HOW WE CAN HELP YOU TO DELIVER
GSS have a track record of working together with Cundall and Gillespies in the region, indeed it is the strength of these established relationships that was a key part of this team being awarded the commission to develop the masterplan for the Campus for Ageing and Vitality. Working together, we know that we can provide a much stronger service offering. We are all familiar with each other’s working methodologies and have been working together as a team for several years. We know that together, we are able to complement each other in the services that we provide and this has been evidenced in recently completed projects with Newcastle University, including numerous successful projects delivered on the Helix site, less than a mile away from the CAV site.
THE CATALYST NEWCASTLE HELIX
COMPLETION: 2019
Newcastle University appointed GSSArchitecture to head a design team to develop proposals for a new National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and a National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD) located in the Helix development site in Newcastle, adjacent to Science Square. NICA will bring together world leading scientists, industry representatives, the NHS and the public to develop, test and bring to the market products that will promote healthy and comfortable ageing. Through NICD; the public sector, industry and world leading academics will be brought together to develop skills, ideas and resources required to exploit the opportunities offered by the explosion of digital data. The institute will be led by Industry but will benefit from the University’s world renowned research in Computing Science to enable businesses to extract value from smart data and increase competitiveness. Through the creation of a single new facility, the two institutes will work collaboratively and independently in their respective fields to become the Innovation Centre for both the University and the Country.
Cundall was employed by Siglion, a joint venture partnership with Sunderland City Council, to work on the site which has laid vacant for 20 years and victim to several failed regeneration attempts by others. Having assessed the site constraints and opportunities, Cundall secured consent for an ambitious 20 year masterplan, with 200 residential homes, 600,000sqft commercial space and supported the delivery of the first two commercial buildings. Sunderland City Council then stepped up its ambitions to such an extent that they are pursuing a wider development of a 1000 homes and a significant city quarter area that spans the deep river Wear gorge and will ultimately also include up to 2 new bridges, leisure, cultural, healthcare and education facilities to double the residential population of the city centre and double the number of people working in the city. Cundall’s multi-disciplinary team supported the early development of this initiative, working collaboratively with regeneration specialists, strategic masterplanner and other specialist consultants to help crystallise the vision and support it with practical and dynamic engineering, environmental and planning solutions. This will culminate in the submission of one of the most complex hybrid planning applications with full EIA that the city has ever witnessed. Cundall completed work on the first plot in 2019 and is now working on developing the masterplan site further.
VAUX SITE SUNDERLAND ON SITE
Images by: Kristen Mccluskie
NEO BANKSIDE SOUTHWARK, LONDON COMPLETION: 2015
The landscape design by Gillespies places NEO Bankside within a richly landscaped environment, blending private garden spaces with tree‑lined linear groves of alder and birch which form the boundary to a new public realm. The landscape strategy defines the threshold between semi-private, private and publicly accessible spaces through the use of planted berms, pebble-lined moats, stone-lined cuttings and narrow walkways that combine to create a strong sense of identity for the site, while the elegant and peaceful landscaped gardens — containing a beehive, orchard fruit trees and a herb garden — provide opportunities for residents to engage with nature and escape from city life. The introduction of groves complements the planted language around Tate Modern, helping to seamlessly integrate the network of public spaces into the wider area.
Our teams are currently involved in a wide range of schemes across the country, many of which are specifically focused on delivering progressive models of accommodation aimed at living longer, healthier, happier lives. Specifically we enjoy a continued, strong working relationship with Newcastle University and the National Innovation Centre for Ageing and are actively involved in research and stakeholder engagement programmes. Newcastle University are a world-leading organisation driving innovation and creative research in the field with an enviable reputation for their expertise in ageing, nutrition, digital science and technology, particularly around the challenges of supporting an ageing population.
OUR IN DEPTH KNOWLEDGE
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is a world-leading organisation, created with a £40 million investment from UK Government and Newcastle University and have a vision to create a world in which we all live better, for longer. Their key areas of focus include: • Living better for longer - helping us all stay as healthy and well as possible as we age. • Future mobility - developing innovative solutions for transport and travel. • Consumer products and Financial products & services- providing choices to older consumers. • Age-friendly places – adapting our built and social environments and creating homes we can live in for longer so that we can maximise the quality of our later years. • Ageing & Data - harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and data to improve lives. • Inclusive design - ensuring that products and services meet our needs, whatever our age or ability. Through our established working relationships with organisations like these, we have been able to produce the following summary of current and future trends in the sector along with details of how this can help inform plans for the future and the role that designers have to play in securing a better future for an ageing population.
