Purcell presented a concept for the conversion of Islington’s Grade II Listed Business Design Centre into a hotel, The Glasshouse Urban Retreat, at the two-day hotel design expo, HIX 2024. Collaborating with interior designers, Customs Bureau, and event partner Idle + Wonder, we exhibited a multi-media installation featuring a showreel using Revit and Twinmotion animation, AI rendering engines and hand drawing on a set with a bespoke physical maquette.
Photos: The concept, our installation, Oliver Beddard presenting the conference to a packed out room!
This year’s Purcell Design Programme focussed on timber, from its cultivation as a material to methods of joinery. In the first such collaboration, the school was hosted this year at Hooke Park, the Dorset woodland campus of the Architectural Association. Over a five-day residential course, eleven architects drawn from across Purcell’s UK studios experienced a richly diverse mixture of specialist tours, talks and practical tuition, followed by an intensive design and build sprint.
Read Senior Architect Kit Stiby Harris’ thoughts from his experience on our website here >>
Purcell Design Programme 2024: Timber at Hooke Park
Conservation School Recap
by Heritage Consultant Sam Riley
Alongside colleagues from every corner of the practice, I had an incredibly enjoyable time learning and discussing both the theoretical and practical applications of conservation.
A theme throughout, central to our daily decisions in the historic environment, is ensuring we start from a position of knowledge. Beginning with a thorough understanding of a building or place’s significance should always be the first step. This ensures that intervention and change is sensitive, while also enabling beautiful design that responds to its context, rather than working against it.
“It was a pleasure to attend Purcell’s Conservation School, hosted at the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral“
Activities included, but were not limited to: excellent presentations on the conservation movement and understanding significance from Elizabeth Smith and Sally Humphries; thought provoking tours of the cathedral and world heritage site from Surveyor to the Fabric Jonathan Deeming; condition surveys with Lian Harter and Alex Baldwin MRICS; best practices and specification in lime and stone repair by Alex Holton MRICS and Jamie Coath; a tour by Leonie Seliger at the Cathedral’s stained glass workshop; a tour of repairs to the roof of the cathedral with Joel Hopkinson; practical workshop sessions on lime and stone masonry from cathedral mason Tony Long and metalwork from blacksmith Julian Coode; and essential conversations on sustainability and retrofit with Laura Baron.
Our UK teams convened in Leicestershire for this year’s Purcell Day Out, where we were lucky enough to visit the Nevill Holt estate during its esteemed opera festival. Long a home to the arts, we enjoyed a day of performances, sculpture, and activities – all accompanied by an abundance of food and free flowing drinks.
Purcell Day Out: Nevill Holt
Celebrating Collaboration & Conservation in Hong Kong
Our Asia Pacific studios gathered in Hong Kong for an inspiring few days of strategic planning, collaboration, exploration, and celebration.
Highlights of the trip included project site tours, a trip to Lantau Island, and the AP Roadshow.
Insights from the International Museums Construction Congress 2024
This year has seen Purcell’s Cultural Sector team attend the International Museums
Construction Congress 2024 for the first time. Purcell Chairman & Cultural Sector Lead Liz Smith, and Edinburgh Studio Lead Lorna Crane attended the congress, held in venues across the beautiful World Heritage Site of Edinburgh.
The IMCC 2024 unites museum leaders and design professionals from countries across the world. Talks, panel discussions, and networking sessions excitedly explored a focus on intersections between Environmental, Social, and Governance in museum design and construction capital programmes.
Confidence was palpable amongst speakers and attendees that through ambitious capital projects museums of the future will have the power to address global challenges, from access for all, to climate change.
The IMCC boldly states “we want to re-discover museums' ‘Superpowers’ and their role in civic society”.
The conference began with an optimistic view from Museum Insider on £6.9bn forecast on capital projects planned to UK museums and heritage places over the next five years – and much work to look forward to in Scotland.
