Case studies matching "lighting fittings"

We've met Nick & Vicky Architects at Holloway & Holloway, when they’d just finished their rear and side extension. As their family is now bigger, they decided to create a brand new loft extension.You’ve just finished remodelling your home. Congratulations! Tell us what was the timeline from buying the house to now?Well, it’s been quite the journey! We bought the house over 4 years ago now. We always bought it as a project, so we knew that it was going to be something that would take a number of years to complete.The house needed a lot of work from day 1. In fact, I have a photo, taken at 9 am the morning after we moved in with my wife sledgehammer in hand, knocking a wall down. I quit work shortly after we moved in and I spent the next few months working on the house, mostly getting the first floor fit for us to live in, but also fixing the kitchen and other areas.We basically took the first floor back to brick work and joists. We fitted new plumbing and electrics, installed a new bathroom, new floors and so on. I managed to get a new kitchen from free-cycle which so we could replace our one, which wasn’t really in a working state.Once that was done, we had a home that we could live in and work from and that was around the time that we started our practice, Holloway and Holloway.As we got busier with work, we started to get a bit more hands off with the actual building work and allow people who were more qualified than I was to start helping us out, and we focused more on the design work.The next stage was the side and rear extension which we did a couple of years later, finishing in early 2021. The idea being that we would have a nice entertaining space for us to spend time in with friends and family before we had children! A couple of weeks after we finished, Covid hit, and that dream didn’t become a reality. It was amazing to have a really lovely space for us to spend lockdown in though.The loft conversion was timed with us wanting to start a family. When Vicky fell pregnant, we started more serious arrangements to start this final stage of the works. It was finished (or mostly finished at least) the same week that our son was born, so we did manage to come home to a quiet house at least.Why did you choose to do the renovation in staged phases?It was mostly to do with money really. There were certain elements that we needed to do straight away to live comfortably in the property, but after we were settled, it was a question of saving up to be able to do the works. As we weren’t in need of extra bedrooms at the time, it seemed that we would get more immediate benefit out of the works to the ground floor so that is why we started there.Even if there wasn’t a need to save up we would likely have tried to do the work in phases so that we could stay in the house during the works. Moving out adds even more to the cost of the works, and as it was just us two in the house at the time, it was easy enough for us to adapt to moving around the house and living through the noise and dust of building works. It would have been a very different story with little ones to take care of as well.Why did you choose to add a loft extension to your home? And what are the most important things to keep in mind when designing a loft extension?For us we needed to build the loft extension to move our office space to the top of the house so that we had somewhere quiet to work. But regardless of our working situation, it is a great thing to do to maximise the space in your home.Converting a loft space or adding a dormer extension, is generally the most cost-effective way to add space to your home, especially in tight urban settings. For us, we were able to add two bedrooms and a bathroom to our home, which is vital for our growing family to expand into. By doing this work, it extends the life of our home for us, now we have a great sized family home, where otherwise we would likely have had to move in the future to get extra space as our family grows.We’ve designed and built lots of loft extensions as architects, so it was really interesting for us to try and take out what we thought were the most important lessons from the experiences we have had and put them all into our own project.Firstly, it is worth noting that our council will override planning policy in some circumstances, in favour of good design, so by using high quality materials, in our case the dark metal cladding, we were able to get permission for a larger extension than would have been allowable otherwise. So, though the cladding material was more expensive, we gained more space, and hence more saleable floor area.The next was insulation, this was a gamble for us as we know the theory about its benefits, but when you are having to balance costs on your building project it seems an easy place to cut back on and save money.Building regulations require a certain level of insulation, but you can go far beyond this, and more insulation means that your home will take on less heat in summer, keeping it cooler, and will let out less heat in winter, keeping it warmer. We decided to go well above the basic requirements, and we have found that just as the theory states, our loft is a much more comfortable space throughout the year than our neighbours, which we know gets uncomfortably hot in summer, to the extent that they struggle to work in the loft in mid-summer.The last lesson would be good ventilation. Though the additional insulation helps keep temperatures steady, when temperatures soar in the UK, it can still get very hot in