Together we can...
Together we can...
GSSArchitecture is a national, award-winning architectural practice with a dynamic and forward-thinking approach. Operating across the whole of the UK, with offices located in Kettering, Gloucester, Harrogate, Leeds, London, Milton Keynes and Newcastle, we specialise in projects where a collaborative approach is required.
We design tailored architectural solutions and place sustainability and inclusivity at the heart of our design ethos. Our project experience includes a diverse range of public and private sectors from inception through to completion, all of which are supported by inhouse specialist divisions, including Graphics and Conservation and Heritage.
Together, we can bring your vision to life.
sectors
With a team of 70+ people, we are able to provide a highly responsive service and can demonstrate experience in a multitude of sectors including education, industrial and commercial, arts and culture, sports and leisure, healthcare, science, research and innovation, residential, heritage and masterplanning.
From smaller refurbishment schemes to multi-million-pound designs, our work includes the full range of services covering strategic masterplanning, new build, remodelling and repurposing, and we are proud of the reputation that we have built with our clients.
schools & nurseries
We offer in-depth experience in the design and delivery of a whole range of schools, including nursery, primary, secondary, post-16, independent and Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools. With over 400 clients in the education sector, our design teams understand the detailed requirements of different schools and have delivered over 500 school projects in recent years.
Our designs for schools and nurseries combine imagination and functionality to create the perfect environment for young minds to flourish. We prioritise safety, comfort, and creativity, providing a nurturing space where pupils can explore, learn, and grow. Each design is thoughtfully crafted to support the developmental needs of children, incorporating vibrant colours, natural light, and interactive elements.
With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of childhood education principles, our designs are tailored to support the diverse academic and extracurricular needs of students, fostering an atmosphere of growth, collaboration, and inspiration.
Glenvale Park Primary School
We were appointed as Architects and Lead Consultants for the design and delivery of a new primary school, nursery and community centre, as part of the first phase of the Glenvale Park urban extension in Wellingborough.
The plans consist of a two-form entry primary school, designed to allow for future expansion to a three-form entry.
Adjacent to the School is a separate nursery building, catering for children up to five years old; a community centre adjoining the nursery completes the proposals and provides the Glenvale Park development with a community hall, communal facilities, kitchen and WC’s, allowing local residents of all ages to meet for a variety of social activities.
In addition to the future expansion of the school, the nursery and community centre were designed to be phased with the nursery being completed first, allowing the community centre to be completed at a later date once the trigger point for that requirement is met by the housing development.
Parliament Hill School
The £30m redevelopment of Parliament Hill School, located in the London Borough of Camden, included the introduction of a new sports hall, science laboratories, and general teaching classrooms, as well as the refurbishment of the existing dining hall building, located at the centre of the site.
The neighbouring William Ellis School, a four-form entry school for boys, benefitted from a new two-storey addition, housing drama and music suite facilities. A new sixth form building was also provided, comprising a unique design that includes a green roof and living green walls.
The redevelopment was delivered in a staged approach in order to allow the teaching services to remain fully operational, minimising disruption to the students’ education.
further education
With over 400 education clients nationally, we have developed significant knowledge and experience in the further education sector. Many of these relationships are longstanding and cover a considerable range of projects, from remodelling and expansions to new build schemes in areas such as sports, leisure, sciences, technology, engineering, land based learning, construction, health, and student living.
Every further education project delivered by GSS is designed to create a range of sophisticated spaces to include both formal and informal opportunities for personalised learning, and to be an integral and holistic part of the wider estate and context. We are proud to have worked on a number of innovative projects which have provided bespoke learning environments to support the learning experience and to prepare students for their professional careers.
South Central Institute of Technology
We have delivered three South Central Institutes of Technology (SCIoT) for Milton Keynes College Group to improve their technical and digital education offering.
The three schemes at the Reading, Oxford, and Bletchley campuses included transforming the original buildings into sustainable, modern education destinations that can now attract learners and improve the campuses. The SCIoTs specialise in delivering technical and digital education, focusing on the specific skills required in the local area through collaboration with business partners. By bridging skills gaps, these new institutes drive growth and widen opportunities for local communities.
The challenging remodelling and refurbishment works have created welcoming and inspirational learning environments in the form of high tech facilities, such as immersive learning and robotic laboratories, a pitching room, and inviting breakout and collaboration spaces that support the curriculum delivery model.
