Mersea Barns opens to the public

Cowper Griffith Architects has completed a new shop, café, play and community hub in East Mersea, on the site of a former 'pick your own' fruit farm.

The building takes its inspiration from the modest, black-painted timber barns and sheds which dot this sparse yet stunning landscape of tidal mudflats and fertile lowlands

The shop and café act as a rotating gallery for local artists and craftspeople, and the café showcases the best local produce.

The scheme is the brainchild of a local family, wishing to create a focal point for their community. We wish them tremendous success!

We also offer our thanks and appreciation to T J Evers, local Building Contractor, who were diligent, collaborative and committed to achieving excellent results.

Find out more at: www.merseabarns.com

National Park & Education Centre at Acle Bridge

Concept Drawings for a new National Park Centre at Acle bridge on the Norfolk Broads have been prepared by the practice. The scheme develops the idea of the building acting as a sound barrier against the heavy traffic on the main road as it crosses the Acle bridge, as well as a ‘marker’ for the river boats.

The simple steep roof extends into a tall keel at the ridge acting as a ‘spine’. Covered in white timber cladding and black rubber it makes subtle reference to the working mill buildings of the broads. The simple strong shapes and open glazing, provide great views over the river. A Camera-obscura with mirrors set within a tower at one end projects an image of the flat reeded landscape on to a table within. The tower acts as a destination point across the fens.

The first floor café can be subdivided by sliding screens to form the education space. Interpretation areas can be reached from the river bank and directly from the embankment of the road via a draw bridge, pulled up at night for security. Less flood sensitive functional areas are placed on the ground floor.

Winchester College shortlisted for 2019 RIBA South Award

We are pleased to announce that our project for Winchester College has been shortlisted for an RIBA South Award. Further details can be found at:

https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/seventeen-projects-shortlisted-for-riba-south-awards-2019

For more information about the scheme, please visit the project page below:

Winchester College

Wesley College shortlisted for 2019 RIBA East Award

We are pleased to announce that our project at Wesley House Theological College in Cambridge has been shortlisted for an RIBA East award.

RIBA East regional director Louise Todd said: “We have seen some really impressive entries in the East of England this year. The range of projects clearly demonstrates the many specialist skills that practices can offer, from conservation work and re-imagining outdated buildings through to designing highly energy-efficient one-off homes and social housing. All the architects and their clients are to be heartily congratulated on making it onto this year’s shortlist.”

https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/24-projects-shortlisted-for-riba-east-2019-awards

https://www.archdaily.com/913202/24-projects-shortlisted-in-2019-riba-east-awards

Further details on the project can be found below:

Wesley College

Wesley College, University of Cambridge

The Wesley College project is now complete after a two year construction period commencing in early 2015. Wesley College was purpose built in 1928 for the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and this scheme consolidates the College onto approximately half the original site, after an arrangement with Jesus College, to rationalise accommodation.

Fifteen new student rooms are grouped around the north east corner, extending the buildings facing onto Jesus College Fellows Garden. At the front of the site, part of a 1960s building was demolished to form a new main entrance for the College, with a purpose built Porters Lodge and administration provided on the ground floor for the first time in the College’s history, completing the original vision. Seminar rooms, a new library and a new dining hall and kitchens on the top floor complete the main part of the new building facing onto Jesus Lane and back into the main court.

The scheme is carefully stitched into the listed 1920s and C18 buildings adjacent. The highly constrained site, and the close proximity of the new buildings to the College Chapel have made this a challenging project. The high quality of materials in the original buildings have been resourced & matched with stone, hand made brickwork, joinery and Westmoreland slate.

CGA projects shortlisted for four RICS awards

We are pleased to announce that four of our projects have been shortlisted for regional RICS awards.

Anstey Hall and Wesley College have been shortlisted in the ‘Design Through Innovation’ and ‘Residential’ categories, for the East of England.

https://www.rics.org/uk/events/networking/rics-awards-east-of-england/

Heckington Windmill has been shortlisted in the ‘Building Conservation’ and ‘Tourism & Leisure’ categories, for the East Midlands region.

https://www.rics.org/uk/events/networking/rics-awards-east-midlands/

Finally, Winchester College has been shortlisted in the ‘Design Through Innovation’ and ‘Residential’ categories, for the South East region.

https://www.rics.org/uk/events/networking/rics-awards-south-east/

For more information on each project, please follow the links below:

Listed Property Show 2019

Cowper Griffith Architects are delighted to announce that we will be exhibiting at this year’s prestigious Listed Building Owners’ Show at Olympia, London, February 9th & 10th.

We look forward to meeting as many custodians of Listed Buildings as possible, and sharing some of our knowledge. 

We also hope to deepen our understanding of artisanal construction skills, to be demonstrated by a wide variety of craftspersons, all leaders in their field.

We expect it to be a stimulating weekend - come and see us on Stand E15!

#listedpropertyshowlondon2019 @olympia_london @Listed_Property

https://www.lpoc.co.uk/the-listed-property-show-london/

Chariots of Fire 2018

Cowper Griffith took to the streets of Cambridge for Chariots of Fire 2018, raising nearly £200 for the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation. Thanks for all the donations and support on the day - it made a real difference. We made it round the 10 mile course in 01:25:16 - finishing in a very respectable 179th place! There’s still time to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cgajoggers

Sevenoaks Nature and Wellbeing Centre - Competition Entry

Cowper Griffith Architects recently participated in an RIBA organised international design competition for a new nature and wellbeing centre for the Kent Wildlife Trust. Our scheme was one of 300 submissions.

http://www.ribacompetitions.com/sevenoaks/entries.html

HLF Funded Heckington Windmill project wins NK Building Excellence Award

Our Heckington Windmill regeneration project won an award for 2018’s ‘Best Large Commercial Building’, and was shortlisted for both ‘Best Public Service Building’ and ‘Best Educational Building’.

The project’s success is in no small part down to the dedication of the project Architect and Associate, Karen Lim, and the contributions of consultants, sub-contractors, local authority and client body.

The Main Contractor (Newman Moore of Sleaford) worked in an exemplary fashion, and the mill complex has become a thriving hub of commerce and conviviality, centred around the Grade I Listed windmill – the only eight sail mill left in the country!

Our robust, simple buildings are complimented by beautifully detailed and executed joinery and imaginative interpretation.

We are grateful to the Trustees of the Windmill for allowing us to help them secure its’ long term future.

Site progress at Old Glebe Farm, East Mersea

Our project at Old Glebe Farm is progressing well on site. The scheme involves the construction of a new shop and cafe building for the community on Mersea Island, on the Essex Coast.

The steel frame is now up and the first floor is being constructed, and the cranked plan of the two pitched volumes can now be read. The project is due to be completed in Autumn 2018.