Notebook

Deep Energy Retrofit completed

It’s great to see our client making her newly completed spaces her own. With plentiful natural insulation, lime plaster, triple glazing, a heat pump and an MVHR system her house will be warm, comfortable, low carbon and cheap to run as well as beautiful.

GLA Architecture + Urbanism Framework

We are delighted to be part of a great team appointed on two Lots on the new GLA Mayor of London Architecture + Urbanism Framework:

Lot 8: Housing and mixed use

Lot 9: Transport infrastructure interface: overstation/station development

@karukuseviccarsonarchitects, @kbavaarchitects, @office_sian_architecture, @sayahakamata, @sayahersi

Remodelling for a textile specialist

An image of our recently completed remodelling and refurbishment of a petite maisonette for a textile specialist.  We have refurbished the whole property to house a fine collection of paintings and modernist furniture as well as creating a light filled studio at the top of the house. Purpose made joinery throughout allows all clutter to be put away. A deep blue dressing room is inserted into the centre of the house and creates an intimate counterpoint to the more open living and working spaces.

Notting Hill Genesis Development Framework Appointment

Pedder and Scampton are delighted to have been appointed by NHG to their Development Framework. The new lot covers small new-build sites, refurbishments, conversions and commercial fit-outs etc. We were very impressed by the selection process as well as NHG’s built projects and are really looking forward to collaborating with NHG and other members of the Framework to deliver well designed, inclusive and delightful projects for diverse local communities.

Primary School Sensory Room

This sensory room for pupils with autism at a North London Primary school was completed in November. Designed in conjunction with the school’s Autism Unit and Haringey’s Capital Works Team, the room can be used as a calming down space, a teaching room or for a range of other activities, adapted with varied lighting scenarios and black out blinds, a sound system, aromatherapy, projected images, interactive elements and screen. The room is a bespoke space with appropriate finishes, layout and concealed services, all suited to a group with heightened sensory responses.

Retrofit Nears Completion

Finishes are coming together as we near completion on our deep energy retrofit in north London.

Materials include lime plaster, oak, white-stained douglas fir and reclaimed terracotta tiles.

Positive Airtightness Test Result for Deep Energy Retrofit

Great to see our domestic deep energy retrofit project achieve a result of 0.94 in its airtightness test this week. Despite the awkward elements of the Victorian construction, the result achieved is within the range for EnerPHit – the Passive House standard for existing buildings. Retrofitting existing housing to these high environmental standards is a big challenge but the builders and consultants are doing a great job and all our hard work detailing is paying off!

New sensory room for Haringey Primary School

Our latest project for those with special support needs starting on site this week: a new Sensory room for the autism unit in a Primary School. Designed in conjunction with the school’s specialist team and Haringey’s Capital works team to provide an adaptable ‘retreat’ and learning space with sensory equipment by Rhino Sensory. To be completed for the September start of term.

Deep Energy Retrofit

Excited to see construction start on our deep energy retrofit in Camden. The project upgrades a Victorian cottage to contemporary sustainable standards, adding extensive natural insulation, new triple glazed windows, solar panels, an air source heat pump and MVHR system.

The house is also being extended and remodelled. New extensions open up the ground floor with an emphasis on natural light and using reclaimed and local materials.

MacEwen Award Nomination

Our Chad Gordon Autism Campus has been long listed for the 2022 RIBAJ MacEwen Award! The award recognises the best architectural projects of the year that put people first.

The project has created a welcoming and accessible campus for local residents with complex learning difficulties, Autism and Asperger Syndrome: a Day Centre for residents with autism and complex learning disabilities and a support hub for Haringey residents with Aspergers (the first of its kind in Haringey).

To see the longlist visit The RIBAJ website

NLA Awards 2021 - Winner

We are delighted to announce that we have won the Caring category of the New London Architecture awards 2021 for the Chad Gordon Autism Campus! The design of the campus was a collaborative effort which included input from experts, carers, and users' families and more. A special thanks to our clients: the Adult Learning Disability and Autism Team and the Corporate Landlord, both at the London Borough of Haringey.

