Together we can... plan for a sustainable future
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, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Harrogate and Milton Keynes, 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.
masterplanning
We have significant experience in the development and delivery of a wide variety of masterplans, from smaller, complex brownfield sites to large scale education schemes, and significant urban extensions over hundreds of acres, with mixeduse residential, employment, leisure and healthcare development.
We recognise our responsibility to create places that support and connect people. We collaborate closely with Clients and Stakeholders to ensure well considered masterplans with a strong vision that are coherent, deliverable and adaptable, creating inspiring, quality environments that prioritise wellbeing and support future need.
Across all sectors, our approach is rooted in placemaking, sustainability and the creation of vibrant, resilient communities that deliver long-term value and social impact.
West Corby Sustainable Urban Extension
Located in the Midlands, this development includes 4,000 new homes, schools, community, leisure, retail, employment and a large later living community at its heart in the ‘market square’ zone. We have worked with the landowners to develop masterplans, land budgets, landscaping, environmental strategies, zoning, phasing, transport, design codes, urban planning etc., with the project having achieved planning approval.
One of the key GSS-designed areas is the mixed-use main street leading to the ‘market square’. This square is focused on later living, with a new 100-place care facility, together with a range of houses, apartments, and living and workspaces. These facilities are integrated with retail, healthcare, leisure and employment, all of which are interwoven with various green and blue landscape infrastructure and footpath and cycleway routes linking to the adjacent countryside. The later living and the wider development are designed to be accessible to all and promote health and wellbeing. The development will be designed to meet all the landowners’, developers’ and local authorities’ Net Zero targets, and includes Passivhaus design, renewable technologies, modular construction, MMC, BfL12 compliance and significant biodiversity net gain.
The Health Innovation Neighbourhood
The multi-million-pound Health Innovation Neighbourhood (HIN) for Newcastle University will support local community needs, consisting of a cafe, community accessible facilities, spaces for digital learning, office facilities, and innovation, research and training suites.
The HIN, which will be situated on the 29-acre brownfield site of Newcastle’s former General Hospital complex, builds on Newcastle University’s world-leading expertise in healthy ageing and will be the first of its kind in the UK. With approximately 25% of the UK population aged over 60, and with this figure predicted to rise significantly by 2040, the HIN site will stimulate a renewed focus on the challenges ageing brings, including early prevention and diagnosis of chronic diseases, and improved management of comorbidity.
We have been working closely with Newcastle University and its partners to develop the plan, with the Newcastle Hub for Digitally Enabled Care Everywhere becoming the first scheme to be delivered.
Greenwoods
GSSArchitecture were commissioned to develop strategies, masterplans, and planning applications together with planning consultant partners, Smith Jenkins, for a new mixed-use community that would deliver infrastructure improvements and help address the local authority carbon reduction targets. The design brief was for a future-focused, flexible, and inspiring work/live development delivered in a commercially viable manner to act as a ‘flagship’ solution for local authority projects.
The site includes a range of employment opportunities through innovation centre facilities. This zone includes a hotel, employment, retail, and leisure all linked through a network of footpaths and cycleways. The new school and leisure facilities are designed to benefit the wider Bedfordshire area and include internal and external sports and leisure, and a range of ‘allotment’ opportunities.
Living solutions cover a wide range of needs promoting a mixed community and include a significant 600 place later living complex, in addition to the proposed 3,500 new homes.
Warminister Later Living Masterplan
GSSArchitecture have been appointed to design a comprehensive masterplan for a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Warminster, Wiltshire. This forward-thinking development is envisioned as a vibrant, inclusive community catering to a range of care and lifestyle needs.
The masterplan integrates key facilities such as a state-of-the-art medical centre and a fully-equipped pharmacy, ensuring convenient access to healthcare services. Additionally, the development includes a purposebuilt care home, thoughtfully designed retirement bungalows, and modern extra care apartments that provide flexibility and independence for residents. To enhance the quality of life within the community, the scheme also incorporates a variety of shared amenities and facilities, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for residents and visitors alike.
Stanton Cross Mixed-Use Local Centre
Located at the heart of the Stanton Cross development, this new neighbourhood centre delivers a contemporary mixed-use environment that brings together homes, local amenities, and community space. The scheme comprises 37 one- and two-bedroom apartments alongside eight retail units, office accommodation, a convenience store, a nursery, and a gym.
