Laura Elster

Sands End Community Arts Centre wins RIBA London Building of the Year! The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced our Sands End Arts and Community Centre by Mæ Architects has won the 2022 London Building of the Year. The new centre caters to the local community by providing spaces for social and educational functions, clubs, events, and a café. Sustainable materials were used in the construction of the centre, with the structure of the pavilion being built out of responsibly sourced CLT timber and over 35% of the building material is composed of recycled materials. RIBA President, Simon Allford said: “Winning a regional Building of the Year Award is a major achievement. Across the country projects have been selected for this accolade because they are exemplars of the very best of innovative, intelligent and delightful design. The results of positive collaboration between architect and client, and design team and contractor, they demonstrate that high quality, sustainable architecture can positively impact the lives of the people that engage with it. My warmest congratulations to all those involved.” We are really proud of our involvement in the project and would like to congratulate Mæ Architects on this incredible achievement. 

Project Completion – Quad North Building, Brunel University As part of the University’s ongoing estate upgrade programme, Neilcott undertook complex refurbishment works throughout the Quad North Building to enable expansion of the recently established Medical School, establish new Chemical Engineering courses and upgrade the concrete framed building’s condition. Appointed following a competitive single stage design & build tender, Neilcott carefully managed refurbishment & remodelling works requiring phased sectional working and complex decant to minimise disruption to teaching & the student experience. We look forward to handing over the building early next week and would like to congratulate the site team and everyone involved in getting this complex project across the line.

AJ Retrofit Award Win for the National Youth Theatre The  National  Youth  Theatre   was  awarded  £2,000,000  from  the  Mayor  of London’s Good Growth Fund to undergo a major renovation to its Holloway Road building  in  North  London.  We were appointed to undertake this  radical  development that has enabled  The National Youth Theatre  to  double  the  number of young people they engage in the building through their annual programme which  provides,  free  and  affordable  drama  opportunities  that  champion  diversity,  creativity and routes into the creative industries. The National Youth Theatre is a vital part of Great Britain’s cultural infrastructure, boasting alumni of the likes of Daniel Craig, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rosamund Pike, so it is only fitting that that the upgrade is winning awards.  The AJ Retrofit Awards recognise well-designed sustainable projects and promote material and structural reuse in the built environment.  We would like to congratulate DSDHA on winning the Best Cultural Building Category of these awards for their incredible design of The National Youth Theatre. For more information on the AJ Retrofit Awards and to see all the nominees and winners you can visit www.retrofit.architectsjournal.co.uk.

Mental Health Awareness Week 9th-15th May This week we want to lend our support to Mental Health Awareness Week which is happening from the 9th to 15th May. This year’s official theme is ‘loneliness’, which after a global pandemic, feels even more pertinent.   Loneliness affects many of us at one time or another and can be both the driver for, and a product of poor mental health. Across the week, we want to encourage our workforce to connect with friends, families, colleagues and communities. In a world glued to technology and with the increase of home and hybrid working, it is more important than ever that we connect with each other in meaningful ways.  For information and support on mental health issues you can visit: www.mentalhealth-uk.org www.mind.org.uk www.samaritans.org

Supporting The African Schools Improvement Trust Our project at Wimbledon High School involves the construction of a new three storey sixth form centre including a large hall and basement.  The project also requires the partial reconfiguration and refurbishment of existing rooms within the Junior School.  Much of the school furniture is being updated and replaced as part of the refurbishment, which has meant that a lot of good quality existing furniture is being discarded.  Rather than throwing away these items, we agreed with the school that they could be passed on to organisations in need of resources.  Our site manager Lewis met with an organisation called The African Schools Improvement Trust, who were set up to support some of the poorest schools in Africa.  We organised for the furniture to be transported to a new school that had recently been built in Ghana, the only school within a very large area.   We recently received confirmation that the furniture had arrived safely along with images of it in use! We are really pleased to know that it has has gone to a good home and will support the education of young people growing up in Ghana.