Works to a convert the former Jehovah Witness Hall in Thame, into three social housing flats for Thame & District Housing Association has started on site.
The building will comprise of one 1-person flat and two 2-person flats. The flats will form part of the Pearce Court site. The project has been funded by SODC, Homes England and Thame & District Housing Association.
As part of the decarbonisation of the building, solar PV panels will be installed to power the building, which will be topped up with mains electric thereby avoiding dependence on fossil fuels. Refurbishing and upcycling the building will not only meet current standards, but also provide three much needed new dwellings.
Works are being carried out by JET Construction (Milton Keynes) Ltd and are due to complete in August 2023
Our project at Clifton All Saints Academy has recently completed. The brief was to provide the School with two additional classrooms to enable them to accommodate years 5 and 6 changing them from a Lower School to a Primary School.
The school is situated in the heart of Clifton Village and therefore the site is very constrained, being built up on three sides the space for expansion was very limited.
Through the feasibility process it was clear the only way to fit the new classrooms on the site was to build up, this would involve the demolition of a section of building at the rear of the site and a new two-storey extension was built on a slightly larger footprint in one direction and a reduction in the other therefore enabling a larger playground to be created.
To minimise the mass of the building a monopitch roof was introduced, this helped with keeping the height of the building to a minimum. The type of materials were important to the project, given the natural feel of the site with a large wooded area at the back of the School, a sedum roof was installed to help with biodiversity and to help the building blend in with its surroundings and timber cladding was used to break up the brickwork.
As part of the design we wanted to ensure that the new and old parts of the School worked together, as with many Schools built in the 1970’s there were no corridors, just room through room walkways. With minor adjustments to two existing classrooms there was enough space to create a new corridor that links to the new extension which immensely improves the flow of the school.
The completed project gives the school four new classrooms, two group rooms and an Intervention/Breakout room with a net increase in building footprint of 32m².
Members of Launton Parish Council were delighted to hear that their planning application for improvements to the Parish Hall has been granted permission by Cherwell District Council.
This gives the green light for substantial improvements to the hall to bring it up to modern standards, providing new facilities and enhancing the energy efficiency of the building. An old side extension will be demolished and replaced, to provide a new catering style kitchen. The building will be re-roofed with zinc, a tough, natural and recyclable material. PV Solar panels will generate electricity with the potential for battery storage. And replacement windows and doors will help to stop drafts and keep in the heat.
We have guided the Parish Council and Hall Working Group through the steps towards achieving planning permission, and look forward to being of further assistance when funding is available to carry out the improvements.
3D Visualisation of Improvements to Launton Parish Hall
Work has begun this week on a new extension and programme of improvements at Winslow Public Hall in Buckinghamshire. These will encompass a smart new entrance and lobby area, together with a modern catering kitchen, WCs and plant room. The existing large meeting hall will have enhanced public accessibility, a fresh decoration scheme and built-in storage facilities amongst other changes.
Renewable and sustainable energy solutions are always at the forefront of our thinking during the design phase. In this case, the hall will have two ranks of roof-mounted PV panels to generate electricity with battery storage to conserve the power. As a finishing touch, the area around the new extension is a popular thoroughfare, and this will be attractively landscaped at the end of construction.
We are delighted to be working on this project on behalf of Winslow Town Council, and in conjunction with principal contractor JET Construction (Milton Keynes) Ltd.
Work begins at Winslow Public HallVisualisation of new extension
Our long-term project to extend and redevelop the site at Henlow Academy in Bedfordshire reaches its latest phase, with the addition of a new passenger lift to replace an old platform lift. This will enable pupils, staff and visitors with impaired mobility to access the first floor classrooms and facilities, and is a very welcome addition to the Academy site.
Also in this development phase was the refurbishment of the design & technology room and art rooms, refreshing the spaces and giving them a renewed lease of life. A new corridor leads to the Henlow Hub. Two existing rooms were knocked into one to create a larger library/hub space, with a moveable library shelving system to give more flexibility. The interior design scheme for the room combines the four colours that have been used throughout the extension and refurbishment of this block.
Nothing stays the same for long these days, and so it’s almost inevitable that at some stage, your school accommodation will need to either change or grow (or both!). Perhaps a forthcoming increase in the school roll means that additional classroom space is required, or improved facilities (new science labs or DT rooms, for example) are needed to help deliver the national curriculum.
Of course, you are getting on with the important task of running your school and teaching children, and so appointing an experienced project manager in conjunction with suitably qualified architectural designers at the very infancy of a site development project is key to its success.
PCMS Design is such a firm, and our expertise in this field is broad and deep. There are many ways in which we can add value. At feasibility stage, we can properly assess the potential of your building (against DfE guidance) and make recommendations as to how it can be cost-effectively and practically expanded and changed.
Project Manager site meeting with client and site agent
We will carefully guide you through all of the various stages involved in a construction project.
We understand the planning process, and have strong links with many local authority planning and building control departments. We will handle the procurement of suitable building contractors, the contract administration and detailed project management of the build.
