Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects 2011-2015

Practice Profile

During 4 year period working for Pollard Thomas Edwards, I gained experience in the cultural, education, heritage, workspace and residential sectors on projects ranging from £10,000 to £36 million. Notable projects include:

ABBEY ROAD, HAMPSTEAD, LONDON

(Residential, Commercial and Public)

2010 - current

Development of Abbey Area has been the subject of consultation with residents, ward councillors and community organisations as part of the Community Investment Programme, which is led by the Camden’s Housing Directorate. Abbey Area Redevelopment took place in 3 phases and  provided the following: - Phase 1:  141 new homes, shops, business units, parking and the energy centre for all phases. - Phase 2: New community centre; health centre and co-op offices. In addition Phase 2 provided improved green space including play spaces for children. - Phase 3: 100 new homes; shops and business units grouped around a new courtyard garden.

My responsibilities at included overseeing the architectural aspects of the development of the design of Phase 2, generating, developing and implementing design concepts as well as production of the planning documents and drawings. This involved coordinating with client, end users, stakeholders and consultants such as structural engineers, mechanical engineers, fire consultants, micro-climate consultants, acoustician and landscape architects.On Phase 3 I designed the Mews houses and some private apartments 

Consulting with clients, end users and wider public was an important part of my job as a job runner in terms of communicating, presenting and feeding comments back to the design cycle. Other responsibilities range from client relations to setting the programme, organising meetings and consultations, writing reports as well as representing and presenting the design in various 2D/3D media and by hand.

ALMA ROAD, PONDER'S END, LONDON

(Residential, Public)

2012 - current

The winning design reintegrates the Alma Estate with the surrounding neighbourhood by creating a clear and legible layout of apartment blocks and private family houses with gardens.The proposed scheme creates around 794 new homes.

PTE have successfully reinforced historic routes through the site, and re-established traditional streetscapes while adding both tall buildings and private family homes to create a positive sense of place. 

DOVER COURT, ISLINGTON, LONDON

(Residential, Refurb and Infill)

Dover Court scheme is part of the London Borough of Islington’s programme to create new private and affordable homes on council-owned land. During the consultation process, nine under-used sites were identified as having potential for additional homes and/or public open space. The proposed scheme delivers the following benefits: 70 additional units, in a mix of sizes and tenure,new ‘green circulation’ route providing better pedestrian access to all public areas. improved open space network, with play spaces, sports areas, gardens and private outdoor spaces.

Project Tasks: Drawings/Modelling - designed brick textures for all elevations and modelled the proposals in 3D

CHOBHAM FARM, STRATFORD CITY

(Masterplan, Residential, Commercial)

2008 - current

Masterplan for this six-hectare site, situated in an interesting and challenging fringe area of the Olympic Legacy and Stratford City developments. The proposals creates a new urban quarter which integrates the existing community to the east with the emerging city to the west. It also coordinates with two major new bridge links into Stratford City and stitches them into the existing road network to create the much needed east-west permeability the area has always lacked.

The new neighbourhood will be residential-led and will focus on family accommodation, creating over 1000 new homes, but will also include space for smaller businesses and local shops. It mediates in scale between Stratford City and existing low-rise residential areas to the east. A linear park consisting of a series of linked green spaces runs through the centre of the neighbourhood.

Planning permission for the masterplan was obtained in July 2013, and the construction of the first phase, which stands at the gateway to the Olympic Village, began in January 2014: it  includes 173 homes and a small supermarket, and will feature a ten-storey local landmark building.

Awards: London Planning Awards 2013

ST LUKE'S MUSSWELL HILL, LONDON

(Residential, Community, Conversion)

2011 - current

St Luke’s is a complex and sensitive site, set within one of the most attractive areas of North London – its northern boundary consists of fine Edwardian terraced houses and to the south lies Highgate Woods. The site currently contains a nationally listed Grade 2 neo-Georgian administration building dating from the 1920s and two locally listed and now converted Victorian houses, as well as associated ancillary buildings and extensive gardens with mature trees.

On this site PTE proposed to create an exemplary residential scheme of around 160 new mixed tenure homes within a carefully preserved and enhanced green setting.The proposals include substantial houses as well as apartments.

Awards: Housing Design Awards 2014

Project Tasks: Drawings/Modelling:Produced plans, elevations, sections and presentation material for collaborative design workshop introduction with Co-housing Woodside. Produced 3d computer model of site. Produced analytical drawings of the proposals relationship with the neighbouring street to demonstrate to planners and residents(of neighbouring street) that the LBH overlooking distance of 30m was being observed. Contributed to the pre-application document that was presented to planners. Collected precedent drawings of similar schemes to give the client an idea of our initial thoughts for the appearance of the scheme. Site Visits/Meetings:Attended project team meetings where the project budget, planning programme/strategy and latest proposals were discussed.

