DHV Architects appointed for Elizabethan House Museum in Plymouth

DHV Architects have been appointed as lead consultants for the regeneration of the late 16th Century Elizabethan House Museum for Plymouth City Council.
The Elizabethan House is a Grade II* listed quay-side merchant's house in the Barbican area of Plymouth' beautiful historic old town. The museum is the most complete and unaltered example of a jettied merchant's house in Plymouth.

We are leading a team of specialist consultants to help deliver an imaginative interpretation strategy alongside carefully considered repair and conservation work. The project is being delivered in collaboration with James Mackintosh Architects as part of a growing strategic partnership between the practices.

The Museum is due to re-open in 2020 as a leading component of the Plymouth Mayflower 400 celebrations.

Extension with L shaped Open Plan Family Space in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects

A 1930s house in Redland, Bristol has been extended with a half width extension with corner glazing to create a generous kitchen / diner / living space with ample space for the owner's family.

Extension to 1930s house in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects 01

Extension to 1930s house in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects 02

Extension to 1930s house in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects 03

Extension to 1930s house in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects 04

Extension to 1930s house in Redland, Bristol by DHV Architects 05

Planning granted for new build house

DHV architects have received planning consent for a new build infill house in Bedminster, South Bristol. Set on a trapezoidal plot measuring a mere 73sqm the building offers an imaginative solution to a constrained urban site. The 3bed house spans over three levels achieving a total floor area of 92sqm - as required by the Technical housing standards (nationally described space standard).

The massing of the house reflects the traditional Victorian terraces; the roof ridge and eaves are lower than the adjacent property so that the new building appears to step down the hill, continuing the pattern of the existing terrace.

The street facing elevation is contextual yet contemporary with vertical-emphasis windows and offset fenestration pattern. A timber-clad porch provides vertical storage for two bicycles  and helps articulate the facade. The scheme is unashamedly modern and sets a model for contemporary infill housing within the historic grain of the city. 

Training Opportunities in Stone Conservation at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

As part of the forthcoming Clerestory Shaft Repair Project at Llandaff Cathedral we
are offering five work placements to trainees to work alongside the stonemasons and conservators who will be working on the cathedral. Each placement will be of 3-4 week’s duration. Most work will be inside the cathedral on high-level stonework and windows. There will also be an opportunity to visit the mason’s workshops in Carmarthen.

You need not have direct experience of stone masonry or conservation, but you must be either considering a career in building conservation in Wales, or looking to improve your existing construction skills. You will need to be fit, reliable and able to work at height on a scaffold. A stipend of £56 per day will be paid to trainees to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

Contact enquiries@olivercoe.com for more information

Extension with a view in Redland, Bristol

The new extension by DHV Architects creates a new generous family space for cooking, eating and relaxing. The corner glazing allows for far reaching views onto Redland Green and towards the city. The muted colour scheme creates a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

LABC awards winner

 
It's awards season again and we are delighted to announce that our 'Courtyard House' project has won a Bristol LABC award for 'best extension or alteration to an existing home'.

Every year the LABC (Local Authority Building Control ) sponsors the Regional Building Excellence Awards to celebrate and reward design, innovation and good practice in the construction industry. Our entry demonstrates how remodeling within the existing footprint can transform a series of disjointed additions into a delightful and usable space. The cedar cladding straddling external and internal walls creates a striking feature that adds the wow factor to the property. The project will now be entered in the regional finals, whose winners will be revealed in July.... 

Synergy between designers on residential projects

On larger schemes several consultants work together in a design team to create a building project. On small scale residential projects the clients mainly employ an architect and engineer to design an extension, remodelling or refurbishment project.

What gives the project its final wow factor? It could be the generous uninterrupted roof light, amazing finishes, supersized glazing, a sleek kitchen or an amazing garden. The key is to consider the external look, interior layout and design and garden design in a holistic way.

The moment of truth often comes when the amazing new extension is out of the ground and you look through your newly full height glazing and see a mudpit with a forlorn shed and trampoline in the corner. Working with a landscape designer bridges that gap and allows the design to flow into the garden. Think Capability Brown: strategically places elements, framed vistas and viewpoints combined with practical requirements such as patios, seating areas and outbuildings (stylish ones of course).

We have worked with Karena Batstone on a project in Clifton which is featured below. The small urban garden of a Grade II listed building was overlooked by garages and neighbouring buildings. Karena created an urban sanctuary which is tranquil yet practical with corten steel raised planters for growing vegetables, pleached limes for privacy, a pond for contemplation and seating area for relaxation.