your loft. This is compounded by the fact that all the warm air in your home will rise up to the top of the house. Adding an openable rooflight over the stairs is an incredible tool for thermally controlling your entire home. Opening it acts as a chimney letting all of the hot air out of the roof and pulling new fresh cooler air in at low level, creating a really nice through breeze in the home. The added benefit is that you also get loads of natural light over the stairs, which trickles down all the way to the ground floor.You’ve chosen to introduce both Vario by VELUX bespoke rooflights, regular VELUX windows, and VELUX curved glass rooflights. Why?There is method to the madness. Over the stairs, we wanted to have a rooflight that was sized to evenly fit the shape of the room, with an even offset from all the walls, so for that we needed the bespoke sizing of a Vario by VELUX flat rooflight.For the bedroom, we wanted to have some light come in from above, and although it would have been visually amazing to have a large rooflight here, we felt the VELUX Curved Glass roof window was more appropriate, as it had integrated blinds that would easily make the window blackout at the touch of a button, which Vario be VELUX will start offering as of December 2021.The VELUX windows are necessary to get light in from the front façade of the property via the pitched roof. These were the only way we could get light into the bathroom, and for our office, it enables the room to be dual aspect, which gives constant direct daylight and also fantastic through ventilation.We love the new studio roof window that VELUX has launched recently, but I just love the way the top hung light open, I think it looks so impressive. Also, as I’m fairly tall, the Top hung windows are great as I can walk underneath them when they are open easily. What impact do the rooflights and roof windows have on your everyday life at home and especially in relation to the thing you do at home?To be honest, we worked from home pre-pandemic, and so we spent a lot of time in our home even before the lockdowns came along and working practices began to change. We are firm believers that you need to make your home work for you rather than be set up for others and that really came to the forefront over the pandemic to a lot of our client’s minds, as they were suddenly not hosting people as much or at all and they had less spaces in the wider world they were able to visit. So, they started to think more about how their home could meet all of their needs.In practice, this could be as simple as putting a sofa bed into the spare room instead of a fixed bed that limits the space and is only used infrequently. This then allows you to turn the rest of the space into an arts and crafts room, or a cinema room for family movie nights. It's about trying to get the most use out of the space that you have.As far as the rooflights go, I’ve already mentioned the practical benefits of ventilation and natural light, but in many ways, I suppose the biggest impact they have is how they change spaces from what could be quite standard spaces into light, bright, modern spaces, they make you feel like you’re living in some sort of architectural magazine, and it is a lovely feeling that doesn’t really dampen over time.

Office Principles North designs London office for ArcadisLeading built environment consultancy Arcadis has moved from its Kings Cross HQ to 80 Fenchurch Street (80Fen), in the heart of the City of LondonThe move reflects an evolution in ways of working, in which choice and flexibility are key; an approach that has led to Arcadis being named Best Big Company to work for in LondonOver 20 different types of workspace will be available, enabled by Arcadis’s own Building Intelligence technology to manage capacity and support ‘activity-based’ workingOn 8 June 2021 Arcadis announced the opening of its new London office at 80 Fenchurch Street, in the heart of the City of London. From 14 June 2021, the business has been operating out of new premises, with over 40,800 sq ft of new office space across two floors, purpose-built around the needs and preferences of its people.The move signals a fundamental change in Arcadis’s approach to its office estate, with the emphasis on ways of working increasingly shifting from ‘where’ to ‘how’. It comes as part of a global review and ongoing commitment to embrace remote and fully flexible ways of working, which began in 2020 and has since been both reinforced and accelerated by changes resulting from the pandemic. As such, 80Fen will provide a blueprint for future offices both in the UK and worldwide.According to a series of internal engagement surveys, Arcadis found that 70% of its people would like to visit the office between 1-3 days per week, post-pandemic. The office clearly still has an important role to play, but the data shows the extent to which people value sustainability, flexibility and choice. Nearly half of respondents reported that they would want to visit the office to work on specific tasks or projects with colleagues, and nearly 40% to socialise and be part of a work community.Arcadis’s approach at 80Fen has therefore been about enabling people to make choices that satisfy both personal and work commitments – and recognising that these are not set in stone and may continue to change over time. Employees will have complete autonomy to manage where they work, in a way that best suits their needs. This flexible ‘no one-size-fits-all’ approach to the workplace has contributed to Arcadis being named Best Big Company to