Congratulations to our Client Bolsover District Council for being shortlisted as a finalist at the National Urban Design Awards 2018. The shortlisting recognises the exemplar approach taken for the Sharing Bolsover Regeneration Framework for the four towns of Shirecliffe, Clowne, Bolsover and South Normanton. Read more about the project on our website link: http://baumanlyons.co.uk/projects/bolsover

We’re delighted that MassBespoke was shortlisted in the Pioneer of the Year category at the Offsite Construction Awards 2018.

Find out more about the organisation and the other finalists via this link www.offsiteawards.co.uk and more about our MassBespoke system on this PDF download. 

North Wales Society of Architects are inaugurating a series of events on a thoughtful approach to architecture and community problem-solving with Coherent Connections. Irena will be in discussion with Andy Goodman and John Parkinson examining aspects of ‘environment-focused learning and operative platform’- a new approach to teaching for complex future.

To inaugurate the research project Built InCommon funded by the Royal Commission 1851 Fellowship, BLA hosted a workshop exploring the challenges of delivering affordable housing on difficult to develop sites and to consider how new collaborative procurement methods and digital technologies might help to unlock some of the challenges.

Thank you all who attended from Goodwin Development Trust, Doncaster Central Development Trust, Leeds Community Homes, Calder Valley Land Development Trust, Locality and Hull City Council and for making the conversation so valuable. The next conversation will be Show and Tell – sharing information about specific projects.

There was so much good: we finished a cluster of listed buildings at Princess Building, Halifax for offices for Calderdale; we are completing work on a glorious Grade 1 Listed Hull Minster refurbishment; and we are finalising a complex options appraisal for EUREKA! Children’s Museum.

We also had some bad times. Our first (and we have made it our last) experience of working with an unscrupulous developer who exploits the supply chain – we lost fantastic people – Brexit, UK being dropped in the European Capital of Culture Contest in the 11^th hour, losing some tenders which we should have got – these are some of the lows.

But we also had some fantastic times: we have worked with the Silk Mill Museum of Making in Derby to secure planning permission and all the funding. We will be delivering this £16M project through a new partnering contract in which ‘conflict’ and ‘risk avoidance’ are replaced by ‘co-production’ and ‘risk and opportunities’. We have taken steps to diversify the practice by forming a new company, MassBespoke, to develop and fabricate our own timber cassette construction system and we have built our second MassBespoke prototype with Innovate UK funding. We have secured a 2 year long fellowship from Royal Commission 1851 to develop models for neighbourhood based factories for affordable housing. But the most fantastic experience has been working with residential clients, the visionary motivated community land trusts, with the team at Derby Museum Trust, and with all of the long term collaborators who add so much value to our everyday work. And of course our own BLA team.

We thank you all and wish you only The Good and The Fantastic for 2018.

We’re delighted that Hull Minster is providing the impressive backdrop for the Turner Prize 2017. The transformation project is currently in the construction phase with the new stone floor, glazed narthex and refurbished pews being the most recent works to complete.

Read more about the project by following this link: http://hullminster.org/transformation-project/

We’re delighted that our offsite structural timber system MassBespoke^TM has been featured in YEP’s series on alternative housing in Leeds.

MassBespoke^TM is being developed to enable more people to carry out their own custom designed self-build projects.

Read the full article by following this link: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-housing-focus-amazing-tech-could-see-houses-being-printed-1-8735480

Bauman Lyons are working with the Construction Leadership Council to develop ROADMAP FOR SMART construction.

We are looking for exemplar schemes that have used offsite construction and have data on speed, costs, productivity and performance that can be evaluated.

Please get in touch if you know of any.

Irena is honoured to be invited to join the bid team for Leeds European Capital of Culture 2023. Read more about all the exciting plans via the Leeds 2023 website: http://leeds2023.co.uk/

Catch up on Irena’s talk Neighbourhoods Redefining Prosperity from Bristol Festival of Ideas 2015 – available to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zb3sM0vjWtA

Bauman Lyons were delighted to speak at ‘Sowing the Seeds of Practice Research’, a symposium for architectural practitioners and researchers organised by the RIBA and the University of Nottingham on the 30^th June 2017.