Accurate cost control is obviously vital for public sector projects and this is a major benefit of using a project manager. And with our emphasis on sustainable construction, we will ensure that the build uses the best, most environmentally-friendly materials and has features such as renewable energy generation as standard.
In essence, using a project manager can save you time and money, ensuring successful and stress-free delivery of your school building projects.
We’ve recently completed a phased
refurbishment project for Thame & District Housing Association, a
Registered Social Landlord providing rented accommodation in the Thame area.
The works at Croft Court, which is a residential block with eight single bedroom flats for the over 60s included replacing the kitchens and bathrooms in each, removing a sliding door into the kitchen and enlarging the opening to create a more usable and modern space. The works also incorporated the replacement of the roof. We provided drawings and specification and following a procurement process, principal contractor JET Construction (Milton Keynes) Ltd was appointed to carry out the building works. By paying close attention to the project programme, we ensured that the flats were refurbished in a phased way, so there was the minimum of disturbance to existing residents.
Thame & District Housing Association
Facilities Manager Mick Hancocks said: “We have appointed PCMS Design to carry
out the project management and architectural design for a number of our
properties. We have found that they are sensitive to the protection and privacy
needs of our residents, which is very important to us. I would not hesitate to
use PCMS Design again.”
PCMS Design is pleased
to announce that we have recently relocated! We’ve moved our office premises by
only a few miles from Haddenham to Long Crendon, a nearby Buckinghamshire
village. Our new office is in a lovely, totally self-contained building located
within a farm complex, situated on the rural edge of the village. We now have
tractors rumbling down the driveway, the sound of cattle in the distance and
hares hopping past the window! We’ve all been impressed by the views, which
extend across open farmland and countryside towards the Chiltern Hills.
New office in Long Crendon
Our working environment is certainly more harmonious and peaceful, and we’re trusting that the office move will provide inspiration for ever more creative architectural designs! If you have a home, educational, community or commercial project that would benefit from architectural advice or project management, then do get in touch for a no obligation chat. We are happy to work throughout rural (and urban) Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Gloucestershire and beyond …
Our new address: The Barn, College Farm, Chearsley Road, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire HP18 9AP
Other contact details are the same – Tel: 01844 202932 Email: info@pcmsdesign.co.uk www.pcmsdesign.co.uk
Our latest project for
Thame & District Housing Association – a two storey side extension and
refurbishment of two flats – is due to start on site in
mid-April. Planning permission was
sought and granted by Buckinghamshire Council for improvements to the one
bedroom flats at Anstey Court in Waddesdon.
Flats to be improved at Anstey Court in Waddesdon
The existing stairs to
the first floor accommodation pose accessibility issues, as they’re too steep
to meet the latest building regulations: our solution was to design an extension
to the side of the building to house a new wider staircase and entrance door,
so that it’s more suitable for elderly residents.
Because of the siting of
the building there was only one option for the extension, and it meant that the internal layout of the First
Floor flat would be changed to accommodate the new entrance. The Ground Floor
flat will receive full redecoration.
Our administration of
the procurement process lead to Skyline Development & Construction being
appointed to carry out the building works, and we are looking forward to
working with them on this social housing improvement project.
We were very pleased last week to be invited to attend the
forthcoming Haddenham Annual Parish Meeting, and particularly delighted this
year because it will take place within the newly refurbished Parish Centre. Our
recent project to improve the Parish Council offices at the Village Hall has
transformed the space.
Haddenham has seen considerable
development in recent years, with new homes, employment sites and leisure
facilities all being constructed in the village. Consequently, Parish
Council activities were becoming ever-busier and the need for administration
resourcing had increased. Staff had outgrown their under-sized office, and the
entrance lacked a reception area making it unsuitable for accepting visitors; there
had become an urgent need to improve it.
A former Day Centre within the
village hall had been closed for some time; an outdated lounge area also had
two large supporting pillars restricting the layout. We designed a
reconfiguration and renovation of existing internal spaces to deliver rooms
that will enable the Parish Council to continue operating effectively as the
village expands. A re-utilisation of space is a cost-effective and
environmentally sound way of achieving an objective like this; building
materials are kept to a minimum, but structural alterations enable the building
to be upgraded to a modern specification, and at the same time the opportunity
is there to deliver more efficient heating, insulation, lighting and storage.
At the same time, the dilapidated flat roof was repaired and the external
facades of the whole building were decorated.
Staff and Parish Councillors have
embraced the new Parish Centre, which includes
a dedicated smart entrance doorway and reception hatch, and a conference room
large enough to seat the whole Parish Council in comfort. Haddenham Parish
Clerk Sue Gilbert commented: “Our smart Parish Centre is great to work in, and
finally we have an office and meeting room which is fit for purpose. We are
delighted with the transformation. We have worked together with PCMS Design on
a number of feasibility and construction projects, and have always been
delighted with the great service and support that we’ve received.”