Trends identified were: continued major projects at the big national museums; enhanced regional investment in cultural provision for ‘left behind’ communities across the UK and Ireland; and an
emerging trend for new types of visitor attraction in derelict industrial sites and abandoned infrastructure.
Divergent views on the enormous pipeline of projects in Saudi Arabia was a key topic of debate as we enthusiastically explored potential collaborations as consultant relationships were formed.
The conference compared museum capital projects from across the globe, celebrating successes and sharing lessons learned. Focus was placed on the value of good quality sustainable design in museum spaces, with particular emphasis on adaptive reuse and retrofit of historic buildings.
From the National Trust of Scotland’s adaptive reuse of vernacular buildings to support economic sustainability and continued way of life for Hebridean communities, to complexities of restitution discussed around the ‘Stone of Destiny’ at Perth Museum, to challenges of reconciling renovation of the gilded 1935 mansion of the Frick Collection in New York with achieving museum sustainability.
Architecture commissions for new museums continue to go to star architects – but appetite for collaboration grows. Our RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisting for NPG, our role on NG200, and our inclusion in 4 of the 5 shortlisted teams for the British Museum Western Range competition meant our name was already well known at IMCC.
Our approach to sustainably, reimagining heritage to create spaces that benefit planet and community perfectly positions Purcell for continued excellence in world class museums.
The message was clear throughout. Purpose and success of capital projects (and their resultant museum spaces) must be shaped, managed, and measured by their social impact and their relationship with communities as well as audiences. Museum projects must be rooted in a holistic view of architecture’s role in ensuring a sustainable society.
The Venerable English College (VEC) in Rome is the oldest English institution abroad.
Two days in ROME
new Director of Heritage Jane Eade, former 16th Century Curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London, joins them to shape this vision.
On a site once home to Ine’s Schola Saxonum, an Anglo-Saxon hospice established in the 8th century for English pilgrims tracing St Augustine’s story to the city, the Venerable English was founded in 1362 as a hospice for English pilgrims in Rome. By the late 15th century the hospice fraternity included distinguished scholars such as Thomas More, Erasmus and William Warham (later Archbishop of Canterbury). Since 1579 it has been a seminary for training Catholic priests to work in England and Wales. It has played a long part in the significant history of relations between England and the Eternal City.
I was privileged and delighted to have been invited to stay at the VEC in December to understand their beautiful historic buildings, and work with the team of foundation staff to build the vision for sharing their unique heritage through a capital project focused on a new library, open-access archive for their rare books and records collection, and heritage centre with exhibition galleries and lecture spaces. Their
Staying in a guest room in the first floor salone with its uniquely beautifully painted and gilded oak ceiling and extraordinary collection of 16th & 17th century religious paintings, I spent two inspiring days researching the history of this historic institution, meeting the young men who come here to follow the path of training into the Catholic priesthood, and considering ways to engage a wider audience of visitors with the extraordinary architecture, collections and histories of this special place.
After arriving the evening before, Day One began with an early briefing from the Rector and members of the foundation staff on their vision.
I was guided then through the unique history and stunning architecture of the Venerable English College. The buildings include the medieval hospice, composed as a claustral complex around a space which is now a sunny courtyard garden, with later developments dating from
the 17th through to the 19th century. The Church of Saint Thomas at the College is a stunning highly decorative interior dating from 1888, of Italians marbles, mosaics, and wall paintings. Other highlights included the frescoed 17th century Chapel, Sacristy, Refectory and three library spaces from the 19th century.
A tour of the archive revealed incredible records of every priest that has trained at or visited the Venerable English College, recorded since the 12th century in the College’s Libre Ruber. Alongside a priceless collection of several thousand rare books, ancient reliquaries, and historic records.
On Day Two I gave a presentation on my initial thoughts, feedback, ideas for restoration of the building to better serve its function as a leading education institution, and home to almost 50 seminarians. I shared initial proposals transformation to achieve inclusive public access to the beautiful medieval crypt, sensitively integrate new visitor display galleries for an enhanced public cultural offer, and create a new-build library and archive storage facility within an existing previously developed courtyard.
