"kitchen"

After the historic St Mary’s Hospital in Bristol received planning approval for Commercial refurbishment, we were contacted by M R Allen Limited to help transform the old healthcare facility to student accommodation. The building had been vacant for a number of years before the project to transform the space into 153 premium student rooms got the go ahead.The original hospital building was retained, with the addition of a 4 storey extension, a 3 storey new build, 8 no. townhouses and a new Communal space for students which includes an on-site gym, entertainment room, lounge and kitchen for private dining.Planning dictated that this undesignated heritage asset retained many of its original features, sat within a setting of various listed buildings and in a Conservation area.This led to us recommending timber Box Sash Windows from our Conservation range.All 109 box sash windows were manufactured in our British factory featuring high acoustic performing trickle vents & laminated glass in 24mm double glazed units, ensuring noise travel is kept to a minimum between accommodation.Mark Allen from M R Allen Limited explains;“We chose Mumford & Wood for their long-standing reputation for manufacturing British made, traditional timber windows – exactly what this project required. We also had some stringent acoustic performance requirements and working closely with Mumford & Wood allowed us to create a product that exceeded our performance expectations.”We finished the windows in ‘Signal White,’ featuring polished brass ironmongery.

Charlotte and her family have always enjoyed living in their Edwardian terraced home in Wimbledon, although after spending lockdown with their two young daughters, they realised they needed more indoor space. The couple decided to complete a rear extension to create more space. Built using H+H Celcon Blocks the extension has made the house noticeably warmer and improved the sound insulation.The finished extension houses the kitchen and dining area, as well as a large corner sofa. Charlotte notes, “I’m actually pursuing a career in interior design, so I worked closely with Westminster Building Company to ensure the space is both warm and inviting. My partner and I love cooking and dining in there now, and our kids certainly enjoy the extra space.”“H+H is a big name, so I didn’t give it a second thought when using their Celcon Blocks. I knew I was buying good quality building materials that are light to handle and easy to use.” “Technically speaking this was a job that required some forethought, as the homeowner wanted the extension to be future proofed for building up a storey. Also, one of the next door neighbours was planning for a rear extension to their home. “This meant that we built a 300mm wall with two layers of 100mm Celcon Standard Blocks (3.6N/MM2) with a 100mm cavity wall insulation and used Celcon Block High Strength Grade (7.3N/mm2) on the inner skin. This was both to facilitate future upward building and to ensure that the neighbours plans weren’t mitigated.” Will Clark, Director, Westminster Building Company.The floor to the extension was created using an Insulated Beam & Block construction, using Celcon Block Standard Grade 100mm blocks. 

The Chocolate Works is an award winning £50.0m housing project on a strategic site bounded by York Racecourse Conversation Area and the listed Terry’s of York chocolate manufacturers building, both intrinsic to the city’s rich history. The development by David Wilson Homes, provides 320 homes including apartments and family houses. IG’s standard lintels, corner lintels and windposts provide the necessary structural support for bright and stylish open-plan spaces across multiple floors.Challenge:Since the closure of the factory, the unused industrial site had been bought and sold on several occasions. A viable scheme could not be agreed and developed to respond to the local surroundings, complementing and referencing the adjacent Grade II listed chocolate factory.Solution:David Wilson Homes used community involvement at the initial design workshop which gave local people and key stakeholders a voice in the scheme’s design. The layouts of the homes achieved are simple and clear and focus on the demands of the residents for modern and contemporary style living with high ceilings and large windows providing ample natural light.IG’s technical team designed wide inner leaf corner lintels accommodating a range of sizes for ‘The Leetham’ house type for both kitchen and study areas. IG’s corner lintels allowed for flexible open-plan spaces to be suffused with natural light through a clean and minimalistic design approach. All the lintels were supplied with customised steel support posts for each mitred corner and tailored to include factory fitted spigots located in the cavity to ensure that no steelwork was visible, with the post being encased at the corner to achieve the architectural design feature.

The ChallengeBuilt in the 1960s, Warwick School’s Guy Nelson Hall was no longer fulfilling the needs of a modern, growing school. As well as not being too small to accommodate increasing student numbers during exams and large events, technical and IT infrastructure upgrades were needed to continue its use as a theatre space for the community.Located at the heart of the school’s site, the hall plays an important role in creating a good first impression for visitors to the school. Any redevelopment of the hall would also need to complement the existing buildings.The SolutionForterra’s County Multi Smooth, part of the Butterley range, a heritage brand that has been synonymous with brick making in the UK for over 150 years and is manufactured at Forterra’s Wilnecote brickworks. It was the ideal construction material for the project, enabling freedom of design with regard to form, scale and mass, while making a visual link with surrounding masonry.The brick gives a modern, uniform finish, which complements the smooth finish of the glass and concrete panels that also form part of the hall’s design.The BenefitsFollowing extensive redevelopment, that included the addition of an entrance foyer, kitchen, performance studios and a balcony area, Guy Nelson Hall has been transformed from school hall to a state-of-the-art 1,000 multi-use venue and concert hall.The clever design and materials used in the hall’s redevelopment have resulted in a building that incorporates modern design elements, such as its sweeping, curved façade, while blending perfectly with the existing vernacular. There has also been a significant improvement to the buildings acoustics.The project was completed in July 2016 ready for the new school intake in September that year.

