We recently announced the promotion of a number of staff members, a huge congratulations to: John Maxted – Senior Project Architect, Steve Keeling – Design Manager.

Best use of Timber Technology – Winner! Best Retail/ Leisure Project of the Year – Highly Commended! 🏆 Last night at the #OffsiteAwards the Leamington Spa – Low Carbon Store for Aldi UK won the Best use of Timber Technology category, and was highly commended for the Best Retail/ Leisure Project of the Year. Further recognition for a great project delivered by the project team – well done all! A testament to the attention of detail shown by all parties involved from the early concept design stages through to construction and now in-use.

Fantastic news – Alongside some amazing projects, the Low Carbon Store at Leamington Spa has been shortlisted for a number of categories at the Offsite Awards 2023. Delighted to see the scheme, delivered by a great team, being recognised – A huge congratulations to all involved!

On Saturday 1^st July one of our Directors, David Moore, his wife and two daughters took part in a sponsored 10km night time walk for Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield. The event attracted over 3000 people and was an impressive sight to behold seeing the main roads, usually packed with cars, filled with walkers. Many of the walkers were there raising money in memory of a loved one taken too soon. Ashgate Hospice are an amazing charity that provide end of life care, more information can be found here: https://ashgatehospice.org.uk/   Currently David and his family have raised over £250 and there is still time to donate to this fantastic cause using the below link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/david-moore135?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=david-moore135&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=8426091c9ae648cfbce539a6c77f8c73

Senior Architect John & Director Chris recently had the opportunity to visit Wyckham Blackwell’s manufacturing facility in Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire. As part of the visit they were given a tour of the factory and access to review the many timber products that the company produce. This was a fascinating insight into the production process and we look forward to using Wyckham Blackwell’s products in the future.

On Tuesday we attended the Birmingham School of Architecture & Design Graduate show, enjoying the exceptional work on display, and catching up with friends. The night was made even better when our Architectural Assistant Zorays Alam picked up the Ibstock ‘New York Image Competition’ top spot with his spectacular sketch of the Manhattan Bridge. Well done Zorays and all 2023 graduates!

Our Director Chris Bravington was at the Nottingham Trent University Architectural Technology graduation show on Friday evening to judge and present the STOAS Architects award for Best Sustainable Resolution. A very strong set of proposals from NTU’s final year students made judging very difficult, but the scheme from Callum Craske for a costal visitor centre in Norfolk won. The scheme, with its careful integration into the site, utilisation of local community skill sets and making considered material choices where building performance was critical due to the site conditions along with efficient building form and high-performance building elements where appropriate, edged away from the rest of the shortlisted schemes. Well done, Callum.

This week our commercial office extension and refurbishment project for Bloor Homes (Exeter) achieved practical completion. This new office will allow Bloor Homes to continue providing high quality residential offerings in this region.

Works have been progressing well on our Bardon project for Aldi Stores Limited. Once complete the project will provide approximately 1 million SQFT of distribution space, with the highest internal haunch topping out at 30m – making it one of the largest distribution projects in Europe. The new distribution centre will support the business needs and future growth objectives.   The site is a 71-acre former colliery located close to Bardon. The site benefits from being close to a planned solar farm, with a potential connection to help lower the operational carbon demand for the site.   The striking façade treatment was developed in close cooperation with the local planning authority to sympathetically address key visual sight lines from the surrounding areas, and was key to securing a successful planning application for such a large structure in this location. As a condition of the planning, a 9m high timber acoustic fence is being erected along the south and west boundary. At over 900m long, this fence addresses sensitive acoustic receptors identified by the planners which will allow the warehouse to function without any operating restrictions.   To-date approximately 90% of the main steelwork has been erected, with cladding works having commenced to areas of completed steelwork. . The overall form and scale of the project is strikingly apparent, providing much needed distribution space to support the business.

At the start of April our Community project for the Hospice Hope charity, alongside Bloor Homes, broke ground. This is an exciting project providing a long-term purpose built facility for the charity, who support individuals who have a condition that leads to a reduction in quality of life or who have been diagnosed with a life limiting condition as well as offering support to their partner or carer. STOAS are acting as technical architect for the technical design & construction stages of the project, working alongside Bloor Homes to realise their design. The land is supplied by the local authority, with Bloor Homes providing the project funding.