Prioritise quality landscapes and green corridors incorporating spaces for people to meet and interact
Health, Wealth & Wellbeing
Design in opportunities for Live-Work and continued employment/skills development in later living Use appropriate scale and massing of development to create a high quality and aspirational sense of place
Spaces for People
Development Objectives Five fundamental development principles sit at the heart of the masterplan, establishing a development ethos and supporting the over-arching vision for the site
Prioritise pedestrian movement and aim for a car free neighbourhood Capitalise on opportunities to use site topography to accommodate access and servicing
Target net zero carbon in construction and operation
Sustainability
Look for opportunities to design in habitat creation and biodiversity Design in flexibility and adaptability to accommodate future change Sustainable transport integration
Community & City Integration Commercially Viable, not Commercially Driven
The site should be developed to connect with and embrace the local community Opportunities around creating a Community Reference Group would help build long term relationships Promote integrated and reliable transport links with the wider city
Getting the balance right is critical. If commerce becomes the priority, then all the above values risk being compromised by varying degrees
Jane Robinson Dean of Engagement & Place Dave Bird Exec Council
Professor Chris Day Vice Chancellor
Professor Dame Louise Robinson Professor of Primary Care & Ageing
Newcastle University
Ian Garfield Head of Estates
Lynn Wilson Director for the Gateshead System
Professor Dave Burn Pro-vice Chancellor Faculty of Medical Science
Robin Beattie Senior Project Manager
CCG
NUTH
CAV DESIGN TEAM
Jackie Cairns Director of Strategy & Integration
Colin Rising Planning Case Officer
Ian Farlamb Assistant Director of Planning
Alison McDowell Director of Adult Social Care & Integration
Dame Jackie Daniels Chief Executive Officer
Jonathan Richardson Group Medical Director Old A&E Psychiatry
Local Authority
Michelle Percy Director of Place
Pat Richie Chief Executive Tom Warburton Directy of City Futures
Martin Wilson Chief Operating Officer
CNTW
James Duncan Finance Director & Deputy Chief Exec
THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS
As part of developing the brief and the evolving masterplan proposals for the CAV site, GSS have been engaged in extensive consultation and engagement with all the key landowners and strategic development partners associated with this site. The importance and complexity of this wide-ranging stakeholder group cannot be underestimated and GSS have spent many months opening doors and building relationships. The relationships that have been built within the University, the Local Authority and the two NHS Trusts in particular, exist at all levels within the respective organisations, from end-user/operating officer, right through to Chief Executive/Vice Chancellor. These relationships have been carefully bult over time and are founded on high levels of trust and mutual respect. These relationships will be critically important to the ongoing success and ultimate delivery of this innovative and progressive development proposal in the west end of Newcastle.
Jonathan Hunter GSSArchitecture
Gordon Reid Cundall
Adam Greatrix Gillespies
T: 07940 572678 E: jdh@gotch.co.uk
T: 07710 968619 E: g.reid@cundall.com
T: 07939 286275 E: adam.greatrix@gillespies.co.uk
Jonathan is a Partner and Chartered Architectural Technologist and is responsible for the practice wide BIM Implementation Strategy. He is tasked with educating our clients and supply chain in the BIM process. Jonathan has excellent co-ordination skills, coupled with a thorough and detailed knowledge of construction, contracting processes and procedures.
Gordon is a Structural Partner at Cundall where he jointly manages the structural department within the Newcastle office and is responsible for maintaining and raising standards of structural engineering throughout the practice as a whole.
Adam Greatrix is an Associate Partner with Gillespies and has over 19 years experience as a Landscape Architect. His background has given him a unique approach to urban design, landscape and masterplanning, blending the disciplines of architecture and landscape architecture to develop holistic strategies, design guidance, and innovative place making concepts.
He has a track record of project delivery, particularly in operational environments including phasing. Jonathan is an accomplished manager of our other consultants, CAD competent and up-to-date with current regulations and legislation.
In addition to leading projects, Gordon focuses on the education sector and graduate training and is also responsible for the practice’s structural software. He specialises in the design of substructure and superstructure solutions utilising all building materials, including concrete, steel, masonry and timber.
Adam is a passionate and talented designer with a track record of managing and delivering complex and high quality landscape projects. Adam has contributed to, and led a number of high profile, award winning schemes and has extensive experience of large scale urban regeneration masterplans, design guidance and strategic framework documents.