We are pleased to announce that Gavin Sorby has taken the role of Managing Director at Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams Ltd, succeeding Geoff Alsop who, in the last five years, has seen the company develop and grow into a strong and respected national practice. Geoff continues in the role of Director concentrating on the practice’s public sector work and, deservedly, this year will be Chairman of
We are delighted to have been appointed to the Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust for the development of the ‘World at Wentworth’ Project.
The latest project for our cultural and historic buildings team, we shall be restoring the grade II* listed Victorian conservatory and helping create a visitor gateway for the Castle and Gardens within the Grade I listed parkland.
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams shall be presenting development options for Greenbridge Works at next week`s National Mills Conference in Accrington, Lancashire.
Outlining our approach to the project, we shall discuss how to turn the site constraints and issues into potential, who to involve and, looking to the wider business and recreational potential in the area, illustrate a number o
Stockport Covered Market last night was awarded an RICS NW Award, winning the regeneration category.
The award calls for projects that have made exceptional improvements to urban, rural or coastal areas and that have improved the built or natural environment in a way that has contributed to the viability of the area.
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams completed a project that restor
The third edition of A Positive View, a museum scale exhibition of 130 photographic works in support of Crisis, the charity supporting single homeless people is currently showing at Somerset House, London.
Richard Williams, Director at Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, has worked with the curator to design the exhibition layout; taking viewers on a provocative and unsettling journey. <
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams have been appointed as architects for the redevelopment and amalgamation of the Cecil Higgins Arts Gallery, Bedford Museum and Bedford Galleries into a single attraction. The Bedford Museum housed in an old brewery, and adjacent Cecil Higgins Gallery have come together under a single management and are to be joined into a single attraction, along with the recently
Work has started on site at MOSI in Manchester to redevelop the grade II listed Lower Byrom Street Warehouse as the new entrance building for the museum.
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams have worked with the museum to open the building up, removing the current ramps that dominate the space, and create a new exhibiton gallery (Revolution Manchester) to welcome and orient visitors.
Stockport Victorian Market Hall, has been named a winner in the conservation category of the Stockport Conservation and Design Awards 2009. The grade II listed Covered Market has undergone a major transformation and was chosen by a prestigious judging panel with representatives from Places Matter! the RTPI, RIBA North West, and the council.
We are exhibiting again this year at the Museums Association Conference and Exhibition on the 5th and 6th October: this year being held at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London.
Representatives of our Museums and Culture team shall be there on stand 36 to answer any questions you have. We look forward to seeing you there.
Blackburn College University Centre received a fantastic compliment at its opening party this week: it was created as a cake. The cake was complete with details crafted from icing, such as the solar shading panels and signage.
The striking new building by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams architects, was completed in August on a D+B contract with Bardsley Construction; and has been widely w
We will be at the LIW conference at the NEC in Birmingham from 22-24 September. Come and speak to our Sport and Leisure team on stand S150. We look forward to seeing you there.
The Manor House Library in Lewisham, London has reopened to the public after being closed for restoration and adaptation for over a year.
The grade II* listed building has had one wing rebuilt; internally access has been addressed by the insertion of a glazed lift into the heart of the building; and the once gaudily painted interior has been restored to a sensitive and high quality fini
Last year we completed two very successful museum projects and they opened their doors to an expectant public: Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton and The Rotunda William Smith Museum of Geology, Scarborough.
We have had our pride in the projects recognised this year with a great success in a number of regional and national awards. Stockwood Discovery Centre has received a hat trick of aw
Abingdon School Sports Centre last night won the Manchester Society of Architects Award for the Sports and Leisure Category. The only project awarded in this category the sports centre with its curved timber ceiling in the striking pool area was a clear winner.
We shall be exhibiting at a number of leading industry conferences this year: coming up in May are the ISBA Annual Conference 09 (Torquay 13/14 May) and the Museums and Heritage Show 09 (Earls Court 13/14 May).
At each, you will find us in the exhibition hall showcasing some of our most relevant work and offering insight into how our approach and expertise benefits projects.
An official opening was today attended by pupils. past and present. of Monmouth School for the new £2.3M sports Pavilion designed by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams architects.
The new pavilion incorporates a double height, fully glazed entrance leading through to changing facilities on the ground floor; and dining and reception facilities on the first. The first floor is crowned by a
The outstanding new Sports Centre at Abingdon School is now complete. We held a successful event for representatives of local schools and a number of current clients, with a tour of the new facilities and presentation of the project development. The School, the Contractor (Beard) and Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams described their different perspectives on briefing, designing, constructing and
This year`s staff trip has seen the largest ever take-up with 38 of us off to Madrid for the weekend.
