New Project Added to Website

Our recently completed Buckinghamshire Residence has been added to the website.

This classical house sits on the rural edge of a Buckinghamshire town, with beautiful beech trees at the rear of the site. Our clients required more accommodation, including a pool house. An existing house of low quality, had been built by a developer in 2004, so it was agreed that it should be remodelled to save waste & energy caused by demolition. The facades, roof and interiors of the new house are therefore all reconstructed around the retained walls & floors within.

Replacement Dwelling Approved

This substantial replacement dwelling near Ely has recently been consented by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

The house takes visual cues from the large, simple barn forms which dot this sparse landscape of flat fields and endless skies. A palette of zinc and dark brick echoes barns built in cladding sheet over a robust, masonry base.

The house sits within a low-lying landscape, benefitting from flood defences. A full Flood Risk Assessment informed our approach to safe and resilient design. In addition, we were required to demonstrate that the house it replaces is not a ‘non designated heritage asset’.

The scheme was approved under delegated powers.

With thanks to Parker Planning and Geoff Beel Consultancy for their technical support.

Approval for 50 New Houses

CGA and Hill have recently received reserved matters approval for the development of 50 new houses just outside the village of Finchingfield. The proposals were unanimously approved by councillors on the 8th March, following a period of positive engagement with Braintree District Council and the local parish councils. This application granted permission for the detailed design of the scheme, further to an earlier outline planning consent which established the principle of development. 

The design evolved over the course of several months, with the close involvement of Braintree District Council, who were in agreement with the design team and developers regarding the need for a high quality, carefully detailed design at the site which acts as a gateway into the village of Finchingfield. A wide range of house type designs were developed, which respond to the varied and historic architectural styles in Finchingfield, taking cues from the organic pattern of development, brick and render material palette and the celebration of green spaces.

The design incorporates over 1.1 hectares of public open space, including a central green, a landscaped perimeter walk and a planted buffer zone to the east which creates visual separation between the houses and the adjacent Bardfield Road. All houses face onto green landscaped spaces and are connected to the village with new footpath links. 40% of the houses will be affordable homes and the developer will be providing financial contributions to support the local health centre and sports facilities. 

Each new home will have an air source heat pump, providing efficient renewable energy. Sustainable drainage systems are carefully integrated into the landscape design, creating attractive features which also serve as flood mitigation measures.

Image by Bradley Dyer

Visitor Centre Shortlisted For RIBA Regional Awards 2022

We are pleased to announce that the Carlton Marshes Visitor Centre has been shortlisted for the RIBA East Awards 2022.

The visitor centre is the Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s flagship building, it will have a dual role being both a visitor gateway and an education centre. It is a space to encourage more people to learn about the Broads unique landscape and wildlife. 

All shortlisted projects will be assessed by a regional jury with the winning projects announced later this spring.

Photograph by Peter Cook

Thremhall Park Added to Website

Our Thremhall Park project has been added to our website. Phase one of the project was completed in 2021, delivering flexible office space designed to respect the local, agricultural vernacular and the historic barn ranges on the adjoining site.

CGA was appointed to explore the potential for additional commercial facilities at the existing Thremhall Park site, which comprises modern, flexible offices within the setting of a once ruined and now converted country house, archaeologically significant priory site and areas of high ecological sensitivity.

Discovery Of A Lifetime At Calverley Old Hall

Our Calverley Old Hall project recently hit the headlines when the removal of lath & plaster from the 1930s revealed perfectly preserved mid-16th century wall paintings.

The paintings, which feature mythical creatures and decorative vines, have been reported in national and international press and described as a once in a lifetime find.

The Grade 1 house was built and inhabited by the Lords of the Manor of Calverley from c.1250 to the late 18th century, placing it in the top 2.5% of all listed buildings in the country. CGA were appointed to turn the dilapidated building into a holiday let following a national competition run by the Trust in 2017.

Work on site is now underway starting with the re-roofing of the Solar & Parlour Block.

Further information of the project and the Landmark Trusts appeal for funding can be found here https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/support-us/projects-and-appeals/appeal-launched-calverley-old-hall/

Further news coverage can be found here:

https://eu.usatoday.com/videos/news/world/2021/11/12/workers-restoring-home-discover-16th-century-walls-art-hidden-behind-plasterboard/8583748002/

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/11/12/hidden-paintings-dating-back-renaissance-era-discovered/8583693002/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1520085/discovery-tudor-chamber-mythical-creatures-calverley-hall-yorkshire-history-spt

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gobsmacked-restorers-make-discovery-of-a-lifetime-at-medieval-manor-in-england-180979053/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10185753/Experts-discovery-lifetime-1970s-paint-job-bedroom-rundown-old-house.html

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/19707899.closer-look-tudor-paintings-found-calverley-old-hall/?ref=rss

Photographs by Tom Burrows & Simon Hogben /Landmark Trust

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre Added To The Website

In 2019, the National Lottery Heritage Fund invested over £4 million in the Trust’s vision to create 1,000 acres of wildness, match-funded by Suffolk Wildlife Trust donors and supporters.