Moulton College
We have worked with Moulton College for over 30 years to develop the masterplan of their four main campuses. We have designed and delivered a variety of schemes to improve the educational facilities the College provides.
Works have included a new student accommodation and social centre; large and small animal units, including an equestrian centre and hydrotherapy pool; the extension to the construction workshop as well as an extension to the sports hall. In addition to this, we also delivered a new classroom block and a new sports and rehabilitation centre including a gym and pool, together with a multi-use games area and all-weather pitch.
higher education
We have gained a strong reputation for delivering well-considered and technically complex projects across the UK for our higher education clients. Many of our relationships are longstanding and cover a considerable range of projects, including leisure, science, technology, engineering, health, and student living.
Our recent projects have included the development of international research facilities into higher education learning environments, together with new build multi-million-pound schemes that offer sustainable design solutions.
At GSS, we understand the importance of how an environment can affect people’s wellbeing, therefore we ensure that we deliver all projects with the users’ needs at the forefront of the design. To ensure the best results are achieved, our specialist in-house research and development teams are consulted on our projects to ensure we incorporate the latest technologies and processes into our designs and that projects are delivered as an integral part of the wider context and higher education estate.
Student Gateways
Having developed the city-wide campus masterplan for the University of Sunderland, we were appointed to design two projects to enhance the current student gateways at City Campus and St. Peter’s Campus, aimed at realigning and improving the gateway service across the University.
Work began on the City Campus Gateway following the completion of the St. Peter’s Gateway. The extensive interior works included an enquiries reception, improved careers service, social learning spaces, refurbished toilet facilities and a corporate reception for external visitors to the University. Furthermore, a new entrance lobby was constructed to encourage use of the building from the wider University Campus.
The works delivered improved student facilities such as a staffed Help Point and digital kiosks with a variety of self-serve capabilities. Due to careful planning on these projects, all the same services were maintained at the new Gateway Enquiry Desk at St. Peter’s Campus, whilst the City Campus Gateway was closed.
The Catalyst
The Catalyst is one of the most significant developments in the Newcastle region and provides a range of bespoke, flexible facilities to promote innovation, engage with local and national businesses, and support the development of new technology in the fields of ageing sciences and data.
As home to Newcastle University’s teams for both the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) and the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD), the Catalyst brings together businesses, academics and members of the public to collaborate and support the research and development of new ageing and data products and services.
The internal spaces provide engaging and flexible environments that create a sense of openness and accessibility. Exhibition, event and meeting spaces have been designed to encourage wider interaction with local businesses, industry partners, and members of the public.
industrial & commercial
We have substantial experience in both commercial and industrial sectors. Our work includes designing and project managing new office headquarters buildings, large commercial developments and office parks, major industrial production units and warehousing, and masterplanning large industrial complexes, commercial offices and light industrial parks.
By working collaboratively with developers and our clients, we provide functional, modern spaces that offer a great working environment for the end user, whilst meeting corporate and commercial needs.
We were appointed as Architects for DSV:Global Transport and Logistics for a warehouse extension and a brand-new three-storey office block at their Headquarters in Purfleet, Essex. The works also included an overhead footbridge to link the new extension to the existing offices.
This is the larger of two schemes that we have worked on with DSV. The second of the two schemes is at their Manchester site and consists of a two-storey office extension, office refurbishments and a car park extension.
Silbury House
GSSArchitecture led the designs for the refurbishment of what is now the most sustainable office building in Milton Keynes to create a modern and flexible working environment that meets sustainability credentials.
Designed to meet Fitwel and BREEAM standards, the works to Silbury House have improved the energy efficiency of the building through thermal upgrades and the introduction of renewable energy solutions to assist in meeting carbon reduction targets, as well as the installation of 116 solar panels, which provide up to 20% of the building’s energy requirements.
Other features include a new ground floor business lounge, modern shower facilities, secure bicycle storage, as well as eight EV charging points. The flooring has been substantially completed through the recovery and reuse of the original floor, and the furniture has also been sourced sustainably and presented in an ultra modern and attractive way.
arts & culture
Our Arts and Culture projects centre on crafting dynamic, multifunctional spaces and building strong partnerships with organisations that inspire creativity through performances, exhibitions, courses, and workshops, both on site and across the wider community.