The urgent need for a replacement rear goods entrance at a high-turnover commercial fast-food restaurant brought our proposed comprehensive solution to address both security and functionality concerns.Recognising the critical role of a secure entrance in the restaurant’s operations, we recommended the installation of a commercial-grade steel door and frame. This robust system not only provided enhanced security but also ensured ease of use for restaurant staff, crucial for maintaining smooth workflow amid the bustling environment. Anticipating the challenges posed by the high usage typical in such establishments, we tailored the solution to withstand heavy use and abuse, including the impact of large food delivery cages. To bolster the door’s durability, we integrated a custom heavy duty pyramid bumper bar system, extending its lifespan and longevity against daily wear and tear.Moreover, to enhance security measures and streamline access control, we incorporated a digital keypad externally. This feature allowed the door to be kept closed and locked securely while granting staff convenient access from outside. Not only did this improve security protocols, but it also contributed to rodent control efforts by minimising entry points. Additionally, to impress trade visitors and further elevate the entrance experience, we introduced a modern digital video door entry system. This innovative technology provided a seamless connection between the entrance and kitchen staff, enabling real-time visual identification of visitors and ensuring efficient management of incoming deliveries and guests. By seamlessly integrating security, functionality, and modern technology, we successfully revitalised the rear goods entrance, ensuring it could meet the demands of the fast-paced restaurant environment while enhancing overall operational efficiency and security measures.

Continuity between indoor spaces and outdoor floors, a balanced interaction that increases aesthetic potential: Atlas Concorde sets the tone in an elegant Belgian residence.Refined, unique, chic: the metropolitan style of Atlas Concorde concrete-effect porcelain tiles decorates the interior and exterior floors of a large, charming private residence in the town of Maasmechelen, Belgium, giving them a strong, unmistakable personality. Furnished in an urban chic style, the residence uses concrete-effect tiles to boost its modern, extremely refined look, which plays on volumes and alternating light and dark tones. Laid both on the floor in the open space living room/kitchen area and outside, the concrete-effect tiles create a visual and functional continuity between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Thanks to a subtle texture on shades of grey, where the warm hues of oxidation and the cooler tones typical of the original material coexist, the concrete-effect porcelain tiles become a decisive element in the interior and exterior designs of the residence. Able to embellish rooms thanks to their versatility, which makes them easy to mix and match with other furnishings, the tile surfaces also project their own style in safety and continuity, extending the design possibilities. Premium large-format 120x120 cm tiles boost the aesthetic and functional potential of spaces, amplifying volumes and giving them the characteristics of safety and reliability, especially critical when designing outdoor solutions. With a variety of effects and nuances, the large format is also able to satisfy the broadest array of stylistic inclinations: its task is to reinterpret all the expressiveness of the original material and transform it into a real living experience.

Tiny Houses are on trend. Downsizing, sustainability and the desire for affordable housing are the three most important reasons why miniature houses are rapidly gaining in popularity in Germany. More than one tenth of single people considering home ownership are currently interested in this kind of Tiny House - according to the "Livee Tiny House market study 2021". And you don't have to go without your home comforts. The Tiny House with solutions from SIEGENIA proves this.Save precious spaceWith this well-thought-out use of just 16.5 square metres of floor space, the solutions from SIEGENIA have made a significant contribution to the favourable response to the Tiny House. For example, the sliding hardware, ECO SLIDE, saves valuable space behind the sofa because the window sashes do not swing open and closed but slide to the side instead. Every centimetre of living space can therefore be used. Room comfort solutions from SIEGENIA are also installed in the remaining windows. Here the tried and tested TITAN fittings provide smooth operation and ease of use. As TITAN vent secure, it combines this in the bathroom with efficient burger resistance in accordance with resistance class RC2, even in the tilted position. Whereas in the loft, it demonstrates its versatility as hardware for an especially narrow, elongated element.And finally in the kitchen area, the AEROPAC wall-mounted vent unit guarantees demand-based ventilation even when you are out and about. The ventilator with its elegant design not only operates incredibly quietly, it is also equipped with sound absorption, which provides a quiet home in noisy environments.