Produced 1:500 revised site layout drawings; 1:200 building plan and issued;1:50 unit plans, 1:200 elevations as part of the team that produced detailed planning drawings.

Netley

(Residential, Education, Conversion)

2008 - 2014

The Netley Campus has an inner city location close to Euston Station and is home to multiple educational uses. Pollard Thomas Edwards devised a completely self-funding masterplan for the transformation of site, through the development of new homes above a new educational building.

Our solution creates a new building at the front of the site which houses the Foundation Unit and the ancillary educational uses, as well as retaining the original Victorian building, which continues to house the junior school. The school halls are located on the first floor of the new building and are accessed via the main lobby – making it easy for the local community to use these spaces outside school hours.

 

FEATHERSTONE LODGE, FOREST HILL, LONDON

(Co-Housing, Residential, Conversion)

2010 - ongoing

Featherstone Lodge is a late nineteenth century detached house in Forest Hill.

With beautiful views, a 9m fall across the site and some fine mature trees, Featherstone Lodge represents a very unusual opportunity to make an architecturally striking new development among the trees that will enhance the setting of the converted lodge. The design has been developed in collaboration with the co-housing members as the result of a series of design workshops exploring their aspirations for the character and layout of the site.The final proposals, which have been submitted for planning, are for the existing lodge to be converted into apartments. Five new cottages will be arranged around the gardens surrounding the lodge and there will be 18 one- and two-bedroom flats in the lower gardens furthest away from the lodge. Two new houses will also be built on the site of the former gatehouse. All the homes will look onto a shared landscaped space and have access to a range of shared amenities.

Drawings/Modelling: Produced General Arrangement plan, section and elevation drawings in 2D, Phoshop and 3D. Produced design appraisal drawings, for alternative site layouts and approaches to the project for client cost review. Communication: Liaised with the project manager to discuss viability options following cost discussions with the group and the client. Site Visits/Meetings: Attended project team meetings and consultations on site.

Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre and Extra Care housing, Chalk Farm,

London

The project is a resource centre of approximately 1400sqm with 32 extra care housing flats above. Camden's detailed brief, (ITT 3) outlines a schedule of accommodation for both the residential and communal uses, design criteria - (LHDG, Lifetime Homes, Wheelchair design guide), room data sheets and sustainability requirements, (BREEAM).`The project budget is £6 million, including consultant and architect fees.

Project Tasks: Drawings/Modelling: Organised the existing drawn material and CAD systems to office protocol. Produced analytical drawings to illustrate Opportunities and Constraints on the site. Produced initial concept design drawings, digital 2d plans and 3d massing models for project team meeting to define approach. Drew up in detail the selected option for discussion and co-ordination with the design team.

Produced co-ordinated plans to structural and M+E strategies and issued for client comment. Produced a 3d massing model of site and a detailed model of the proposals. Revised drawings to include requirements listed in the employers design standards - this resulted in derogation from the Camden brief. Drafted daylight/sunlight preliminary sections for bid submission. Produced 1:50 detailed unit plan drawings to the project brief requirements. Audited these against lifetime homes and the Major's design guide, using the office protocol.

Produced technical section of proposal, with standard details to accompany the outline specification. Produced the final design drawings for the presentation

OWCH (Older Women Co-housing Group), Barnet

(Conversion, Co-housing, Residential, Third Age Housing)

2010 - 2015

This is PTE’s first venture into designing for a cohousing group -  a pioneering co-housing project comprising 26 flats and communal elements.. Our clients are a group of 20 older women who are pioneering a radically different approach to growing old, and we have put together a design process to coordinate their individual aspirations.

We started from the premise that the members of OWCH should determine the character and layout of the project so far as was compatible with practical and planning requirements. To facilitate this process we designed a series of collaborative workshops which covered the overall site layout; the extent and role of the communal areas; the layout of the homes; and landscaping and materials.

Their site was formerly occupied by St Martha’s convent school. Our scheme, which obtained planning permission in April 2013, will create 26 private apartments and shared facilities, with an active and inviting frontage onto Union Street shielding a communal garden at the heart of the new development.

Project Tasks: Drawings/Modelling:Produced 3d massing of site and produced opportunities and constraints drawing. Prepared precedent drawings and illustrations for a funding proposal. Site Visit/Meetings: Attended preliminary site visit to amass information for opportunities and constraints drawing.Attended project team meeting to discuss project programme. Collaborated on creating DaS and planning drawings