Alex’s 20 year Journey at LHC Design

1 Kingsbridge Community College | Education

Some 15 years on, Kingsbridge Community College 6th Form Centre looks as good as it did the day we completed it, which comes down to creating spaces that students gravitate to. The transition from School to 6th Form College, whilst in the same grounds, has to be approached in a way that allows students to feel that tangible change has occurred. The building gives them ownership, something they can connect with and take pride in.It provides a sense of responsibility, which is demonstrated in how the building operates today and is cared for by the students.

To see my own children progress through all the buildings we have designed at Kingsbridge and end up in the 6^th-form building is a great feeling!

If you create hen houses for children to be taught in, we impact their passion for knowledge. We need to create inspirational spaces that foster a lifelong commitment to learning.

2 East Devon District Council | Workplace

We needed to create a building of stature while mindful of the public purse alongside modern working facilities that engaged the workforce.

The new HQ building houses a fully accessible reception area for customers and visitors, a Council Chamber viewing gallery, and a member’s area. The office spaces accommodate different ‘workstyles’ including office-based and hybrid. Within months Covid was testing this out!

Collaborative and connected, the offices are fully accessible with efficient and flexible use of space and will allow operating costs to be minimised.

LHC’s Interior Design and Architectural teams worked closely with council staff to inform space planning and requirements, and it is a brilliant example of cross-working.

3 Plymouth Science Park | Commercial / Workplace

The project creates a total business environment within landscaped surroundings. The science park was designed to become pivotal to the Southwest economy, providing an inspirational campus atmosphere.

We undertook several phases, including the original buildings in Phase II; an Innovation & Technology Centre designed to link the campus and provide a joint reception point, whilst providing a visual gateway to the Park; and the most recently completed Phase IV. The four buildings of Phase IV, including a Data Centre, are of a highly sustainable design.

Natural ventilation incorporating Passivent automated louvre systems is fundamental. In addition, occupants are encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint by utilising the building’s cycle stores and shower facilities. All of this was created with our LHC Landscape colleagues, creating wonderful outdoor breakout spaces and getting to grips with the steep site.

This was one of those great projects where many of the people that were involved I am still in contact with and working with today, some 15 years on.

It demonstrates how small the construction industry community is in the West Country. 5 years later, I became the Technical Adviser for the park overseeing all things Architectural for Plymouth City Council.

4 Oceansgate | Workplace

Oceansgate floats my boat, as I grew up in Plymouth and went to school a mile away from the yard and its high walls. To be involved in releasing this unknown land behind the historic walls and opening up to the Hamoaze was a brilliant opportunity.

Oceansgate is the new Marine Industries Campus, located in the regenerated dockyards at South Yard, Devonport. LHC’s Urban Design team worked with AECOM to prepare the masterplan for South Yard, which includes a number of important Listed Buildings and Docks – dating back to Henry VIII. LHC’s Architectural team were then commissioned to design the new workplace and commercial buildings.

Phase 1 includes Endeavour House, which is a 3-storey, BREEAM Excellent office building at the entrance to the site. Designed with flexibility in mind, the floor layout can be subdivided to meet individual needs. Taking design cues from the surrounding dockyard environment, the building is book-ended in natural stone. This is mixed in with other materials such as render, profiled metal roof and metal cladding, all of which are prevalent on the site.

Phase 2 features a mix of new-build office and business space, including a further 3-storey office building and three light industrial buildings, with the potential to be subdivided to provide up to 15 units.

I really look forward to helping Plymouth City Council unlock the waterfront.

5 Haldon Forest Gateway | Leisure

Our vision for Haldon Forest is to create an exemplar highly sustainable and accessible visitor centre acting as a focal point and gateway into the forest, connecting people with the forest and nature.

Haldon Forest Park sits within circa 1300 hectares of sustainably managed working timber forest. The existing, ageing infrastructure at Haldon Forest Park will be replaced with new visitor facilities and operational support areas.

Working with Wilmott Dixon, Aecom and Craddy’s , the new buildings will provide improved, expanded, and energy-efficient visitor facilities and staff workspaces, alongside fit-for-purpose operational facilities. Our in-house Landscape Architects have developed landscape proposals that integrate with the new visitor centre and focus on the visitor experience at this gateway to the forest.

Using a client’s homegrown materials to build their own building doesn’t happen very often!

6 Exeter Science Park | Workspace

Closer to my base at the Exeter Studio, I was involved with the early design and development of Exeter Science Park, working closely with Eagle One on the design of their Exeter office as well as being instrumental in the masterplanning of the Phase 1 development, including the Science Park Centre building itself as well as number 1 and 2 grown on units.

7 Teignmouth Pavilions | Leisure

The new Pavilions in Teignmouth replaces the existing theatre, which dated from 1967. Originally identified as a key proposal in LHC’s masterplan for the town, the new building an elegant, glazed design reminiscent of the highly glazed Victorian bowling pavilion which originally stood on the site.  Part of Teignmouth’s historic seafront, it complements rather than competes with the architecture of the existing Regency Crescent.

This landmark building boasts dramatic views of the surrounding town and the coast, promoting creative, social and economic growth. It encapsulates a theatre/cinema, restaurant, outdoor terrace and gallery, offices and changing/ancillary facilities.

Since opening, the facilities have been in constant demand, with the workspaces over-subscribed. The restaurant and bar have become popular places to meet, which has been gratifying to see. The new venue provides an important focal point for both the community and visitors to Teignmouth.

Public consultations and engagement exercises combined with the visualizations created by our in-house team were vital tools for garnering support from both the council and the community for this and many more projects besides. They promote transparency, engagement, and inclusivity in decision-making processes and are part of our commitment to listen to the community’s input and consider their concerns when making decisions. When people feel that their voices are heard, and their interests are taken into account, they are more likely to support the project.

Designing the new building provided the opportunity to enhance the public realm around the theatre, acting as a catalyst to improve the general quality of the seafront with a nod to some of the great Pavilion architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Pavilions Teignmouth is part of the Teignbridge Regeneration project, and the build and fit-out was funded by Teignbridge District Council, the Coastal Communities Fund and Arts Council England.