NLA Awards shortlist

We are delighted to see that the Chad Gordon Autism Campus has been shortlisted for an NLA Award in the 'caring' category. Please use the link below to vote for the project as 'people's choice' before November 1st!

https://nla.london/projects/the-chad-gordon-autism-campus-1

Chad Gordon Autism Campus published

It has been great to see the completion of the Chad Gordon Autism Campus featured in Building Design as well as on national news. Read all about the project using the following link: https://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/pedder-and-scampton-completes-chad-gordon-autism-campus/5113559.article

Project completion

Great to see last year's extension and refurbishment project in Gospel Oak looking so good and the family enjoying their new spaces. This is a view of the newly extended kitchen with an island unit on wheels that can be moved around to reconfigure the space to suit different occasions. Many thanks to Adelina Iliev for the excellent photographs.

Day Centre official opening

Pedder and Scampton were delighted to attend the official opening of the Chad Gordon Autism Campus last week. The Mayor and councillors are seen here making good use of the newly transformed and now completely accessible and appropriate activity rooms. It's great to see this vital provision for people in Haringey with autism and complex needs in use. 

London maisonette remodeling

An evocative shot of the stripped roof on our maisonette refurbishment project in Islington. We are creating a new study and craft room at roof level, and remodeling the rest of the maisonette along with the garden.

Autism day centre

Before and after shots of our project in Haringey that is nearing completion. The project has revitalised two very tired day centres for local people with autism and complex needs. We have completely transformed the interior with more user friendly layouts, much brighter spaces and appropriate finishes for a group with high needs, all while retaining the building fabric which is great in terms of its embodied carbon. We are looking forward to the centres opening as a vital provision for those who have spent a year without these services!

Refurbishment for autism

Testing and expanding our detail knowledge of designing for an autistic resident with works now in construction to upgrade living accommodation to suit the specific needs of both the resident and the on-site care team. Lots of planning with our skilled contract team to carry out the works around the resident to avoid moving them and their team which would be very disturbing to someone with high needs autism.

Tottenham Pavilion

Our open competition submission for a pavilion to house community activities in the Harringay Warehouse District. To be designed and built with the on-site community, we proposed two open sided shelters with striking colours constructed using reclaimed materials with mobile wall/bench units that can be positioned to permit a variety of configurations for a wide range of potential uses.

Community Hub

Fundraising is now underway for our designs to improve this community hub, originally converted from a small one bed flat.  Our proposals to extend and improve the spaces minimise circulation and create a spacious and flexible layout which makes the most of a wonderful shared garden beyond.  A big challenge has been to make both the internal spaces and the garden elegantly wheelchair accessible, negotiating level changes down from the street and then back up to the garden.

Autism Day Centre

Our project to revitalise this tired building into a new day centre for people with autism and learning difficulties will start on site soon - covid 19 permitting. It forms part of a small campus of two buildings plus a shared garden - the other building will be our new drop-in centre for people with Aspergers.  It's been a great opportunity to hone our skills in designing for this user group and we've really enjoyed all the consultations with staff, carers and family.

Reimagining Rent

In the current circumstances we need thriving. resilient, communities more than ever. The Young Foundation's Reimagining Rent accelerator supports organisations to grow their social impact to tackle the issues that affect vulnerable and lower income renters.  We enjoyed the final presentations by entrepreneurs including clients from Advice 4 Renters. Let's hope that all their innovations are successful, we need them.

Regal London's offices completed

Regal London recently moved into their new offices – great new spaces and a much improved working environment made all the difficulties of working on a really confined site worthwhile.

Centre for Homelessness Impact

We recently attended the London Forum organised to celebrate the Centre for Homelessness Impact’s first birthday. Discussions covered current initiatives to reduce homelessness, the benefits of an evidence based approach to eliminating homelessness and the need for a person centred approach when helping people who are homeless. A stimulating and thought provoking day.