Each dual-aspect apartment has been designed to maximise natural light and ventilation, with generous layouts and access to private outdoor space, either through a garden room or a south-facing balcony overlooking the public square. Additional shared amenity space and off-street parking are provided within a landscaped central courtyard.
The architecture draws inspiration from the surrounding context, blending traditional and contemporary elements and referencing the distinctive railway heritage of Wellingborough. The result is a development that creates a strong sense of place and offers residents convenient access to everyday amenities within a connected, community-focused setting.
Local Centre, New Lubbesthorpe
We were appointed to design a new Local Centre and develop the initial site layout for a new Through School, bringing together secondary and primary accommodation and dedicated sports facilities. An optional nursery was also explored during early design work, providing flexibility to respond to future educational and community needs as part of a largescale residential development in North West Leicestershire.
The masterplan forms part of the wider New Lubbesthorpe development in West Leicestershire, a large-scale residential scheme comprising 4,250 dwellings, a mixed-use district centre and two mixed-use local centres, featuring retail, commercial, employment, leisure, health, community and residential uses.
Following the development of the concept layout, GSSArchitecture were appointed as architects for the delivery of the primary school, progressing the design from initial vision through to construction. This continuity enabled a clear translation of the original site principles into a cohesive, fully realised learning environment.
Mixed-Use Masterplan, Olney Park
GSSArchitecture were appointed as Architect to develop a mixed-use masterplan for an 11-acre site in Olney, Milton Keynes. The development consists of 4 no. industrial units, a care home, food store, nursery and drive-thru.
GSS worked closely with the Civil Engineer and Landscape Architect to develop the masterplan and secure outline planning permission for the site. With a challenging sloped site, careful attention was given to the heights of the buildings and visual impact from the main road that ran parallel to the site’s boundary. The relationship between plots was also considered to ensure the site had a coherent appearance.
After securing outline planning permission for the site, GSS were appointed to prepare planning drawings and Design and Access Statements to support the reserved matters applications for the industrial units, nursery and drive-thru.
estate strategies
An Estates Strategy sets out a clear, long-term vision for how an institution will manage, develop and invest in its buildings, land and assets to support future ambitions, user experience, organisational, financial and environmental objectives.
GSSArchitecture has extensive experience working with schools, colleges, universities and local authorities to align their estates with evolving educational, operational and organisational needs.
Working closely with leadership teams and key stakeholders we assess how estates perform today and how they can be improved and adapted over time. We test opportunities for redevelopment, decarbonisation, expansion and rationalisation, alongside constraints, costs and deliverability, to ensure the design vision is grounded in robust financial planning.
Whether supporting growth, enhancing specialist facilities or integrating new and existing buildings, our strategies provide a confident, evidence-based framework that enables clients to make key investment decisions, plan sustainably and deliver long-term value.
We were Framework Partners with Oxford Brookes University for many years. The University was operating across three campus sites and had committed to disposing of its Wheatley site, effectively becoming a twocampus university.
GSSArchitecture were appointed to lead a feasibility study to assess the viability of creating a single, consolidated campus. Working with a multidisciplinary team, we examined planning constraints, conservation sensitivities and opportunities for remodelling and extension, along with the investment required at Cheney Sports Centre to replace sports facilities lost at Harcourt Hill.
The study identified the need for around 8,000 square metres of additional floorspace, and presented four redevelopment options reviewed with the Local Planning Authority. The findings demonstrate that a one-campus strategy is viable and provide a clear basis for the University’s next steps, including decisions around the future of Harcourt Hill.
University of Sussex
We were appointed to develop a brief for a new campus, identify suitable sites and undertake the necessary due diligence to present a range of viable options.
Full site analysis was undertaken for the identified sites to establish potential constraints, including ground conditions, local authority planning, traffic, transport and travel, ecology, sustainability and the full range of reports necessary to ensure due diligence.
Three campus masterplans were produced, which formed the basis of the initial cost estimates and supported the subsequent business case.
University of Sunderland
GSSArchitecture were appointed to carry out a feasibility study and strategic masterplan for the University of Sunderland, looking at how 17 sites across the St Peter’s and City campuses could be used and developed in the future. We worked closely with the University to understand their aspirations whilst helping to build a clear picture of what each site could accommodate.
We explored the potential of each site through early design testing, including massing ideas, scale guidance and an understanding of key constraints. This work helped shape practical options that reflect both the planning context and the University’s long-term priorities.
