Housman Hall project completes on site

Jan 12 2015

The refurbishment of the former home of A E Housman has been completed on site and is a further addition to Bromsgrove School’s portfolio of boarding houses.

It was intended to replace the existing outmoded boarding accommodation on a phased basis, with pupil numbers being maintained at all times. The new boarding houses are designed to be vernacular in form to fit into the conservation area with contemporary interventions limited to double height structural glazed entrance foyers.

Within the existing listed building the proposals have returned the rooms to their original form and reinserting the Georgian architecture combined with expanding the existing dining area to permit all students at the sixth form campus to sit together for meals.

The proposals preserve and enhance the character of Housman Hall by removing the unsympathetic extensions replacing them with a more appropriate development, retaining the existing listed building and enhancing the buildings mature leafy surroundings. The core philosophy of the site plan was to extend the landscape foil, removing car parking and built form from the centre of the site and relocating it to the perimeter, providing a landscaped setting for the listed building to breathe.

Designs for key worker accommodation in Stratford Upon Avon

Nov 17 2014

The practice’s design proposals to deliver key worker accommodation in Stratford Upon Avon went public on Friday when the developers, ABD Developments and Orbit housing held an exhibition for local people. The scheme will provide 82 one and two bedroom apartments on an important vehicle and waterfront route into the town. A planning application is due for submission before Christmas.

Weavers Building Dismantled at Witney Campus

Aug 15 2014

The temporary teaching building erected in 2008 called Weavers building has been dismantled and removed from the site to make way for the next phase of the redevelopment of the campus. The College have made a time lapse video of it’s removal.

Queensway Topping Out

Mar 11 2014

Melvyn King and Nick James attended the topping out event for Orbit’s independent living scheme at the Queensway at Leamington Spa. The development being constructed by Deeley Properties will provide 178 one and two bedroom apartments organised around a range of shared facilities including a restaurant, cafe, hairdressing salon and IT suite.

Abingdon Campus Master Plan – Next Phase

Mar 03 2014

The practice are supporting a public consultation event on the 5th March to seek feedback from local residents on proposals for the next phase of Abingdon & Witney College’s redevelopment master plan. Following hot on the heels of the College’s plans for its Witney campus the next phase will see the Abingdon campus refurbished with enhanced accommodation for LDD students and engineering, construction and science faculties.

Above, images of the re-cladding proposed for D-Block.

Above, image of the proposed LDD Hub.

The event is arranged for Wednesday 5th March between 2 – 8pm in room D0.38 where representatives of Robothams and the College will be on hand to answer questions.

New Care Home, Leamington Spa

Feb 26 2014

The practice has submitted a planning application to Warwick District Council for our client, Restful Homes to construct a 77 bedroom care homes in Russell Street. The site currently accommodates a collection of buildings including a former car showroom, workshops and storage, part of which is grade 2 listed. The design blends the retained vernacular building and archway with a composition of contemporary, new buildings rising from a single to four storeys.

The practice has an increasingly impressive portfolio of care homes, on the drawing board, in construction and occupied. Take a look in the Residential Care section of our website.

Center Parcs Woburn

Feb 17 2014

Work is nearing completion at the Center Parcs at Woburn. The practice have been supporting ISG Plc on the technical design of the 625 single and two storey lodges within the forest. Center Parcs have generated a raft of great promotional material including this video of the construction process.

Next phase of Witney Campus Redevelopment

Feb 07 2014

Continuing the success initiated by the practice’s 2010 design for Abingdon & Witney College’s Witney campus, a planning application has now been submitted for consent to construct the next phase. The proposals include a significant new building on Welch Way, a construction skills centre at the southern edge of the site and the refurbishment of the Holloway building to provide amongst other facilities, specialist accommodation for the College’s strong LDD / PMLD teaching. The project is being funded jointly by the College and the Skills Funding Agency.

East Midlands – Priority Schools

Feb 03 2014

Robothams have been working with project manager’s Mace, acting as technical advisor (architectural) for a group of schools in the East Midlands to be procured under the Priority School Building Programme. The group includes four primary schools and one secondary school in Nottinghamshire and Leicester which are to be completely rebuilt as part of a batch of nine schools. Using the EFA’s baseline designs the commission has involved engaging with the individual schools, planning authorities and Sport England to establish viability before the projects are put to market later in February. The schools are due to be finished by 2016.

Above, a typical section through one of the EFA Baseline School designs.

Technical Advisor Appointment

Oct 25 2013

Robothams have been appointed by Mace to provide technical advice on the East Midlands batch of the Priority Schools Building Programme, funded by the Education Funding Agency. The practice will be looking specifically at 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school located across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. The programme seeks to replace the poorest school building stock with new facilities which are both environmentally and educationally more successful.

The feasibility studies are due for completion in January 2014 with all the new schools to be complete and occupied by 2017.