Commissioned by 30 member states of the European Union, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) monitors the climate and weather. In light of climate change, the data it collects using complex satellite systems is becoming increasingly important. The growth of the organization associated with this is reflected in the continuous expansion of its HQ in Darmstadt. The construction of a new six-floor office building also includes a canteen for all employees working at the location. This canteen gets its unmistakable face from a lamella-style suspended ceiling made of golden PC-ALU 6010 aluminum mesh from GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG.Modern weather forecasts today have little in common with traditional country weather lore. Satellites make it possible to monitor the climate and weather on a global scale. The data collected is then used to keep authorities, citizens and companies up-to-date with the latest developments at all times. In Europe, EUMETSAT monitors the atmosphere, oceans and earth’s surface around the clock and then transmits the data to the participating EU member states. Established in 1986, the organization opened its headquarters in Darmstadt in 1991. However, ever increasing requirements and staff numbers meant that the operation quickly outgrew its original space. A six-floor office building with 160 workplaces represents the final phase of a whole range of extensions and new buildings. Following a construction period of just 18 months, around 100 employees were able to move out of their temporary container offices and into the new building costing around €10 million, while a further 60 new employees are set to follow. The shape of the new building, designed by Pielok Marquardt Architects from Offenbach, is a mirror image of an existing building. Beside excellent energy efficiency and multifunctionality, the new building is characterized by transparency and modern design. Four office levels offer versatile space with transparent partition walls for any desired arrangement – whether open space, combination offices or classic cubicles.Functional division – exceptional aestheticsThe ground level comprises two separate functional units that can be accessed via separate entrances. Beside a control center for a new satellite program, this is also home to the campus kitchen with connected canteen for the workforce at the location, which has now grown to include around 600 employees. The kitchen has been designed to provide 410 meals a day and the canteen offers 250 seats. The mullion-transom facade also ensures that the room is flooded with light. Carefully chosen furnishings divide its area into various acoustically optimized zones. The white of the desks and chairs is picked up by strips in the glossy flooring and the cladding of the food counter, pillars and supports. In the central zone, bright red benches with high, sound-absorbing backrests offer a vibrant contrast. The color scheme is rounded off by the warm brown of the stone floor and the wooden acoustic cladding. However, the striking element in the room is the suspended ceiling, made from 400 square meters of golden aluminum mesh. Its 120 elements with a blade-type design mimic the appearance of sunshine in the canteen with their discreet shimmer. LED lighting strips further underline this impression. At the same time, the mesh conceals the ventilation technology with incoming air outlets on the element frames. As a result, the accessibility of the woven ceiling elements was among the key requirements for GKD. The planners opted for a particularly open mesh design in the form of the PC-ALU 6010 mesh with various warp and weft wire thicknesses. The function and aesthetics of the ceiling mesh thereby provide the desired high level of comfort in the canteen, while also making the room a unique feast for the eyes.

An extension to a 16th century cottage, Holton Lodge in Halesworth, has utilised Catnic Urban to beautiful effect. This stunning property extension blends the old with the new to create a huge modern kitchen extensionA cost effective alternative to zinc, Catnic Urban steel standing seam roof and cladding met the desired aesthetics – with the quick fit system offering a fast and problem-free installation.Hilary and Robert Garner wanted to open up their existing kitchen with a build that used full height glazing to flood the area with light and give them an unobstructed view of their garden. In response, architect Tim Hannon, from Brooks Architects in Leiston, designed a contemporary extension that provides a stunning focal point, reconnecting the inside to out.“After we were convinced that Catnic Urban could achieve our desired aesthetic, our next concern was that the roofing and cladding could be exactly matched to the window frames and that the colour would stand the test of time. Again, we were assured of the system’s colour matching and stability credentials by everyone working on the project and we’re overjoyed with the result. Catnic Urban has really given the project the wow factor.”Hilary and Robert GarnerHolton Lodge ownersThe vaulted roof was designed to bring drama to the space, with a ridge that was purposely higher than the roof of the main house, so visitors are instantly given a glimpse of the striking design as soon as they approach the house. An overhang provides a covered outside eating area and works to reduce solar gain, with the sleek lines of the standing seam continued down the side of the extension, which is wrapped in matching cladding. Typical of the area, the design also includes a lean-to roof on an area that houses the utility room and cloakroom.“I’ve worked with Catnic Urban on a number of projects and particularly like the fact that it is fully recyclable at end of life. The ease of installation also instils confidence that there will be no problems at fitting stage and the technical support offered by the Urban team is also excellent, with a good level of technical detail provided on abutments and ventilation, so that all the work is neatly finished.”Tim HannonBrooks ArchitectsCatnic Urban steel standing seam roofing and cladding in Anthracite Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra was used across the project, recommended by project contractor Kerslake Construction Ltd, as a cost effective alternative to the zinc roof initially specified, when cost became a concern. “If a customer wants the look of zinc without the price tag, I recommend Catnic Urban”, said Jon, “and in most cases as soon as people look into the product they switch, as it looks great, achieving really smooth, clean lines that flow beautifully.”Catnic Urban’s recommended contractor Steel Roof Installers UK was commissioned by Kerslake Construction to install the roof, as they have worked together on similar projects in the past. After attending a training course back in 2010, owners Chris Bates and Andy Morris were soon turned onto the benefits of building with Catnic Urban and now exclusively work on Urban projects.Catnic Urban (previously known as Colorcoat Urban) is a fully supported standing seam system designed, manufactured and CE marked in accordance with BS EN 14783:2013. Quick build times are possible with neat crisp finishes to complement design and build choices. Manufactured from Tata Steel’s Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra®, and also available in Colorcoat Prisma®, Catnic Urban is a cost-effective alternative to traditional copper and zinc standing seam roof systems. Seven times lighter than tile equivalents, it is easy to handle on site and quick to fix compared with traditional roofing products.