Cowper Griffith Architects were appointed by the client to develop proposals for high quality flagship visitor facilities in the unique Broadland landscape to replace the existing outmoded facilities. Community engagement, inclusive access, and low energy were very important components of the design of the Centre.

The new Carlton Marshes visitor centre is a flagship building for the Trust that will have a dual role being both a visitor gateway and an education centre, a space to encourage more people to learn about the Broads unique landscape and wildlife.

Further Information and photographs can be found on the projects page

Contractor: Barnes Construction

Photography: Peter Cook

Reserved Matters Application Submitted For Rural Development

We have recently submitted a Reserved Matters Application for a new residential development in Essex, in conjunction with Hill. The proposals consist of 50 new houses, 20 of which will be made available as affordable housing. The site is located in a rural area, to the south of the village of Finchingfield. The design focuses on a principle of “outward greening” which creates a continuous green buffer zone to the perimeter of the site, to protect views towards and out of the site from the open countryside. Large public green spaces are incorporated, creating attractive walking and cycle routes for both new and existing local residents and air source heat pumps are proposed to every home, providing efficient, renewable energy for residents.

The houses have been designed to reflect the diverse character of the adjacent village, providing a low density which leaves lots of space for generous private gardens and the public greens. The design developed alongside frequent consultation with Braintree Council, the local parish councils and through public consultation events both online and in person. This process informed a substantial planting set-back from Bardfield Road, which helps to protect the rural feel of the approach into Finchingfield.

Image Credit: Bradley Dyer Raw

Client / Developer: Hill

Landscape Architects: Guarda Landscape

Planning Consultants: Carter Jonas

Highways Engineer: SDP Consulting Engineers

Marsh Edge House Added To The Website

Following on from recent publicity within the RIBA Journal, we have added Marsh Edge House to our website.

The new house replaces an existing house built in the 1950s with a design that is sympathetic to the sensitive site on the edge of the sand dunes that form a part of the protected coastline.

The form of the new house is made of a spiral of wedge shapes in three components. Two wedges oppose one another with one slid along side the other. The high point of each these two main wedge shapes is purposely directed towards the best views with dramatic open salt marshes extending to the sea to the north and in contrast the sheltered patchwork of tamed landscapes to the south. The third wedge is much smaller and skewed apart as it moves away to emphasise the spiral formation.

The living accommodation is elevated to take advantage of the distant views and to keep habitable areas above the flood plain.

The contemporary interior of the house comprises one large living space on the upper level with smaller cellular bedroom accommodation below.

The house incorporates traditional Norfolk materials in an innovative combination of coursed pebbles, weathered timber, structural glass, zinc roofing and high quality joinery.

Contractor: Robson Construction

Lighting Designer: Workplane Lighting

Structural Engineer: CAR ltd

Photography: Peter Cook

Progress at Artist's Studio In Cambridge City Centre

Cowper Griffith are currently involved in an exciting project in the arts and culture sector in Cambridge. This involves the substantial refurbishment and extension of an existing house to create artist’s studios in the heart of the city. The complex brief includes the retention of the existing barbers shop at ground floor level, and provision of a caretakers flat in the existing building.

The design uses a distinctive sawtooth roof form to angle large rooflights northwards. This allows constant ambient north light within the studio spaces, which is preferred in studios to avoid UV degradation or fluctuating light levels. The artists areas are concealed behind the street frontage on Cherry Hinton Road, and will be visible from the street as glimpsed views by passers-by. Contemporary materials are used in the extension to create a contrast to the existing Victorian building, including pigmented zinc roofing, grey brick laid with a textured face, and timber batten cladding. A series of spaces with movable partitions are created to allow flexibility for the users to undertake small commissions or to open up their studio to the public for masterclasses or other events. Communal areas are provided to create a sense of community and allow exchange of ideas.

When the project was approved at planning committee, the councillors noted that the project would be a real asset for Cherry Hinton Road, and they were fully supportive of arts spaces being embedded in the city.