planners alike. It remains hugely frustrating that our own local authority – despite the absolutely clear need for high quality design - has no real space in the planning process for debate about design or architecture. Design judgements are left to inexperienced and unqualified people, and too often reduce designs to the lowest common denominator. We continue to campaign for a design panel, where the merits of a scheme of any size can be debated objectively by knowledgeable people.

We have also tried other more proactive ways of provoking a debate about design in the city: Imagine Bath was a competition that we organised with fellow architects and local people, resulting in 72 enormously varied entries from an international field. For a brief moment it started to excite the local authority and even some of the local politicians, and the launch party and exhibition demonstrated the potential of a key public space in Bath (Grand Parade) as well as revealing the (currently closed) medieval streets leading to the river.

Our urban design work on the London Road, though only partly executed by the local council, was a lively and interesting time, engaging with a largely ignored population in an unglamorous part of town.

The project demonstrated that great ideas can take form in surprising places, and that communities are interested in their environment and can express their ideas – if anyone is listening. The lesson is that strong leadership by politicians and clients is required to make these projects happen – something that sadly cannot be taken for granted.

51

52

Photo: b:d landscape

Bath Streetscape

Green Park Station

MORE RE-IMAGINING 53

Budapest 2007

Madrid 2010

Porto 2008

Berlin 2011

54

Rome 2012

SPECIAL THANKS

To everyone who has been part of Designscape over the first 10 years...

Adriana Brise単o-Teall Alex Sykes Ali Nott Andrew Bolton Andrew Peters Carol-Anne Walker Carolyn Smith Chris Hall David Wilson Emi Minagawa Findlay McFarlane Hilary Bassett James Feghali James Turner James Wright

Jess Holland Josh Wyles Keila Espinosa Laurence Ingram Linda Wildy Lucy Block Lucy Smith Lynsey Graham Mark Wray Natasha Smiljkovic Peter Spall Phillippa Battye Rachael Barnes Rob Thomas Rosie Sterry

Robbie Stiles Rosie Tillotson Ryan Cook Sam Clarke Seb Walker Sophie Greene Tom Meacock

Photographers: Mark Bolton (www.markboltonphotography.co.uk) / Mark Wray (www.markwray.co.uk) / Oli Warren (www. oliwarren.tumblr.com)

55

Scotland 2013

Amsterdam 2014

Oxford 2015

P.S. We often talk about “Good Design”... Here’s our attempt to define what we mean: “Good design is – an holistic and satisfying combination of intelligence, functionally and beauty– the design has to work well on every level – socially, environmentally and technically, but it also has to look and feel good, so that it is valued and enjoyed by its users”.

56

Aaron & Silvy Stafford - Peeters Alistair & Astrid Forsyth Alun Hughes & Nishi Chaturvedi Andrew & Bekah Murray Andrew Jeffryes & Catherine Gregory Andy & Jane Rogers Andy & Rebecca Kemp Anthony & Amelia Young Bath & North East Somerset Council Bob & Rowena Wood Bridget Hanbury Bristol Sea Cadets C&J Clark International Ltd Chris & Jacqueline Lewis Chris & Sarah Seller Chris & Val Smith Colin & Rachel Exley Cotswold District Council Damien Hirst - Resign Ltd Dan Colman & Morag Deveney Dan & Jenny Rodeck Dave & Amanda Allan David & Camilla Whipp David & Dana Parr David & Nina Pollard Des Andrews Dr. Megan Yakeley & Prof. S. Husbands Driver Consult Electric Bear Brewing Company Ltd. Elly & Duncan Tytler / Roy & Monica Haffner Environ Communities Ltd

Ethical Property Company Limited Exactaform Cutting Tools Ltd Francis & Claire Firmstone Gary & Amanda Parker Giles & Heidi Thompson Guy & Emily Dunwell Ian Crowhurst & Valery Wong Jacqui Edmiston & Andy Parsons Jake & Clare Ronay James & Frances Forsyth James & Nicola Smith Jane Feghali Jane Franke Jayne Alexander-Closs Jim & Kelly Edmunds Joel & Laura Hagan John & Louise Press John & Annabel Merrylees Jonathan & Kate Derwent Kate & Alex Cresswell Kathy Morrison & Darren Perry Kellaway Building Supplies Lady H Renwick Laurence & Hazel Ede LPC International Ltd Marc Radley & Marie Price Mark & Kate Raiss Matthew & Vanessa White Max & Diana Aiken Mike & Annie Coupe Mike Williamson & Coleen Campbell 57

SPECIAL THANKS Miles & Louise Williamson Miles & Mike Savory - ACH Neil Readfern Nick & Shirley Smith Paul & Ali Fairhurst Paul & Tracey Lawrence Peter & Nerris Edwards Peter Ewen & Hazel Reed Philip Butcher & Sophie Chalmers Richard & Catriona Mould Richard & Jack Konarek - Aftica Ltd Richard & Katharine Caddick Richard Harborne Robert & Annie Taylor Roger & Kate Glass Scott & Kendra Sandford Seco Tools AB Simon & Anna Numphud Sir John & Lady Sykes Springmill Holdings Ltd Stephen & Sarah Gundry Stephen Ross Steve & Karen Stringer Tim & Amy Harding Tom & Jannina Henderson Vicki Cracknell & Nick Wharton Will & Caroline Atkinson - Hill Farm Dairy Ltd Wylde IA

... any clients we’ve missed and all of our collaborators!

IT’S BEEN A GOOD 10 YEARS

10