BLA Director Sam Wilson delivered the keynote closing address at the event, providing insight and practical advice on the benefits and challenges regarding entry into the field of practice-based research.  The University of Nottingham is currently developing a course which places students undertaking part-time research degrees into architectural practices. Find out more about the event by clicking on this link.

Check out the newly unveiled mirror pools designed by Mel Chantrey of the Fountain Workshop Ltd as part of the Trinity Square project which was designed in collaboration with Bauman Lyons as part of the reordering of Hull Minister.

These contemplative pools feature a 2mm thick film of water and are believed to be the first of their kind in the UK.

Read more about the project at Hull Daily Mail.

After four years and seventeen project managers our beautiful refurbishment and conversion of five Listed Buildings into offices for Calderdale Council is almost complete – well done team, especially project architect Tom Vigar.

Irena participated in the round table session last Thursday with Mariana Dias Simpson from Ibase, Brazil and Emily Berwyn from Meanwhile Space, UK.

She spoke on ASF UK participatory methods and how these resonate with Bauman Lyons Architects work in the UK. The session was chaired by Joana Pestana Lages frp, CIAUD, FA-ULisboa.

Catch up on the conference on this link http://geuciaudfa.wixsite.com/congresso-eng and click here for the Making the Collective City Programme.

We were delighted to attend the ceremony on Saturday at which the Archbishop of York Bestowed Minister status on Holy Trinity Church in Hull.
This honour was in recognition of the church’s inspiring regeneration, physically and spiritually, and the exciting progress of the church’s £4.5m development project.
Phase 1 of the work to reorder the public square and churchyard has been completed and we are now working on Phase 2 which includes reordering of the Nave to provide a flexible space with new underfloor heating as well as improvements to service accommodation at the east end. Further phases will provide a new café and better toilet facilities.

For more information see: www.hullminister.org

We had a great time working with Arup and Leeds-based Cafe 164 creating a pop-up allotment using our MassBespoke™ system.

Bauman Lyons are currently developing MassBespoke™ as an innovative construction system bringing together emerging digital fabrication technology with parametric design.

Find out more about MassBespoke™ by following this link: http://baumanlyons.co.uk/projects/massbespoke-disruption-making

(Image from @LeedsIndieFood)

We are proud to be working with Calder Valley Community Land Trust in Hebden Bridge to design new low-energy housing for affordable rent. This location was previously home to hundreds of local workers living in dense terraces of 3 and 4 storey houses on a steeply sloping site, typical to the topography of the Calder Valley. Delighted that CVCLT would like to reinstate housing in this location, and the old High Street. Our design optimises plan depth and orientation for passive solar benefit and the landscaping strategy will alleviate flood risk. We are designing low-impact, low-energy, affordable & beautiful homes!

For the first time practicing professionals are gathering to explore research embedded in their practice.

We are pleased to have the opportunity to present a paper ‘The Reluctant Supply Chain’  based on the Innovate UK funded research into digitising the supply chain and the way this new knowledge is impacting on our practice.

You can view the full conference schedule here and more information about the event is available on the University of Reading’s website.

We are delighted that Leeds Station South Link received a Commendation in the Innovation category at the Leeds Architecture Awards 2016.

Bauman Lyons developed the concept design up to “Network Rail GRIP Stage 4” which included the planning permission for the £16m new southern entrance.

Read more about the project on our webpage and in the RIBA Journal here.

It’s been exciting times for Holy Trinity Church recently – the client team and our very own director Guy Smith were treated to a visit from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Read more about the visit which forms part of the Hull City of Culture celebrations by clicking on this link.

We’re also thrilled with the progress that’s being made on removing the existing pews for restoration. Read more by following this link

We were afforded a lovely view down the nave from the west door – this view has not been seen for over 100 years!