Kings Walk Arcade, Winchester

The Kings Walk project is an upgrade and ‘reactivation’ of an outdated 1970s shopping arcade, located in central Winchester. With a range of new features, including a green courtyard area, improved lighting, and bold graphics, the scheme was delivered through a JCT Intermediate Building Contract. The improvement to Kings Walk Arcade is the first part of a wider scheme of works under the Winchester Central Regeneration Programme. Kings Walk was suffering from a lack of footfall and an increase in antisocial behaviour, exacerbated by the…

The Young V&A, London

The V&A’s East London museum, originally the ‘Museum of Childhood’, has undergone a rejuvenation that not only continues to preserve and document the history of childhood play across different cultures, but also inspires the next generation ‘with the power of creativity and agency’. The project was completed using a JCT Standard Building Contract. The development of the Young V&A is the most significant chapter for its 150-year-old grade II* listed building since its original opening, when its frame and fabric were moved to its current…

Case Study: Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw Café

The café at the gallery and performing arts venue Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, on the north Wales coast, takes inspiration from the local marine wildlife and the spirit of scientific discovery and exploration during the time of the Victorian building’s original construction. Attracting local residents and visitors alike, the café was built on a JCT Intermediate Building Contract with Contractor’s Design. Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw’s new café replaces a replica conservatory originally built in the 1980s. Its limited capacity and poor environmental performance led to a rethink,…

Wraxall Yard, Dorest

A restoration and retrofit project, on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in West Dorset, provides holiday accommodation and facilities specifically for people living with disabilities. The Wraxall Yard project used a JCT Standard Building Contract. Wraxall Yard is a project developed by Clementine Blakemore Architects for client, Wraxall Yard CIC. It is a restoration and retrofit scheme which upgraded a site of derelict farm and agricultural buildings to provide bespoke, supported, self-catered holiday facilities for local people living with disabilities. The buildings are located…

Yoga Studio, The Newt in Somerset

The Yoga Studio is the latest of three buildings at The Newt in Somerset hotel, designed by architects, Invisible Studio. Displaying the architect’s reputation for innovative and unusual design, the building was constructed on a JCT Intermediate Building Contract. The Newt in Somerset’s new Yoga Studio joins a recently installed gym and lakeside apiary (known as the Beezantium) created for the hotel by Invisible Studio, the architects founded by Dr Piers Taylor, co-presenter of BBC series The House That £100k Built and The World’s Most…

The Hub, Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery Trust, London

The Hub’s building-within-a-building design and contemporary spin on many of original Pitzhanger Manor architect, John Soane’s, iconoclastic Georgian architectural features provides a sensitively constructed and functional space for volunteers and the local community. A JCT Minor Works Building Contract was the form of choice. The Hub is a modest name for a building that nonetheless lives up to its meaning – a centre of activity – with an elegantly constructed design that has the utmost respect for its surroundings. The building was commissioned by the…

The Alice Hawthorn, Nun Monkton, Yorkshire

Named after a famous 19th century racehorse, The Alice Hawthorn pub has undergone a transformation with the renovation of its Grade II listed main pub building and the addition of 12 brand new guestrooms whose design befits its rural location and history. It charges out of the gate to the colours of a JCT Standard Building Contract. The Alice Hawthorn is the last remaining pub in the Yorkshire village of Nun Monkton, the closure of four other pubs being indicative of the socio-economic and legal…

Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, University of Warwick

The University of Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) is a world class research facility, remarkable for its extensive use of offsite manufacture which ensured it could be delivered to quality and timescale, whilst also being highly sustainable. The project was built on a JCT Design and Build Contract. The IBRB is a £33m project providing a state-of-the-art facility on the University of Warwick’s Gibbet Hall campus. It was designed by Hawkins Brown Architects and Fairhurst Design Group. The main contractor was Wilmott Dixon. Apropos…

Case Study: Manchester Jewish Museum

A two-year project to restore a Grade II* Listed 19th century Synagogue and build a new extension adding a range of facilities, has delivered an upgrade to the Manchester Jewish Museum that puts the local community at its heart. With a complex mix of restoration, new build, and the installation of various specialist services, a JCT Standard Building Contract was the form of choice. An out-of-town trunk road surrounded by busy retail parks, storage warehouses, and builders’ merchants, seems an unlikely place for a museum….

Case Study: Museum of the Home

The Museum of the Home (MotH) in Hoxton, London, is open after three years of redevelopment. The project included the renovation of a 300 year old almshouse and the creation of newly built elements to reimagine the visitor experience. The transformation was designed by Wright & Wright Architects and used a JCT Standard Building Contract. The original building that houses the MotH started life in the 18th Century as an almshouse. Its career as a museum began in 1914 when the almshouse was converted to…