Our extensive experience in this sector encompasses a diverse range of projects, from the delivery of new art galleries and performing arts centres to specialised exhibition spaces and the refurbishment and remodelling of historic libraries, museums and listed buildings.
Our expertise lies in crafting exceptional arts, culture and performance environments that are not only inviting and engaging but also adaptable for a variety of uses.
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
Appointed by West Northamptonshire Council, GSSArchitecture led the significant expansion and extension of Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.
These refurbishments formed part of our masterplan for the Cultural Quarter, extending the museum into the former Gaol Block on Angel Street, which was initially part of the museum and, until recently, was used as Council offices. Showcasing the museum’s world renowned collection, the reclaimed space now houses a shoe gallery. The location of the gallery allows it to flow into parts of the vaulted structures which formed the original gaol, more than doubling the space on offer to the public.
In addition, a new link space extends into the adjacent Guildhall Road Block, a building designed by our founder, John Alfred Gotch, in 1937. A courtyard extension, designed using glass and sandstone, also provides additional gallery space, a café and a roof terrace.
Attenborough Arts Centre
We were appointed by the University of Leicester to deliver an inclusive multi-use Arts Centre as a purpose-made home for contemporary visual art. The new wing has increased the size of the arts building by 50%, and has created a series of interlinked spaces, together with an external sculpture garden, which is open to the public; ultimately making it one of the largest contemporary art spaces in the East Midlands.
The publicly-accessible art gallery uses the latest technology and delivers three temporary exhibitions per year, giving free entry to the public. Extending the ‘performance and creative learning’ offer, the gallery endeavours to encourage new audiences and communities to engage with Attenborough Arts programming. The gallery will also bring local, national and international contemporary art to eager audiences in Leicester, uniquely adding to the cultural value and vitality of the city.
sports & leisure
Over the years, GSSArchitecture has established a robust presence in the sports and leisure sector, with a portfolio that demonstrates dynamic, functional and inspiring environments.
Our work spans a wide range of project types, including football and cricket stadiums, specialist sports training centres, gyms, community facilities, visitor centres and hotels, varying from state-of-the-art new build facilities to challenging refurbishment and remodelling schemes within listed buildings.
Our projects within the sports and leisure sector have been delivered for a number of different client bodies, including local authorities, universities, professional sports bodies, private developers, and national hospitality providers.
The Tynemouth Castle Inn
The Tynemouth Castle Inn is an iconic structure in the North East and now benefits from a refurbishment and extension.
The designs pay homage to the original architect by restoring the hotel’s Art Deco heritage and include uncompromised views of the seafront with Juliet balconies to the new bedrooms. The flagship hotel sits within the Cullercoats Conservation Area and has been sensitively extended and upgraded to bring the venue back to its former glory whilst offering more varied and higher quality hospitality.
A two-storey extension has allowed for additional 20 bedrooms, together with extensions to house Oswin’s a new fish and chip takeaway, and Cones ice cream parlour fronting onto Grand Parade.
There is now a fully refurbished and extended kitchen which serves the enhanced bar and restaurant areas, as well as improved external facades, seating, and landscaping to enhance the overall appearance and experience for guests of the bar and hotel.
Stamford Sports Centre
We were commissioned by Stamford Endowed Schools to produce a sitewide masterplan, which identified library, research, sports, and performing arts facilities around the School campus. This entailed designing a new, purpose-built sports centre, incorporating a 25m indoor pool, changing rooms, a fitness suite and a gymnasium, along with sheltered spectator terraces.
The site was particularly challenging in terms of access by large vehicles, and as part of the planning application, we had to demonstrate, in detail, how construction traffic would be managed as it accessed the site through the nearby busy, narrow streets.
The building has a striking impact across the playing fields, and it offers students first-rate facilities to ensure that the sporting experience at the School becomes even better.
healthcare
We have been assisting NHS Trusts, as well as private clients, across the country to create new spaces and adapt existing facilities to address changing needs, from complex ward reconfigurations to fitting out Track and Trace Centres.
As professionals in healthcare design, our teams have adapted to new ways of working and it has become more important than ever to collaborate closely with clinicians when we are designing healthcare facilities, to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The result is complex projects being delivered in record time.
Macmillan Cancer Support Centre
Working as Architects, we were appointed to deliver a brand new Cancer Support Centre at Kettering General Hospital.