Perhaps it`s the lonely planet description that attracted them: If you could distil the city to its essence, it would be this: Madrid is a rebellious ex-convent schoolgirl who grew up, got sophisticated but never forgot how to have a good time.
The Cheshire Reform Community in Manchester held their first Yom Kippur celebration in the new Synagogue designed by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams architects on 09 October.
Praise was given to the new building by many in the community and a special thanks given to the architects:
“The day went superbly well and there was wholesale delight from the community with the new
Stockwood Park Museum in Luton reopened to the public today as Stockwood Discovery Centre after a £6m redevelopment involving a year’s extensive refurbishment and building.
Architects Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams met a brief that asked to improve visitor facilities at the museum, re-displaying and re-interpreting the collections; plus integrating the museum and landscaped gardens to
The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough reopened on May 10th after a two-year and £4.4m redevelopment led by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams architects.
The aim of the architectural project has been to restore the listed fabric and to remodel the spaces to enable a contemporary and accessible museum to take shape.
David Shatwell, Director at Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams said: “Fr
Work has recently started on site developing the Moat House, a bespoke dwelling for the MD of Ivy Homes, in Mottram Cheshire.
The house, sited in the green belt, is a blend of contemporary styling with vernacular materials and offers an innovative approach to designing in this sensitive area.
The two-storey house with single storey garage and swimming pool buildings shall
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams have been appointed by Blue Reef Leisure for the design of a new world-class Aquarium in the former Wildwalk and IMAX complex on Bristol’s waterfront.
The new £4M development will have five galleries exploring both native and tropical marine and freshwater creatures in aquatic themed habitats.
The original Wildwalk building was a modified 19th
Construction work was halted in one area last week at Stockport’s historic market hall, as archaeologists moved in to investigate a mystery structure uncovered on the ground floor.
Architects Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams who are leading the restoration of the market hall, have kept a close eye on progress and are working closely with the council and specialists to understand what t
Planning permission has been granted for development work at Rhodesia House in Manchester.
The remodelling project is the latest in a strong portfolio of commercial projects by Buttress Fuller Alsop WiIliams that involve listed buildings. Rhodesia House is to be stripped back of varous layers of interior additions to reveal its original features, creating a character office space for
Our congratulations go to Donald Buttress, who has been awarded the OBE for services to the conservation of cathedrals in the 2008 New Year Honours List.
Donald, who is one of the original founders of what is now Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams Ltd, has played an important role in conservation architecture and is widely recognised for his outstanding work at a number of the country’s c
It was champers and canapés on Thursday evening as we celebrated the opening of our Liverpool offices. With the local ‘delifonseca’ providing a range of fancy nibbles and the magic circle’s Jamie Raven bending our minds a little with his tricks, it was smiles all round for a really enjoyable evening, marking our developing relationship with the Liverpool property scene.
Each year all staff from Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams are invited on a weekend city break, to taste the delights of a new city. This year, Copenhagen was the destination of choice with an array of arts and architecture and of course a strong dose of café culture, bars and restaurants to keep everyone entertained.
Highlights and lowlights: a dizzying trip up the Round Tower with
The new Menorah Synagogue in South Manchester has received full planning permission and goes on site in autumn 2007.
The new building is a significant development for the Cheshire reform congregation who have worshipped at the site for over forty years; but in a non specific and underperforming building. The development of a new purpose built synagogue has been an opportunity to rev
A Planning Application has been submitted for a new Higher Education facility at Blackburn College.
Designed by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, the proposed HE building is sited on a prominent position on the perimeter of the College Campus and comprises three distinct elements – a five-storey white-rendered teaching block which is curved to mimic the line of the inner ring-road adjac
The Dean’s Eye window conservation project at Lincoln Cathedral has won The Building Conservation Award at the RICS E. Midlands Awards, and was named the overall winner as Project of the Year.
Nicholas Rank, Director and Architect to Lincoln Cathedral said: “we’re delighted to win this award. This has been a very complex project and one which demanded the integration of conservation
Concept designs have been created for a new aquarium in Mexico. This is a major new destination aquarium and, based upon previous experience at Blue Planet, UK and Blue Zoo, China; looks set to be a key driver for the development of tourism in the area.
The concept for the aquarium is to showcase local flora and fauna with extensive marine tanks that represent the local coastline habit
The Horniman Aquarium, designed by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, is one of just ten museums and galleries, long-listed for the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize; at £100,000, Britain`s largest single arts prize awarded each year to a museum or gallery.