We were appointed to provide Bath College with a concept masterplan for their Avon Street Campus. The plan provided a vision to illustrate the College’s role and future within the World Heritage Site of Bath and its integration within the Council’s wider scale masterplan development. The proposed creation of a new centre of excellence reflects the immediate needs, future ambitions and objectives of Bath College.
The masterplan includes a detailed 10-15 year phased development strategy and will provide a modern and reimagined teaching facility in the heart of Bath. With an overall vision to become the country’s most enterprising college, focusing on collaboration and innovation, the plans include the creation of a new Innovation Centre to bring together commercial tenants and college academics.
Project Phoenix, MK College
Milton Keynes College appointed GSSArchitecture to lead a feasibility study to review the future of its campus estate, with a focus on rationalising space, improving quality and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. The team assessed the condition, ownership, and development constraints of the College’s buildings; analysed current and future space utilisation; and reviewed the potential value of the Chaffron Way and Bletchley campuses. This confirmed that surplus space and inefficient operations across three campuses were creating significant challenges for the organisation.
The study outlined two main strategic options: retaining one campus and reinvesting revenue from site disposal, or creating a new central hub by disposing of both principal campuses. Working with the College Steering Group, GSS helped shape a vision for a single, centrally located hub supported by specialist ‘spokes’. GSS analysed potential city centre sites, prepared concept designs for redevelopment of existing campuses, and supported planning discussions, demonstrating the viability of the preferred option. The resulting pre-application submission, supported by valuation data and redevelopment strategies, provided the College with a clear route toward a more efficient, adaptable and sustainable estate.
Scale: @A3
Activate Learning, Further Education Campus
GSSArchitecture were appointed to provide campus masterplanning services to support the development of a new Estates Strategy for Activate Learning’s Guildford campus, which includes the Stoke Road and Merrist Wood sites. Working alongside the wider project team, we evaluated the existing estate and developed a range of redevelopment options to help identify a preferred strategy for future capital investment.
A series of high-level options was explored, considering different combinations of new build, refurbishment and residential development. Options also examined the potential for demolishing outdated college facilities to create a more efficient, flexible and future-proof campus.
We have been working with Moulton College for over 30 years and are an integral part of the team establishing and delivering the College’s learning environment and educational vision. The project has evolved with the client through a series of masterplanning exercises where the existing site and accommodation have been considered and developed to provide flexible, inspirational learning environments which include buildings and courses with national recognition, particularly in equestrian, construction and sport.
The design has evolved from a “bigger picture” masterplanning approach which involved significant consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. This resulted in a well-rounded, flexible base document that has developed throughout the 18 years of our involvement, but which remains a robust masterplan with the key design principles intact.
Some of these principles involved a zoning of the College estate to create a student residential village and social centre, an administrative and resource heart, and various learning centres, including a distinction between practical learning and learning-linked commercial areas.
Kirklevington Hotel and Spa
GSSArchitecture have worked closely with Lead Developer and Teesside entrepreneur Chris Musgrave, along with hotel operator, Kymel, to develop a proposal for the restoration and extension of the former Country House Hotel site in Kirklevington into a prestigious five-star hotel and spa.
The plans include the refurbishment of the 140-year-old site with a new restaurant extension, spa, events pavilion and woodland and walled garden lodges which have been designed to preserve and celebrate the site’s rich architectural history.
The sympathetic refurbishment of the hotel will provide 18 uniquely designed suites, and a new restaurant extension will introduce a contrasting contemporary architectural style, clearly distinguishing the new elements from the original building.
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
As experienced Architects we can work with you to explore your options and 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 preparing 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.
Masterplanning
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 you 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 people flow modelling. 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.
They 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 up 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, and 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.
Estates 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 Estate 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 inhouse to work with you and your estates teams to consider whole estate strategies and how individual projects might fit into the ‘bigger picture.’
Heritage Principal Designer
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 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 wellqualified, specialist team can really make the difference.
The importance of the Principal Designer’s role cannot 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 Architects and/or Lead Consultants.
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 our projects 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 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 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 learnt over the years to encourage and drive collaboration.
Sustainability
With climate change being one of the biggest challenges we face in our lifetime, GSS 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 Working Group are 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) Working 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 working group encourages innovation and integration of AI technologies that can add value for 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 Working 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 are not only functional, adaptable, and efficient but are 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 has 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
MILTON KEYNES
LONDON