The new centre, which is the first of its kind in Northamptonshire, will be used by people who are living with, or are affected by, cancer and will offer them support, resources and therapeutic services. The centre is situated within a courtyard inside the hospital’s main ward block, and will be operated by Kettering General Hospital, alongside their partner, Macmillan Cancer Support.
Located on a difficult site, the building has been designed to make the best use of the available space, whilst providing an engaging and sympathetic environment for users of the centre. The unique curved nature of the plan enables the building to interact with several interesting external spaces that have been created, while maintaining the requirement for a less clinical, private and calming setting.
Endoscopy Department Alterations
Together with Project Managers, Faithful + Gould, and Main Contractor, EG Carter, we were appointed as Architects to deliver alterations to the Endoscopy Department at Cheltenham Hospital who provide care for patients undergoing a variety of endoscopic procedures.
The newly remodelled and refurbished department now has a further treatment room and interview room, which therefore increases the capacity for treatments and enhances patient privacy.
science, research & innovation
Our long-standing relationships and collaboration with industry experts, businesses, education and healthcare institutions have provided us with the opportunity to deliver a range of highly complex, award-winning projects within the science, research and innovation sector.
By forming strong partnerships with our clients and key industry organisations, our team have developed diverse and proven design expertise, allowing us to effectively approach complex and bespoke projects, creating highly adaptable new build and live site retrofit and refurbishment schemes. Collaborating with key leading stakeholders on a local and national level allows us to continually evolve and develop our own knowledge to deliver robust, functional and progressive solutions across the diverse sector of science, research and innovation.
Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre
The Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC), designed for Teesside University, supports the ongoing drive for clean energy and positions Teesside at the heart of the UK’s green industrial revolution, providing a focus for major investment. It also supports the University’s commitment to becoming a Net Zero Institution by 2030.
The ambitious new development brings together expert insight, resources, and partnerships to grow net zero capabilities and opportunities; placing the region at the forefront of the clean energy agenda and helping to create hundreds more clean energy jobs.
A national centre of excellence, the NZIIC draws on our expertise in both education and commercial sectors but also combines it with our sustainable and net zero credentials. Not only is the NZIIC an area for Net Zero development, but the building itself is classed as Net Zero and has been constructed using suitable techniques and materials to minimise the carbon footprint, and achieve BREEAM Outstanding.
The Dame Margaret Barbour Building forms an important addition to Newcastle University’s campus, and houses a range of cutting-edge teaching and learning facilities. The open access building includes specialist spaces for the Schools of Sport, Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, the School of Psychology, and the School of Medical Education, as well as seminar rooms and lecture theatres. The new facilities were driven by an increasing number of students applying for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and the appeal of an increasingly diverse undergraduate provision.
The innovative building provides functional and flexible facilities, and has been designed to facilitate integrated research by promoting collaboration between disciplines through shared “encounter” spaces and the provision of social breakout areas. Research shows that this approach to design supports the development of cross-disciplinary research and teaching, integrating both the physical and psychological aspects of exercise in relation to health and performance.
Dame Margaret Barbour Building
residential
Our extensive experience in residential development spans all aspects of the sector, with a particular focus on large-scale, high-density housing projects.
From designing modern new-build apartments and homes to undertaking meticulous heritage refurbishments, our portfolio reflects versatility and excellence across a wide variety of projects. These include multi-room developments, Build-to-Rent (BTR) projects, the Private Rented Sector (PRS), student accommodation, care homes, sheltered housing, bespoke one-off residences, and affordable or council housing initiatives.
We are proud to collaborate with a diverse clientele, including councils, developers, housing associations, and private individuals, delivering tailored solutions that meet their unique needs and aspirations.
Walnut Tree Housing Development
Located in Walnut Tree, Milton Keynes, this residential scheme provides 30 two-bed apartments, placed in the centre of the community. The apartments are a mix of private and affordable housing, including rental and shared ownership, and which provide much needed accessible accommodation.
Our team has ensured that the design of the building is in keeping with the surrounding traditional style of housing. The designs include the use of buff colour brickwork and feature bronze coloured cladding panels, which provide a focal point to the building, and the ‘L’ shape design of the apartment buildings creates two main street frontages, with all apartments benefitting from balconies or Juliet balconies.
