Sporting success as Stadium project awarded LABC Regional Finalist status

Watson Batty are delighted to have been shortlisted for the East Midlands LABC regional awards ‘Best Education’ category for our sports stadium project at Loughborough University. 

Completed in May 2012 this new £4m project provides 14 team changing rooms, sports treatment, sports bar and spectator facilities alongside terracing for 3500 people. Teams representing Manchester United, Spurs and U-17 European national football teams from Russia, Slovenia and Portugal have already competed at the stadium.

For more information on the project please click here.

Steelwork Almost Complete at New Jewish Free School, Leeds

Construction work on the UK’s first Jewish Free School in Alwoodley Leeds started on site in May 2013 following a successful planning application, approved earlier the same month. Now 2 months into the construction programme the main strip out and demolition works are complete and the steelwork is almost finished. Phase 1 of the project is still on track to be complete for the school opening in September 2013. Phase 2 work will continue beyond September in order to complete the new extensions in early 2014.

Howzat!

Watson Batty Architects ventured out in to the hot summer weather on Thursday last week for a game of cricket against GMI Construction. In keeping with the current Ashes summer there were many twists and turns over the course of the evening which finally ended in a comfortable Watson Batty victory!

Pictured above are Watson Batty’s opening pairing of Nick Page, Architectural Assistant and Matt Ing, apprentice Architectural Technician. Our sincere thanks must go to GMI and Wrenthorpe Cricket Club for their hospitality. 

If there are any other teams out there fancying a game then do not hesitate to contact Ben Pickersgill our fixture secretary!

Richmond Flats Renaissance

Watson Batty Architects are working alongside Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing and Clugston Construction to breathe new life into an existing residential tower block in the heart of Huddersfield Town Centre. Our scheme is underpinned by a robust and exciting design concept that will vastly improve the image of this prominent building.

Each flat will be completely refurbished with all residents being provided with a brand new contemporary kitchen and bathroom. The communal areas will now include a new glazed entrance lobby, lift and intercom security door system.

The project has also received financial backing from the European Regional Development Fund, which targets fuel poverty issues.  This funding has allowed the inclusion of Passivhaus features such as triple glazing. The energy usage of the building shall be driven by the enhancement of the fabric of the building, selection of efficient plant and the employment of renewable on site technologies.  The renewable strategy for the building is to employ the use of photovoltaic cells, installed on the roof, in order to generate electricity.

Washington Leisure Centre Moves Forward

Watson Batty Architects, as part of Pellikaan Construction’s team,  has secured a contract for the design and construction of the new £11m Washington Leisure Centre for Sunderland City Council. The new Leisure Centre will be built on the existing Leisure Centre site and is due for completion in 2015.  The new building is designed in three levels and will include, a 6 lane 25m main pool, a learner pool with a water feature,  two water slides, a four-court sports hall, a health suite comprising of  a sauna, steam rooms and relaxation area, a trampoline hall, two squash courts, two multi-purpose rooms, spinning room and ancillary accommodation. The project also includes 8 nos 5-a-side Synthetic Football Pitches, a 100 space car park and an attractive outdoor central hub that links the new facilities with the surrounding town centre including a village green.  

Positive Chain Reaction in Bradford

The Proposed residential development at Chain Street is the first New-build site as part of the regeneration strategy within the Goitside Conservation area.  Watson Batty Architects have been appointed to support Barnfield Construction, Bradford Council and Incommunities in moving this scheme forward towards a full planning approval and delivery on site.

The scheme consists of 32 No. new build 2, 3, and 4 bed family houses, where the 2 and 3 storey units are arranged around a new Adopted Mews Court.  The design of the proposed development creates a contemporary feel adopting a mixture of regular coursed natural stone on the ground floor facades with render to the upper floor facades. The roofs are formed from artificial slate with asymmetrical roof planes.  A scheme for the adjacent Linear Park has also been prepared in collaboration with Reform Landscape as part of the Chain Street redevelopment.

Graham Solley Sports Development Centre on Track

Following the Ground Breaking Ceremony by FIFA World Cup Referee Howard Webb,  Construction work is underway on The £4.8m Graham Solley Sports Development Centre for Sheffield Hallam University

The project comprises a two storey pavilion with 12 changing rooms on the ground floor and a student social hub, with a 360 degree views onto the outdoor pitches, on the first floor. Externally there are two synthetic turf pitches, national and international standard rugby pitches, an FA standard football pitch, two further training pitches for Rugby and another training football pitch.

The main structure including steel frame, glulam beams, main concrete staircases, internal partitions and ground floor blockwork are complete. The Sub base for the 2 Sythetic Turf Pitches are completed as well. 

The works are programmed for completion in September this year.

The project is Watson Batty Architects' first venture with Sheffield Hallam University as part of a 4 year Framework Agreement with the establishment.

For more information please visit our website by clicking here.

Green World Ambassadors

Watson Batty Architects Ltd, will be honoured as International Green World Ambassadors at a special ceremony in November at the House of Commons. This recognition comes as a result of our environmental success at the Royal Mail Medway Mail Centre in Strood which won a Green Apple Environment Award, presented at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon recently.

As a result of that success, Watson Batty Architects were invited to have their winning paper published in The Green Book, the world’s only annual work of reference on environmental best practice that is distributed to environment professionals, universities and libraries around the world by The Green Organisation. The winning paper now goes forward for further judging and the possibility of  representing the UK in the Brussels-led European Business Awards for the Environment. The Green Apple Awards are one of the few environmental schemes in Britain that have official status to act as an automatic feeder scheme into the European campaign.

This is the practice's third success in achieving a Green Apple award following our success in receiving gold awards for our self-designed office in Leeds and for the South Midlands Mail Centre in Northampton.