work for in London, and among the top 3 Best Big Companies to work for nationally.At 80Fen the concept of ‘activity-based working’ will be key, with the office providing far greater diversity of work settings. There will be more than 20 different types of workspace - ranging from open plan desks to collaborative and private workspaces, project areas, touchdown areas, call rooms and informal meeting areas, in addition to a purpose-built innovation area and a flexible event space, all of which enable people to work as flexibly as possible.Technology sits at the core, with ‘smart’ features embedded as a key design principle. The space is equipped with Arcadis’s own Building Intelligence software, provided in partnership with ICONICS. This incorporates a unified suite of apps, including environment and utilisation sensors, digital access, a branded Visitor Management System, and apps for mobile and digital signage, along with touch-free desk booking systems and the ability to control individual temperature and light settings in enclosed spaces.Not only does this help people find the right spaces for their tasks, but the resulting data also gives a rich picture of how the building is operating and how people are engaging within it. It means the space can be flexed in different ways. For example, monitoring energy and water consumption can help to manage and reduce use; air quality and thermal comfort sensors will better regulate the environment and ensure people are comfortable; and desk booking systems can be used to help manage capacity requirements, with available spaces being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ as required. This can help to reduce space requirements by over 30%. Meanwhile, improving the performance of a building can reduce the energy needed for heating, ventilation and air conditioning by as much as 75%, with a further 25% reduction in lighting energy. This will make a significant difference not only in terms of lowering costs, but also reducing carbon consumption and mitigating environmental impact.80Fen has been designed as a place for collaboration, shared ideas and social interaction, but crucially also in a way that supports the health of employees. It features a range of social and wellbeing environments including quiet libraries, coffee lounges, a winter garden and contemplation and wellness rooms.As one of a new breed of sustainable office buildings, 80Fen has a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, and reflects best practice in sustainable design and health and wellbeing by maximising natural and atmospheric light and incorporating biophilic design and planting.Mark Cowlard, CEO of Arcadis UK and Ireland said:“The move to 80Fen represents an exciting new chapter for Arcadis. Over the last 12 months, we have been helping our clients chart a path to recovery, and are now practising what we preach through a flexible, inclusive, sustainable, and digitally-enabled new London base. We firmly believe that we still need offices and office space, but it must be a different type of space that reflects the changing nature of the work-day and our workforce.“The continued strength of the City office market demonstrates the importance of having a place for collaboration, shared ideas and social interaction, and the impact this has not only on productivity, but crucially the health and wellbeing of employees.“For us, 80Fen isn’t just a one-time fit-out, it’s a step change in how we use and curate space. It’s about people working in a very different, more mobile, flexible and even healthier way; which they can do at 80Fen. This approach has been reinforced by changes to the way we work during the pandemic, but for Arcadis, the shift started long before, and we can’t wait to call the City of London our home.”Speaking on behalf of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Deputy Chairman Oliver Sells QC, added:“We are pleased to welcome Arcadis to their new home in the City of London. Big business moves such as this show that the Square Mile continues to be an attractive location from which to trade.“Arcadis relocating to the fantastic space at 80Fen shows that demand to return to the office is now being realised by business owners. We know that many workers are fatigued with remote working and employers are also keen to get back to a central office as Government restrictions ease.“We are confident that the City will remain a magnet for world-class talent, as we embark on our exciting plans to boost attractiveness even further through additional culture, leisure and great spaces.”John Dickie, Chief Executive at London First, said:“This move is a huge vote of confidence in the capital as one of the greatest places in the world to do business.“Arcadis was recently recognised as one of the best companies to work for in London, and its commitment to building a great environment for its staff shows that they are firmly at the heart of its plans for the future.”Soundtect was approached to supply the ceiling acoustic treatments throughout the building, and as a manufacturer of sustainable and recyclable products these worked perfectly with the company’s sustainable beliefs and design, which heavily focused on BREEAM. The Freestyle baffles, which were supplied in a number of lengths and colours for the different zones, worked perfectly with the overall design theme for the project and slotted in nicely with the planned layout and overall feel of the building, to handle the spread of noise and retain a calm atmosphere once the client’s many employees had moved in.