April 8, 2020

Anyone who says it’s business as usual is lying, but we are adapting well. There is a temptation to hunker down and just deal with the items that are on your desk already, but some of our clients have decided that this is a great opportunity to make progress on feasibility and viability studies in a range of sectors.

We admire that attitude. Make use of the time to focus.

If your organisation has something in mind, we can initiate new projects without having to wait for the current turmoil to subside. That way, when something more like normal service resumes, you will be in a great position to move forward.

A business continuity plan has a nicely ordered sound to it, but the real test is in the implementation. We have been very pleasantly surprised by how well the office has been functioning with remote working. We have our bandwidth-heavy BIM models working very smoothly via a VPN link to our servers. Communication and virtual meetings are working well. Planning applications are still going in. We have even hosted a stakeholder engagement workshop.

These are not normal times, but they can be highly productive times. We can help you use this time to think strategically about your projects.

March 4, 2020

In 1990, we became NVB Architects.  A lot has happened in thirty years and yet this was just the latest stage in the evolution of our practice, the history of which goes back much further.  In another thirty years’ time it will be 2050, by which time the government has committed to being CO₂ neutral.

There is a lot to do, but we are excited about the challenges of our next chapter and we have a great team.

Thirty years ago, none of us could have predicted the extent to which the internet would change the way we work and play, but we adapt and grow.

By 2050, the young people who come to us for work experience will be established in whatever career they decide to pursue.

The children learning in the schools we have designed will be leaders in their field.

What we can be sure of is that in 2050, our work will still be about people, adaption, evolution and necessity, approached with rigour and creativity.

February 6, 2020

Works are well underway at St Bartholomew’s Primary School in Royal Wootton Bassett for the Diocese of Salisbury. The project will increase the form of intake providing 4 new classrooms, a studio hall, new entrance, improved admin facilities and associated external plan space. The design is based around 3 simple ‘barn’ structures presenting a smart new entrance to the school.

January 9, 2020

We are looking for the following people to join our busy architectural and landscape teams:

• RIBA Part I students

Placement opportunities for enthusiastic students between 6 months and 1 year available. Experience of Adobe Creative Suite essential.

• Landscape Architect

Position available for an enthusiastic Landscape Graduate or qualified Landscape Architect to join our busy team.

• Landscape Technician

Position available for a Technical Assistant to join our busy team. We are interested in technically skilled individuals from related disciplines such as architecture or engineering. The successful candidate should be well organised, and fully able to develop design sketches into technical working drawing packages to a high standard.

Join us!

Please send CV and samples of your work to andrewsimpson@nvbarchitects.co.uk

January 8, 2020

We are very pleased that the Post Mortem and Anatomy Study Centre (Brinsea Building) is nearing completion at Langford Veterinary School for the University of Bristol.

The new building replaces existing facilities on the campus, providing a commercial PM facility supporting the local community and providing caseload for academic studies, and an Anatomy Study Centre providing a nationally-renowned teaching programme for veterinary students.

The building adapted and extended a previous commercial unit on the site to create the new facilities. The design was developed in conjunction with technical staff to ensure that potential contaminants are controlled through passive zoning of the building, and active systems to manage air-flow, drainage and cleaning.

This project complements previously completed projects by NVB Architects for Langford Veterinary School including a small-animal hospital (ICU, imaging and theatre facilities), animal welfare research spaces, Translational Biomedical Research Centre and equine-surgery building.

November 27, 2019

Treehouse is looking fantastic at our recently completed project for Royal Wootton Bassett Infants’ School and Wiltshire Council – we just need the trees to grow a little now to complete the scene!

This project was to replace 4 dilapidated teaching classrooms on a steeply sloping site together with a new library to promote reading – particularly for boys.

October 24, 2019

Class Q barn, now called ‘Field House’ in Westcombe, looking lovely in late summer.

August 29, 2019

NVB handed over the new Day Houses for Dean Close School on 28th August 2019. The project was managed by Faithful + Gould and constructed by Integral. This project is the first phase of the new master plan and creates a new pastoral heart for the school. The project achieved Practical Completion in time for the pupils to occupy the four Day Houses at the beginning of the Michaelmas Term 2019. NVB are delighted to have been involved with this project, their third major project at the school and we trust that the staff and students will have a happy and successful time in their new building.

July 24, 2019

A record number of projects on site and more on the drawing board at NVB Landscape means we’re hiring. Please email Peter at mailbox@nvblandscape.co.uk if you’re a landscape architect, graduate up to chartered or landscape technician.

July 12, 2019

NVB’s design for a new academic hub for Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School has been submitted for planning approval.  The 6,000 square metre scheme provides classroom accommodation, drama facilities and assembly spaces.

NVB was originally appointed to the project following an invited design competition in 2016.  The development of the proposals involved extensive consultation with Historic England to address the potential impact on the neighbouring listed Aldenham House and historic gardens.  The proposed buildings surround a new landscaped social courtyard for the pupils and staff to use and creates a new hub on largely brownfield land to complement the school Quad.