St. Thomas Street Student Accommodation
As designer of a new 9-storey, 8,575m2 student accommodation scheme in Bristol City Centre, the accommodation block provides 357 student bedspaces, and was delivered specifically to support the University of Bristol.
The project sits in the Redcliffe Development Quarter of Bristol and forms an important part of the exciting regeneration of the area. The demolition of an existing office block facilitated the delivery of the new student accommodation, which comprises a mix of cluster flats and studios, student social areas, a dedicated courtyard, commercial space, laundry facilities and games area.
The building is one of the very first in Bristol to connect to the Council-run district heating network, ensuring delivery of a new low-carbon building that forms the first stage of transforming Bristol into a carbon-neutral city by 2050.
heritage
Our specialist Heritage Team has extensive experience in the repair, conservation, alteration and enhancement of historic buildings from medieval to twentieth century.
Projects have included castles, churches, palaces, court houses, hospitals, schools, universities and private houses and this has often involved working with clients to change the use of a building to meet the needs of its users.
Working closely with clients, our team agree appropriate solutions to often complex requirements which frequently involve accommodating modern services to meet current living and working standards.
Our experience ranges from repairs to historic fabric to multi-million pound refurbishments with significant contemporary interventions whilst maintaining the historical features within listed buildings and World Heritage Sites.
Bishop Cosin’s Library
Originally built in 1669, Bishop Cosin’s Library is one of the earliest public libraries in the North East of England and was granted “Designated” status in 2005, identifying the library and collections as being of national and international importance. The library has been run by Durham University since 1832, with further buildings added during the Victorian period and in 1966, resulting in the set of buildings now known as Palace Green Library.
Bishop Cosin’s Library came with many challenges but, with the support and guidance of our specialist in-house Conservation and Heritage Team, we successfully completed the conservation of the Grade II* listed library, using sympathetic materials and methods to ensure the history of the building is preserved.
The works to Bishop Cosin’s Library are the latest in a complex series of phased renovation and regeneration works to the Palace Green Library site which involved the removal of the majority of the roof in order to correct the ingress of water to the library, ensuring the protection of the interiors and priceless collections from damage.
Whitelaw Boarding House
We were appointed as Architects on the significant extension and alteration work on the collection of Grade II listed buildings that form Whitelaw, a boarding house at Rugby School. Dating back to the early 19th Century, Whitelaw House is one of Rugby School’s largest and first purpose-built boarding houses.
The works included thermal upgrades to the building envelope to reduce heating demand and improve its sustainability credentials. The scheme also involved an extension within the courtyard which provides new common room space and has a modern aesthetic to contrast with the existing structures, allowing both the historical and modern architecture to be appreciated together.
The sympathetic upgrades to Whitelaw have resulted in a more modern and sustainable boarding house that students will be able to enjoy for many years to come.
masterplanning
We have significant experience in the development and delivery of a wide variety of masterplanning exercises, ranging from small, often complex, brownfield sites, through to large-scale projects of many hundreds of acres.
A well-considered masterplan is the key to creating and maintaining a dynamic and inspiring environment which reinforces the client’s position in an everincreasing competitive market.
We have developed masterplans of various size, from a small number of homes up to 100 acres of mixed-use residential, employment and leisure developments.
These can also include the ‘infrastructure’ projects that often accompany significant urban extensions, such as employment, retail, leisure, community, education and healthcare.
Health Innovation Neighbourhood
The £500 million Health Innovation Neighbourhood masterplan will transform a former 29-acre general hospital site into a new, ambitious neighbourhood, combining high-quality housing alongside public realm, allied to modern healthcare, education and community facilities that will foster research, innovation and enterprise. The development will feature advanced infrastructure to support housing solutions that promote longer, healthier lives.
The masterplan includes research and innovation facilities, business, employment and education space, NHS and other health-related facilities, alongside 1,250 homes. The residential space is intended to deliver a range of multi-generational dwellings across a variety of tenures, including co-living units, market rent, later and supported living homes and specialist housing.
We are working closely with Newcastle University and their partners, including Newcastle City Council and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NuTH), to develop plans that will establish this site as the world’s premier centre for healthy ageing and living.
services, specialist teams & procurement
Our work includes the full range of services covering architectural design, feasibilities, 3D graphics and animation, interior design, estate strategies, conservation and heritage, principal designer and one-stop-shop.
