Vibrant and attractive areas
We work with organisations, charities and trusts where people come together to develop their community facilities and protect their local heritage to create places that warmly welcome all residents and visitors. We provide support with:
- planning town centre spaces to be green, sociable and safe with proper transport connections
- designing village halls, community hubs and cafes to be a focal point for diverse groups in the area
- conserving, adapting and evolving structures relating to historical events or traditional industries
- developing specialist and flexible sport hubs, parks and recreation spaces to meet the needs of all ages
- embedding accessibility for everyone in all projects whether that be new buildings or outdoor performance areas
Our extensive experience in heritage-led regeneration includes the adaptive re-use of historic civic buildings.
Collaborative and flexible approach
We recognise that community projects must negotiate many stakeholder requirements and funding complexities, so we take time to listen and identify the best way for us to deliver your unique requirements whether that is:
- support from the very beginning to establish the feasibility of your vision, offer advice on the
practicalities and develop the architectural brief - a partial or staged service so you can take the project forward under your own control, with the
benefit of our guidance - partnership working with other specialist consultants and academic institutions as part of a wider
team to encourage shared learning - full support at every stage – collaborating with other stakeholders and contractors, and providing
on-site project management of the build, with careful financial consideration throughout
If a project is further on before we are brought in, we listen carefully and respect all the time and effort that has gone into the work that has already been done.
We have extensive experience with developments where asset transfer of an existing building is required and can assist with obtaining public and private funding such as from the Architectural Heritage Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Heritage Enterprise Fund and Historic Environment Scotland Repair Grants.
Genuine community engagement
As an employee-owned firm ourselves, we are acutely aware of the benefits of plural ownership on the wellbeing of our staff, clients and communities and recognise the importance of properly engaging with all stakeholders and communities on any proposals. Encouraging participation is the best way to identify the need for change and to capture ideas and feedback on proposals.
With experience from running dozens of engagements and developing Community Action Plans, we pre-empt common concerns about new projects in initial designs. By creating inclusive presentations for public consultation, we can excite people about the potential for a project, encourage participation and prevent misunderstanding by providing visually attractive graphics and using straightforward language to explain the plans.
By taking this approach we make it easier for community organisations to build support and attract the finance they need to progress a project to build.