The ideas were very well received, and we have been asked to proceed with a feasibility study which will explore these design ideas in further detail, as well as explore and record for the first time the architectural history of the hospice and College.
This is a very exciting commission for Purcell - working internationally, with the oldest English institution abroad, and I look forward to providing further updates during 2025!
Purcell is proud to be a new member of More Than a Building, a committed network of architects, engineers and constructors constructing better futures around the world, in partnership with charity Article 25.
We are supporting design and construction in the Global South – helping to build innovative hospitals, schools and homes in the places that need them the most.
As the only community of its kind, we share a collective vision to harness the power of buildings for good and improve access to healthcare, education, and shelter across the Global South.
Through our partnership with the charity Article 25, Purcell will be supporting the design and construction of innovative hospitals, schools, and homes in the areas that need them most.
By joining More Than a Building, Purcell is committed to playing a pivotal role in addressing the challenges faced by underserved regions, using our expertise to build not just structures, but futures. We are excited to be part of this movement, working alongside like-minded organisations to create lasting, positive change in the Global South. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for those who need it most.
Find out more here: https://www.article-25.org/ more-than-a-building
Collège Amadou Hampaté Bâ, Niger
Purcell Sponsors
‘Radical Retrofitting’ Panel
In Manchester on 6th November, the Design Council hosted the ‘Design for Planet Festival’ with a focus on Planet Positive Business. Purcell sponsored the ‘Radical Retrofitting’ panel, featuring Associate Gemma Birchall from our Manchester studio. Gemma was in excellent company on the panel discussing adapting historic buildings to meet modern needs, showcasing projects like London Road Fire Station, Salford Cathedral and Manchester Museum. The festival, also live-streamed reached 7,000 viewers globally and had 120 in-person attendees.
This event put Purcell’s name and thinking proudly on the world stage, boosting our profile, locally and internationally and allowed Gemma, Abbey Rutherford, and John Piercy Holroyd to network with key industry stakeholders. John also led a Press Tour at London Road Fire Station, attended by major publications including The Guardian, Dezeen and Design Week. A great opportunity to highlight the building’s history, Purcell’s interventions, and the sustainability benefits of adaptive reuse.
As important and high profile as our participation was –making connections, being seen and part of the debate - following up with all those great contacts is key to build relationships and support our business development goals.
Overall, the event successfully promoted our core values of social conscience, innovation, and being a force for good. Planet Positive!
Awards
2024 was another jubilant year for award wins and shortlistings: kicking off the year with the WA100 Survey – where we placed No 1 for Heritage for the third year running, and culminating with the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisting for the National Portrait Gallery.
Although the project, a collaboration with Jamie Fobert Architects, ultimately lost out to the Elizabeth Line, the placement on the shortlist has enabled us - for the first time in our almost 80 year history - to describe ourselves as an RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlisted practice.
Three of our projects won RIBA National Awards this year: in addition to the NPG, Battersea Power Station (with Wilkinson Eyre), and Auckland Castle, Tower, and Faith Museum (with Niall McLaughlin) were both recognised, with Auckland also winning the Conservation Award and North East Project of the Year.
The Manchester Museum won praise for its inclusive design, winning the Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design at the Civic Trust Awards before going on to be shortlisted for the AJ Architecture Award (Cultural Project); AJ100 Community Impact Award; and the Architect of the Year Social Value Award.
Oxburgh Hall and Ledston Hall both picked up wins at the RICS Regional Awards in the East and North East respectively; while Boston Manor House scooped up the AJ Architecture Award for Heritage earlier this month. In our Asia Pacific region, the New South Wales Parliament Chambers won the National Trust Heritage Award for Interiors and Objects.
