In Newbury…
School and college developments seem to be the flavour of the summer and have been keeping the Newbury team on their toes.
Designs for a New Art and Technology Building at Ashfold School near Aylesbury have just been completed. Design cues have been taken from the adjoining Grade 1 Listed Jacobean mansion, which maximises the use of natural light and local views.
Bradfield College now has a new gymnasium with dry-side facilities as part of the sports centre extension. Additionally, at the same college, structural designs have recently been issued for a cricket pavilion conversion which incorporates a new coffee shop and Junior Common Room.
Epsom College continues the cricketing theme, as well as having a family connection to Archibald Shaw – Jon Rain’s father attended Epsom in the 1920s. Designs have progressed for a new cricket pavilion which will replace the old facility which opened in 1927.
Another notable project from the Newbury office is the completion of a large timber private house, which lies off the main land. This bespoke building is formed from Western Red Cedar imported by sea from Canada. In addition to the interest this has generated locally, the building has featured on the television programme Timberkings in both Canada and the USA.
In Chichester…
Continuing the schools theme; in the Chichester office we are progressing 10 civil and structural engineering designs in support of school improvements in the West Sussex, and one in Kent.
On a different note, the first phase structural investigations on Guernsey’s Air Traffic Control Tower are close to completion. These investigations focused on the exposed reinforced concrete frame and included testing for carbonation, chlorides, corrosion cell activity and concrete delamination.
Whilst we continue to grow our portfolio of larger projects we have strengthened our service to local domestic clients and local builders, which we see as an essential part of our business.
A portable stage enclosure has recently been designed for a local client by John Lord , and had its first showing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival this summer. The design challenge was to maintain simple detailing and low structural weight whilst ensuring the enclosure was robust enough to withstand rough handling during repeated erection, use and dismantling.
In the community
In addition to all of these projects, we are pleased to be able to continue providing pro-bono advice to the Watermill Theatre, which has recently received an Arts Council grant to improve thermal and environmental performance of the building.
We are also pleased to report that Archibald Shaw has recently been chosen as the South East Reserve Forces Cadet Associations’ (SERFCA) preferred Civil and Structural Engineers. We hope to report on some of these projects in the coming months.
Finally…
We are pleased to welcome Nick Avis to the Chichester office as a Graduate Civil Engineer. Nick graduated from Portsmouth University this summer with a 2:1 BEng [Hons] in Civil Engineering. One of Nick’s favorite hobbies is fencing, Epee’ in particular.
Find out more about the work we do at Archibald Shaw by calling our Chichester office on 01243 779346 or our Newbury office on 01635 47369.