Richard Williams, Director, is a specialist in the design of aquaria and has an international reputation for the delivery of these comple
A 39 unit housing development on the site of an old mill in the hills above Waterfoot in the Rosendale Valley, Lancashire, has been awarded planning permission and is progressing through detailed design.
The development maximises the re-use of the original mill buildings plus reclaimed materials from those buildings not retained. New insertions and interventions on the site interpret
The Grade II* Cathedral Church of St Anne’s in Leeds re-opened to the public and worshippers in mid November 2006, a month ahead of schedule, following a period of closure of over a year during which it has undergone the most extensive internal restoration and reordering in its history.
The Cathedral is relatively modern building, completed in 1904 to a design by John Eastwood. Altho
A new £6.5M Police Station has opened this month in Newark, Nottinghamshire replacing older facilities that were no longer fit for purpose. The new two storey station has over 2000m2 floor space, and comprises of front of house facilities for the public, office space, a state of the art custody suite. A separate victim support unit is housed in a smaller building to the rear so centralising th
Manchester Climbing Centre picked up the Roses Design Award last night for best re-use of a Listed Building.
An imaginative and sensitive adaptation of a Grade II* Listed church in Ardwick Manchester, the centre is proving a huge success. The scheme utilises the vast spaces within the church creating a variety of zones and a unique character that has won the centre and its design a great
Our staff trip to Berlin in October is packed with good credentials: good architecture; a bit of culture; great entertainment; plus low environmental impact!
A little unusual perhaps – how can a staff trip boast good environmental credentials? Well this year we’ve taken the initiative to offset the carbon dioxide that our flights will create by investing in the development of alterna
So Dragon Boat Racing – what’s that all about? We sent 17 of our finest to Salford Quays on August 20th to find out.
The weather was awful, and I mean awful, but a full complement turned out to raise money for the British Red Cross by racing up and down the Quays in low canoes urged on by the rhythm of the drummer. The secret behind the racing is all about synchronising everyone’s str
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams have been appointed as architects to the Stockwood Discovery Centre Project in Luton. This £1.8M project improves access to the existing Stockwood Park Museum, uniting it with the Mossman Collection of Horse Drawn Carriages, through a new gateway building that houses visitor facilities and extended gallery spaces.
The new entrance building, with café and visitor
One of the country’s most technical conservation projects gained the royal seal of approval in May as Prince Charles ‘opened’ the Dean’s Eye Window at Lincoln Cathedral.
The rose window is one of Europe’s most important examples of mediaeval stained glass dating as it does from 1235. Nicholas Rank, Architect and Surveyor of the Fabric to Lincoln Cathedral, has overseen its careful re
Planning permission has been granted for a new sports centre at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. The new centre with 25m, 8 lane swimming pool, fitness suite and ergo room, judo hall and climbing zone is designed to sit alongside the existing listed school buildings in a conservation area.
Understanding the design and planning implications of working alongside sensitive historic estates is a p
January 2006 saw MANCAT’s redeveloped Openshaw Campus fully open to students. MANCAT renowned for their range, flexibility and availability of courses took the decision in 1999 to move their central Manchester campus out of town and site the facilities nearer to the communities that they provide for. The campus at Openshaw has been extended by Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams with the major refurbi
We are delighted to announce that David Shatwell has taken a new position as Director with Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams.
David has over twenty five years post-qualification experience and specialises in, and leads the Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams’ team active in the restoration, conservation and maintenance of historic buildings of all grades across the country.
He manages a number of te
Barcelona, home of modernista masterpieces lining broad leafy avenues; gothic monuments and mediaeval quarters; mime artists and café culture on las ramblas, fantastical creatures in Parc Guell, and for one weekend in October 2005, host to 23 of the Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams staff. Yes we sampled the seafood in La Bocqueria, marvelled at Gaudi’s - well just about everything, paid homage to N
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams are urging us to ‘pull up a chair’ and visit the new exhibition opening at CUBE on February 18th.
‘100 years - 100 chairs’ is a touring exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rheim, and showcases the development of industrial design in the 20th century.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, this is one of the most comprehensive collections in existe
Prague was the venue for this year’s Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams staff trip in November. 23 people went for a weekend to take in the sights and enjoy the atmosphere of this beautiful and historical city.
From a quick waltz around Gehry’s dancing building to crowd mingling at the mediaeval castle and Charles Bridge, the trip was a great success; with the only question now remaining where to nex