Auckland Castle
NSW Parliament
Our Town Hall Updates
The statue of Albert has been cleaned and a new marble arm fitted. Previously, Albert’s lower right arm had been replaced with a plaster version, with the Staff Of Office absent. The original design was lost but a new Staff was recreated from studying other statues of Albert, including the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens in London. The new hand and staff are made of marble.
The pinnacles to the canopy of the corner aedicules, showing some replaced carved finials. A stylised pineapple design is visible at two locations in this photograph.
First Air Test Successfully Completed!
Hull City Council committed in 2019 to becoming one of the leading carbon neutral cities in the UK by 2030. Since then, Purcell has been working closely with Hull City Council and leading a talented team of specialist consultants to develop a vision for a net zero carbon in operation, Passivhaus certified, museum within the city.
Located at Hull’s North End Shipyard on the banks of the River Hull, the building will house visitor and education facilities, including a first-floor exhibition and events destination with spectacular views to the fishing trawler Arctic Corsair which is to be berthed within the adjacent dry dock.
The project has now reached a key milestone, with the first air test successfully completed, and we are thrilled to continue to lead the design through to completion of the building over the coming months.
A Manchester bee!
NORTH
Hanover Lodge
Proposals for Hanover Lodge - the John Nash designed, grade II* listed mansion overlooking Regent’s Park.
NG200
Christmas has arrived in Trafalgar Square, where works to the transformation of the Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery are ongoing.
QMUL ITL
Demolition work on site at the QMUL ITL project is mostly complete.
Below ground construction is ongoing, whilst recent design changes have been approved in principle by the Planning Officers.
Wigmore Street
Craig and Pete from the Colchester studio were invited to attend the press launch of Bechstein Hall last month. A sister venue to the world-famous Wigmore Hall, the new C. Bechstein Centre London building is located at 22 Wigmore Street and includes a two-story flagship showroom, 13 practice rooms and a selection room for concert hire pianos in the basement.
Great Malvern Priory
The Grade 1 listed Great Malvern Priory has the largest display of 15th century-stained glass in an English parish church and a highly significant collection of medieval floor and wall tiles. The project is a combination of conservation work and a sensitive new build extension. The conservation work includes the restoration of seven of the most vulnerable stained-glass windows, protective secondary glazing and masonry repairs. A new extension, in conjunction with some internal re-ordering, will accommodate toilets and supporting the facilities. This is to allow the vibrant church community to use the church more successfully for worship, education, community activities, exhibitions, refreshments, and much more.
Review of Welsh Local Museums
The Welsh Government has commissioned this research to understand the scale and nature of the repair & maintenance backlog affecting local museums in Wales, excluding the seven national museums and National Trust properties. The research aims to estimate the value and scale of the repair, maintenance and renewal backlog.
New College Library
Following the initial studies undertaken to establish the feasibility of extending the existing Library, it has been agreed that a more developed concept design is required to present to Oxford City Council as part of the pre-app planning process. We have therefore prepared a fee proposal to develop the design to half-way through Stage 2 for presentation at the College Buildings Committee and Pre-App in early spring 2025.
HK Cricket Club
Purcell AP’s latest project at the Hong Kong Cricket Club has been revealed as a full building alteration and upgrade to the Gap Pavilion: a modernist-style building completed 10 years ago. This project aims to improve the operational layout, provide an enclosure to the pavilion, and modernise its interior and function.
Havering Town Hall Roof Replacement
We are comprehensively replacing the existing roof covering, refurbishing roof lanterns, repairing parapet walls, and upgrading mechanical and electrical systems, all while ensuring compliance with the heritage conservation standards applicable to this Grade II-listed building.
York Terrace
The London studio has been appointed to work on the overhaul of 1-18 York Terrace into a new luxury development. The Grade I-listed terrace was originally designed by John Nash to define the southern boundary and central entrance to Regent’s Park.
