Somerset House
Commercial
The balance of commercial design & community engagement.
Project Description
Renovation and roof extension of the existing Somerset House office building in Bristol.
The renovation aims to modernise the building while enhancing its visual appeal and functionality, contributing positively to the local commercial landscape.
Details of Our Work
Our team was commissioned by Architects Stride Treglown to produce Verified Views of Somerset House, a 1960s office building earmarked for refurbishment and an additional floor.
Our key tasks included:
1. Visual Development: We created design-led Verified Views, including AVR3s, to demonstrate how the new materials and extensions would enhance the building’s appearance.
2. Photo Integration: Our work involved blending photographs of the existing structure with a 3D model that accounted for the proposed changes.
3. Stakeholder Consultation: We provided visualisation of the proposed development to support the project team’s engagement with local residents and other stakeholders, ensuring that details of the project were clearly understood.
Capturing photos from residential homes posed a unique challenge, requiring us to seek permission and navigate the constraints of various window types in properties that included Edwardian homes. Our team’s dedication to respecting homeowners and making their experience comfortable was paramount throughout the process.
Location
- Canygne Road, Clifton, Bristol
Client
- BEGG (Nominees) Ltd
Collaborators
Architects – Stride Treglown
Somerset House Existing and Proposed Verified View
Challenges
The technical challenge of creating accurate external views included:
- Developing a rendered model that accurately reflected the existing structure with the proposed modifications.
- Adjusting for real-time elements such as light reflections and the removal of obstructive vegetation from views, which required numerous iterations to achieve an authentic representation.
Conclusion
Our thorough investigations and visual representations contributed to planning permission being successfully obtained in 2023.
The project has been noted for its innovative approach in blending new designs with pre-existing structures while prioritising community concerns.
This case study demonstrates the importance of considering the perspectives of surrounding residents in urban renovations and preparing high quality visualisations to communicate the impacts of change. Engaging with the community not only builds trust but also leads to mutually beneficially planning outcomes.
The challenges of high-density residential development in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Project Description
The project comprises the redevelopment of a previous car showrooms to provide a mixed use development of 316 homes, 335 bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and associated external and public realm. The Site is on a key route into the city centre and is visible from the surrounding hillside around Bath. The development proposals include buildings varying between 5-7 storeys.
The Site forms a key part of the Bath Western Riverside (BWR) urban regeneration area which is transforming a large area of brownfield land west of the city centre.
Details of Our Involvement
We have had considerable input into and experience of development projects in Bath, including on a number of the sites within BWR, and have also worked on a number of projects with Watkin Jones. We were engaged in part due to our expertise in providing Verified Views that accompany Townscape or Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (TVIA and LVIA) and heritage impact assessments (HIA).
The project requirements were for a high-quality mixed-use development which was in accordance with the planning policy context including in terms of the sensitive environment of Bath, a twice designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS). The brownfield Site demanded an efficient redevelopment which maximised the number of dwellings.
The design proposals were subject to a design review panel and pre-application consultations. The effects on key views, including along the Lower Bristol Road, and especially from surrounding hills, needed to be carefully considered with a range of visualisation material prepared during the pre-application process.
In a collaborative effort, we worked closely with the architects Brock Carmichael to create both the Verified Views and a number of other Computer Generated Images (CGI) to illustrate the proposals.
The Verified View Montages (VVM) helped steer the design process and assisted the planning authority in reach an informed and positive planning decision.
Location
- Lower Bristol Road, Bath
Client
- Watkins Jones Group PLC
Collaborators
Brock Carmichael
Nicholas Pearson Associates
Watkins Jones Group PLC
Pegasus Group
Signal Box Yard, Bath Courtyard CGI
Project Highlights
The project highlights included integrating the proposed development into the local streetscape context and, in the preparation of ‘future baseline montages’ showing how the project would fit with other consented developments across BWR.
Conclusion
A planning application was submitted in 2020 and consent was granted in August 2021.
This development project and the Verified Views prepared reflect the design and planning challenges involved in the development of high-density residential scheme within a historic environment, and the need for high quality visualisations to support the planning process.
The experience gained from this project can be beneficial for architects seeking to design high density schemes within a historical context and emphasises the importance of collaboration and thorough assessments in the planning process.