Our specialist in-house teams are collaborating with industry leaders to research and develop the latest technologies and processes that can be incorporated into our designs.
Professional services frameworks have become increasingly important over recent years as a method to engage construction professionals in a way that ensures compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and that promote a more streamlined way of partnering in the longer term.
As a practice, we have secured positions on a range of established, Find a Tender (OJEU replacement) compliant formal frameworks, which enables easier, quicker and cheaper procurement routes for our clients.
Architectural Services Feasibilities Masterplanning
As experienced Chartered Architects we can work with you to explore your options, bringing a wide range of experience, innovations and best practice to realise your vision.
We can bring a wide range of innovations and best practice from our different sectors to meet your specific needs and aspirations. This experience includes masterplanning, new builds, remodelling and extensions and specialist heritage advice.
We will work with you in a collaborative way to develop a workable brief to explore design concepts and options, to manage your project through the planning process, the development of detailed design proposals, details and specifications, together with all necessary statutory approval processes.
Feasibility studies are an extremely important part of the development process. By carefully mapping out your options, risks, constraints, and opportunities we can present creative proposals and scheme appraisals that are deliverable, viable and fit for purpose. Developing your brief is fundamental to this process.
Our highly experienced teams work on a wide variety of projects, ranging in both sector and size. This means that the knowledge, experience and ‘lessons learnt’ can be brought to benefit your feasibility brief, and our experience allows your dedicated project team to explore all the options quickly and effectively to arrive at an appropriate project delivery strategy.
A good masterplan is not just about the distribution of land use, it should provide a sound starting point to create healthy communities and well-planned development strategies. A masterplan should give a carefully considered and well thought out long-term planning document that serves as a conceptual plan to guide future growth and development.
Masterplanning is all about setting the standard that creates an appropriate sense of place, connecting buildings with social, public and cultural spaces to create environments that help communities to thrive.
3D Graphics / Animation
As a streamlined part of our service offering, 3DLABS is our in-house digital design studio that specialises in CGI visualisations, 3D printing and marketing support services. They offer these services to communicate our clients designs, concepts, products or services to a wider audience, allowing them to be represented in the most visually appealing medium.
3DLABS have been offering these services for nearly a decade, gathering a diverse client base with their own unique needs and requirements.
The studio is made of a highly skilled team, led by their Studio Manager who has over 15 years of industry experience. He is supported by a team who each bring their own passions and specialisms, with photorealistic renders, interior design, graphic design to name a few.
Interior Design
In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of how the built environment can impact health and productivity, and its added benefits to help institutions flourish. Organisations are now focusing their efforts on how to use the built environment for mental health and wellbeing by encouraging choice, movement and relaxation, controlling temperature, noise levels and air quality, ergonomic furniture, plants, and adding breakout areas. These are all fundamental components of good interior design.
Our interior design services include interior layouts and drawings, internal elevations, room data sheets, space planning and interior architecture, furniture selection and accessories, custom furniture and textile design and colour palette consultation.
Estate Strategies
Estate Strategies are critically important documents to have in place to provide a framework and direction for how an estate needs to grow and evolve to support you in delivering your strategic objectives. Estate strategies are important to a number of our higher education clients for example, and we have worked with a number of UK based universities to help them define their strategies.
Good strategies can add value to other large estates such as landed estates or multi-academy trusts. Our teams have the depth of skills and experience in-house to work with you and your estates teams to consider whole estate strategies and how individual projects might fit into the ‘bigger picture.’
Heritage
If you are an owner or custodian of buildings with historical significance, we can help to understand your properties, advise on the best techniques to care for them and make sensitive changes that will mean your heritage assets are both successful and sustainable.
Whether a simple Grade II* listed house or a complex World Heritage Site, all heritage assets have their own story and unique value, and getting the right advice from a well-qualified, specialist team can really make the difference.
Principal Designer - CDM
The importance of the Principal Designer - Construction Design and Management (CDM) role should not be underestimated and the skills that make a good Principal Designer should never be omitted from a development project. Fundamentally, a good Principal Designer helps to ensure that everyone involved in construction stays safe during the course of their work and complies with the statutory duties, and we often provide this service on schemes where we have also been appointed as Architect and/or Lead Consultant.