Abbey of St Edmund: A Millennium of English History in West Suffolk
We have been appointed as architect, lead consultant, and heritage consultant to support a Round 1 (Development Phase) National Lottery Heritage Fund (the Heritage Fund) project at The Abbey of St Edmund in Bury St Edmunds.
OUR TRUSTEES
The Trustees attended the Collective Ambition Roadshows and are reviewing how, as a practice, we best artciulate the benefits of Employee Ownership. Thank you for all your input so far!
Rachel Morgan and Caitlin Mullard attended the Employee Ownership Association Conference last month – they will be sharing their insights in the March 2025 edition of the Pulse!
ALASDAIR JONES Chair of Purcell EOT, Associate
SUE LAWRENCE Non-Executive Trustee, Director of Independent Directors & Trustees Ltd
RICHARD HENSON Main Board Trustee, Statutory Director & Operations Partner
CAITLIN MULLARD West Region Trustee, Architect
LUCY BURKE-SMITH Asia Pacific Trustee, Associate Partner
KIRSTY JERMAK East Region Trustee, Regional Studio Manager
JOAO ESTEVES London & South East Trustee, Associate
NICK DE KLERK London & South East Trustee, Associate Partner
RACHAEL MORGAN North Region, Architect
Welcome to Purcell
Willow Hart | Canterbury Part I Architectural Assistant
Matthew Orme | Canterbury Architect
Michael Clarke | London Associate
Amber Venter | London Part II Architectural Assistant
Becky Stone and Adam were married in June, the day involved mini golf, drinking games, rare Lancashire sunshine and deer at Brockholes Nature Reserve.
Maria Salling and her husband Sam were married in Denmark back in June. There was lots of traditional Danish cake.
Joe Cox and Saskia (the new Mrs Cox!!!) got married in September. They had the best weekend ever celebrating and tying the knot.
Email Banners
From January all our email signatures will be automated. No one need worry about creating, editing or having the right font, banner size or theme.
Great news that all our e-signatures will be cohesive and consistent.
Watch this space, more details to come from Daire in early January.
Tour of the Shoemakers
museum site to 2nd year Oxford Brookes University students
For architectural students to experience a live building site and learn about a construction project from the client, contractor and architect, to pass on knowledge and hopefully inspire the next generation.
Festive Wreath Making
The Bristol studio hosted a festive wreath making workshop in November, raising funds for Bath based charity the Genesis Trust. The event raised £325 for the homelessness charity whilst enjoying an evening of fun, creativity, and networking.
Light the Night!
Nuria Garcia and Ed Harris from our Bristol studio joined up with team members from Hoare Lea, Arup, Skelly & Couch, AECOM, and Max Fordham LLP for RE: Light The Night – Bristol’s first lighting design ‘showdown’!
Hosted in the city’s Temple1852 venue – formerly the headquarters of the Bristol and Exeter railway – teams were given a limited time, props, and lighting samples to create a unique lighting installation.
The Purcell/Skully & Couch team were ecstatic to be crowned the winners, with their imaginative Pirate Ship installation wowing the judges with vibrant colours and cleverly hidden LED lights.
Beard
Cyclathon
Oxford studio (x9 people) participated in Beard Cyclathon to support the Oxford University and the wider community. Through a new partnership, the Oxford University will make its sports facilities more widely available for local community activities and deliver inspiring sports programmes to state schools across the County.
Christmas Jumpers!
York Studio wore their Christmas jumpers on 9th December to raise money for Save the Children.
NORTH EAST
Purcell Pets
Ska
Freya & Molly
Both big fans of freshly grated 24 month old Parmesan, or maybe a prawn from your risotto, if you have any spare?
Loves to travelNorway & Camping!