DHVA are finalists at Bristol Life Awards

We celebrated in style to be finalists at the Bristol Life Awards in a giant marquee on Milenium Square

DHVA are featured on Houzz

DHV Architects have been featured on Houzz in various articles with ideas about how to improve your home

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/83801110/list/13-ways-to-elevate-your-kitchen-to-designer-wow

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/82795186/list/14-flexible-furniture-ideas-for-a-home-office

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/82421955/list/innovation-alert-industrial-flooring-options-for-the-home

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/84022697/list/10-of-the-best-ideas-for-galley-kitchens-on-houzz

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/83596654/list/see-10-ways-a-trellis-can-boost-your-garden

Flat conversion through Permitted Developments (B1 to C3)

Last year we were instructed to convert a disused office building into apartments. A small end of terrace Victorian house in South Bristol, the building had been used as an office for the last thirty years. The clients' brief was to create 3 new dwellings - utilising the roof space to increase the accommodation if required. 

The design of the new dwellings has to comply with DCLG's nationally described space standards ("Technical housing standards") which prescribe minimum floor areas and room sizes for new dwellings (see table). According to this table, the smallest acceptable development is a '1bed - 1 person unit' which requires a floor area of 39sqm. However when adopting the "Technical housing standards" Bristol City Council has stipulated that the minimum acceptable unit is a '1bed - 2person unit' which necessitates a floor area of at least 50sqm. 

 

In the case of this particular development, with an existing overall floor area of 122sqm it would have been impossible to gain planning consent for 3 units. That's why we considered using the Permitted Development route. Since 2013 office premises can be converted to residential use, subject only to local authority prior approval of a limited range of matters – as opposed to a more ‘traditional’ application for permission being required. The key difference is that when converting under Permitted Developments, the space standards don't apply. We submitted an application for "prior approval' for the new residential units (showing also refuse and bike storage) and consent was duly granted for 3 units of 45, 35 and 32 sqm respectively.

Having worked on numerous flatted schemes of various sizes, I think that it is possible to design good one-bed apartments from 36-37sqm onward - other considerations such as layout, outlook and amenity will be more important than mere floor area. To set a 50sqm minimum for all new homes means limiting the possibilities for creative solutions in smaller developments; it is all the more illogical when Permitted Developments conversions are not subjected to any space standards at all.

The main limitation is that Permitted Development conversions don't allow for any alteration to the exterior of the building and any external building work associated with a change of use will require planning permission. The skill is being able to fit the conversion within the existing building envelope; there is no impediment in submitting a separate application seeking consent for the work that might be needed to make the scheme workable or more appealing once the residential use has been confirmed.   

Restaurant design

DHV architects are designing the fit-out of a middle eastern restaurant in South Bristol. Large areas of patterned tiles highlight the key restaurant areas (the bar, the food servery and the pizza oven) and create inviting, exciting spaces for dining and socialising. Funky pendant lights, scattered through the dining areas, re-create the buzz of an exotic street market and lower the ceiling to a more intimate height.

Architects' Homes

Federica's house is featured in this sleek new book by Images Publishing. The volume contains 42 homes from across the world, designed by architects for themselves and their families. The beautifully illustrated case studies span from simpler refurbishments to wacky new builds.
 As architects often use their own homes as test beds for radical design ideas, this book provides some insight into the unconventional and daring possibilities of domestic architecture.

The book can be purchased here

Gap Houses

In the past year DHV Architects have designed several infill housing projects.  “Infill housing” is defined  as "new houses constructed on vacant, underused lots interspersed among older, existing properties in established urban neighbourhoods".

Infill housing differs from green field or estate housing; infill houses have to fit in an established context, rather than setting their own. Infill houses are designed with stronger constraints than say a medium scale development on the edge of town.

Infill houses need to respect the existing building lines, heights and broad proportions of their surroundings, whilst avoid overlooking and overshadowing other properties. As far as possible they should make the most of orientation and views, without conflicting with the primary constraints.

Planning officers often favour the status quo, no matter how uninspiring or trite it might be. Architects might be tempted to more or less replicate what is already there in order to minimise objections and help secure planning consent.

We believe that innovative design can coexist with pre-existing buildings: we strive to capture the essence of the site, to understand the logic behind the existing buildings and their appearance, and provide a contemporary response that draws from, but is not mimicking, the context. For example, Victorian terraced houses have vertical proportions and asymmetrical fenestration; when designing an additional house in a row of terraces we would follow this principle, rather than vaguely replicating the appearance of the existing houses.

Our ideal for every project is to achieve a timeless quality – new buildings of their time, that make a positive contribution to the urban fabric.