Architecture and austism

We have recently had an article on architecture and autism published on the local government news website Localgov. The article examines key issues to consider when planning new accommodation for those with autism and highlights fundamental issues that affect an autistic building user. These factors are supported with examples of our design work, research and testimonials. The examples illustrate how careful design, appropriate specification and well executed construction can improve autistic people’s day to day life. We are sure it will be of interest to many who are involved in the design of new residential or support buildings.

Have a look at the article on https://www.localgov.co.uk/Buildings-for-those-with-autism/47633.

We have another editorial for 24 Housing coming soon, so watch this space!

Opening Party, Cherry Hub

We really enjoyed the opening party for the new community hub that we designed for Croydon.  The place was packed with adults with disabilities, local volunteers, charities, council staff and councillors.  It was great to see so many people using the new spaces which will mostly be used by disabled people as part of their individually tailored activity programmes around the Borough.  Local groups can also hire individual rooms and the Croydon Autism Service has a new home in one wing of the building.

'Small Talk' at the RIBA

Our London Festival of Architecture talk at the RIBA on design for people with autism generated lots of interest.  Many thanks to the members of the Asperger London Area Group who agreed to be recorded talking about their experiences of the built environment. Clips from our conversations with them really brought the issues to life for our audience.

London Festival of Architecture Small Talks

Not content with being RIBA London Practice of the month in April 2019, we are delighted to be giving one of the London Festival of Architecture 'Small Talks' on the theme of Boundaries on 6 June 2019.

These take place at RIBA, The Forum, 76 Portland Place, W1B 1NT from 18.00-21.00.  Tickets are free, bookable via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pushing-boundaries-lfa-small-talks-tickets-59815843799.

We will be talking about issues related to designing buildings for people with disabilities/autism and would be delighted if you could join us.  Please come and say hello at the end.

Beach Huts Phase 2

Phase 2 of our Shoeburyness Beach Huts was completed at the end of 2017 and a year on both phases are looking great.  We finally managed to align low tide and sun and paddled out to get a photo of all 15!

NAIL report

London Borough of Brent invited Pedder & Scampton to update the Autism section of their design guide for their New Accommodation for Independent Living programme. This is an aspirational guide on key issues for designers when working on accommodation for a range of vulnerable people. The aim is to provide housing for the elderly, those with dementia, mental health issues, learning disabilities and Autism, promoting wellbeing and an ability to live independently through good design. The guide is part of a new build and upgrade programme for around 600 extra care living units.

Regal London's offices

Slow to come to fruition but finally on site: housing developer Regal London's refurbished and extended offices designed by Pedder & Scampton are under construction. We started work on this project in 2013. See the Commercial projects section for more information.

Silvertown Flyover Competition

We are through to the second stage of a competition for proposals to 'inhabit' the colonnaded space under the Silvertown flyover.  Working with John McAslan & Partners, the scheme provides 'seed creative and workspace clusters' with units made from a kit of parts that can be assembled to give large, small and double height spaces. The internal facades have potential for customisation by the occupants. All the units are accessed from a chassis of internal circulation walkways and ramps linked to external access points, loading bays and shared internal and social facilities.

Christmas Trip to the Design Museum

Our office Christmas included a trip round the new Design Museum. The roof is lovely (much as we oldies remember it) but we thought there was a lot of empty circulation that could have housed the Design displays giving the internal route more purpose and meaning while leaving space for showcasing Designers on the top floor.

Stretch Outsider Art Festival

We attended the Stretch Outsider Art Festival to see 'Frosted Glass', a semi autobiographical feature film written by Anthony Fairweather based on his experience of living with Asperger's. Thoroughly enjoyable - this should be mainstream cinema!

Southend Beach Huts

Our Southend Beach Huts have come second in the Brett Martin 2017 iAwards competion for the most imaginative use of Brett Martin polycarbonate sheeting

Design for autism

We gave a paper on our horticultural building for autistic people at the National Autistic Society's recent 'Design for Autism' conference in Manchester.  There were many excellent presentations - the one by Richard Maguire, who is himself autistic, on understanding autism, was particularly illuminating.