Patch
Felix & Vesper
Lady
Lokie
Gaston
Gaston who is part of the L&SE support team. He is 2½ years old and loves running on his new giant cat wheel or sitting in on Teams events
Molly Panda
PURCELL PALS
Talks and Media
Find Authentic Happiness by Stephanie
Harrison:
As we approach this festive season, we want to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas filled with joy, peace, and connection. This time of year can bring both happiness and challenges, so it’s important to prioritise your mental health and well-being. We encourage you to reach out to loved ones, engage in activities that bring you joy, and take time for selfcare. Remember that it’s okay to seek support if you’re feeling overwhelmed. May this holiday season be a time of reflection, gratitude, and hope for the coming year.
You are not alone this Christmas
Christmas is often seen as a time of joy and celebration, but it can also bring feelings of loneliness and isolation for many. If you are feeling alone this Christmas and need to reach out there are many charities that can offer the support you need.
Find Authentic Happiness | Action for Happiness
“Bestselling author Stephanie Harrison shares her uplifting new approach to happiness. Building on extensive research, she’ll explore some of the most common happiness-related challenges, from confidence and self-compassion through to relationships and purpose.”
Interesting Read:
Christmas and your mental health by Mental Health UK: https://mentalhealth-uk. org/christmas-andyour-mental-health/
YOUR PALS
Stephanie Wilson North
Lucy Mansfield East
Jordon Grimes East
Virginia Polignano East
Justin Morris West
Emily Pye West
Fiona Lauchlan West Emilia Panova West
Hugh Jones Holbart
Rory Keenan London & SE
Neil King London & SE
Terri Moylan North
Charlotte NelmesVincent, London & SE
Yolande Steyn London & SE
Ola Urbanska London & SE
Josh Cordrey London & SE
PURCELL PALS
Do Good December Calendar
This months theme is “Do good December”. This Christmas period we are encouraged to engage in acts of kindness and generosity. When you give an act of kindness the giver and the receiver will enjoy the positive impact, fostering a sense of community and enhancing overall well-being. Use this calendar as a guide to perform daily acts of kindness, whether big or small, such as helping a neighbour, volunteering time for a local charity, or simply offering words of encouragement to someone in need. The idea is to create a ripple effect of positivity that not only brightens the holiday season but also contributes to long-term happiness and connection among people. By focusing on altruism during this busy time of year, Do Good December aims to remind us all of the joy that comes from giving and the importance of supporting one another.
SUNDAYMONDAY
TUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAY
Have your say!
Firstly, a huge
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
from all of your Employee Council reps across the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia. We want to start by saying we hope you all have a lovely December break, whether that’s spent basking in the Aussie sun or cuddling up in a cosy British pub with family and friends! You all thoroughly deserve it.
As you all know this has been a busy year for uswe have spent the last six months working behind the scenes to transform the Voice into the newly formed Employee Council. We hope by now you have all had chance to engage with your reps at the Roadshows about the new chapter we are embarking on and all the things you can do to make a difference to life at Purcell!
JORDON GRIMES Chair | East
NANSI JONES Deputy Chair | London & SE
JUSTIN MORRIS West
SONIA BALLANCE West
CHARLOTTE ROBERTS Aministrator | East
ADY FUNG Asia Pacific
JOSEPH COX North
JAMES TIMMINS East
We are now the Employee Council!
We have had a number of success’ this year from securing protected time off to give blood to Purcell branded notebooks and the electric car scheme! However, over this next year we want to be even more ambitious and innovative with what we are driving forward. As ever, if you have any great ideas which you think would benefit the practice, please do head to the newly refreshed Purcell Pitch page on connect to share your thoughts, reach out to one of your local reps or email us at employeecouncil@purcelluk.com!
The Council looks forward to sharing its ambitions and goals for 2025 with the wider practice following AP’s AGM on Thursday 5th December and the UK’s AGM on Wednesday 11th December!
PHILLIP LEE Colchester
LINDA MOTT Asia Pacific
SAM SHERWOOD Manchester
ANNA GOLDRIN North
RICHARD BATTYE London & SE
ROZ WELLS London &
Please continue to send in your stories and suggestions for the months ahead by email to: purcellpulse@purcelluk.com