GSS can give you the confidence of knowing that our organisational approach to Health and Safety is led from partner level, ensuring that all our teams receive regular training, making certain that processes are in place to plan and manage health and safety throughout the project and helping to protect everyone’s health and safety.
Principal Designer - BR
The appointment of a Principal Designer – Building Regulations (BR) is required for all construction projects, from small domestic extensions to complex multimillion-pound developments. If your project is classed as a ‘Higher-Risk Building’ under the Building Safety Act 2022, then additional requirements apply.
Our Principal Designers have undergone competency assessments in line with PAS 8671 requirements and will be able to assist and guide you in navigating your legal duties under the Building Safety Act 2022. They will ensure that you fully understand your duties before any design work commences.
One Stop Shop
Successful construction projects rely on the right balance between design and project control, including project and cost management. We can offer you a streamlined consulting service bringing together all of the design team partners that you need from across our network of approved supply chain partners.
Using a one stop shop service is not right for everyone, but it can mean that you benefit from a single point of contact for your integrated design team. Our teams will use their construction knowledge and cost planning experience to offer expert advice on construction approaches and procurement options. This begins from the very initial feasibility testing of a project, right through until the handover of the completed building.
All successful partnerships are founded on taking a truly collaborative approach to achieving common aims and objectives. Clear communication is therefore an essential part of collaboration, alongside developing and nurturing a culture of working together as one team. GSS have a successful track record of achieving excellent outcomes through working collaboratively and we can draw on our experience and lessons learned over the years to encourage and drive collaboration.
Sustainability
With climate change being one of the biggest challenges we face in our lifetime, we are committed to ensuring our projects are designed to incorporate innovative, sustainable solutions that not only benefit the building user, but the wider environment.
Our in-house Sustainability Innovation Group is collaborating with industry leaders to research and develop the latest technologies and sustainable processes that can be incorporated into our designs. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimise waste, and create healthy, productive environments.
Artificial Intelligence
GSS’s in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation Group is responsible for providing comprehensive guidance and assistance, ensuring the safe and appropriate utilisation of AI within our work.
This dedicated team from across the UK actively explores both the limitations and opportunities of AI, striving to enhance quality and efficiency. We have implemented a structured plan that is aimed at identifying opportunities through harnessing the latest advancements in AI technology and the team will research and assess these to ensure that they align with our moral and ethical standards.
Fostering a collaborative environment, the group encourages innovation and integration of AI technologies that can add value to our clients. Their efforts include developing customised AI solutions, training for wider GSS team members, and overseeing a robust framework for AI governance.
Our in-house AI Innovation Group plays a crucial role in driving GSS’s commitment to leveraging the benefits of AI and maintaining our competitive edge in the industry.
Net Zero Carbon
Many of our clients have set Net Zero Carbon or Carbon Neutral targets for their buildings and estates through either decarbonisation of their current estate or through targeting Net Zero Carbon in new buildings or investments.
We are also on our own route to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030, a target which, although complex and challenging, we believe to be realistic and genuine.
Health and Wellbeing
There is an increasing awareness of how our environment can affect our physical and mental health and the impact that this has on our productivity and wellbeing. The Covid pandemic has reinforced the importance of good mental and physical health for everyone in society and there is an increased focus on the need for more human-centred, sustainable environments that support the people who work and live in them.
We understand that good design is at the centre of this and has real power to improve peoples’ lives and support organisations, delivering places that support health, comfort, and happiness. The quality of environment can help to reduce staff turnover, improve outputs, and attract new people to an organisation.
Our designers are trained to look at how new and existing buildings, and external spaces, can deliver high quality places that is not only functional, adaptable, and efficient but is also welcoming, inclusive and supportive.
Procurement
Professional services frameworks have become increasingly important over recent years as a method to engage construction professionals in a way that ensures compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and that promotes a more streamlined way of partnering in the longer term.
As a practice, we have secured positions on a range of established, UK compliant frameworks, which enables easier, quicker and cheaper procurement routes for our clients. In addition to our national and regional frameworks, GSS have also secured places on a number of university frameworks across the country.
For more information on our frameworks and how you can appoint GSSArchitecture for your project, please visit our website via the below QR code:
Scan for more information on our frameworks.
Architects Lead Consultants Masterplanners KETTERING GLOUCESTER LEEDS HARROGATE
MILTON KEYNES NEWCASTLE LONDON