Design

Hotel go ahead in Bath after helpful design review

A hotel scheme reviewed by SWDRP has won consent in one of the most challenging places in the South West for new build - the centre of Bath.

Published Dec 21, 2011 - 04:39 PM
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Expert reviews of proposed built environment schemes in the South West to continue

The quality of design in the built environment in the South West has received a boost, following the announcement by The Design Council CABE that it will provide financial support for the continuation of the region's design review panel, which helps ensure proposed developments are of high quality.

Published May 12, 2011 - 12:05 AM
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Key Projects for the South West combine Good Design with Resilient Place-Making to stimulate Economic Growth

At the recent conference held in April 2011 by the RTPI in Swindon, Head of Design South West, Mark Pearson took the opportunity to showcase some of the work of the design enabling service and demonstrate that the support has been instrumental in unlocking and securing greater benefits from some of the most important development projects in the South West. 

Published May 11, 2011 - 05:17 PM
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Successful Qualityreviewer workshop held in Taunton

Creating Excellence organised a successful workshop to provide practical guidance in how to use the Qualityreviewer (QR), the new method from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) for assessing the quality of development proposals. 

The workshop was led by Rob Cowan, co-author of the book Qualityreviewer.

Participants, drawn from local authorities, housing associations, planning and property consultants, undertook a table exercise working through a ‘live' project using the QR method, assisted by members of the South West Design Review Panel.

QR is a method that helps planners, councillors, developers, planning applicants and others who shape places to appraise design quality.

Published Mar 30, 2011 - 05:35 PM
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Bristol City Council seeks your votes

Bristol City Council is preparing a major new planning document for central Bristol as part of the Bristol Development Framework.  The council would like to hear your ideas for developments and other changes through which the central area could be improved.

Published Sep 22, 2010 - 04:45 PM
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Helping Local People Choose Good Design

96% of local planning officers say that there are benefits from including design review in the planning system. Of these, 67% say that access to specialist expertise was the main advantage.

These findings are part of a new report, Helping local people choose good design, which marks the end of the first year of the design review network - a unique affiliation between CABE and the eight leading design review panels across England.  The South West Design Review Panel run by Creating Excellence is part of this network.

Published Aug 11, 2010 - 10:24 AM
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Bristol Urban Design Forum - call for Steering Group Chair and members

The Bristol Urban Design Forum (BUDF) is an independent group of design and environment professionals who undertake design review of specific development proposals and provide advice to Bristol City Council on urban design policy preparation.

The steering group now wishes to appoint 2 additional members and a new Chair.

Published Jan 22, 2010 - 04:30 PM
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Planting Places Awards 2010 - Now Open for Applications!

The Planting Places awards - recognising greenspaces that are making fantastic contributions to the sustainability of their communities - will be running for a 3rd year. The awards, coordinated by Sustainability South West, are now open to applications from any public greenspace in the South West of England.

Published Dec 21, 2009 - 11:00 AM
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SWDRP Affiliation with CABE

The South West Design Review Panel (SWDRP) has affiliated with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).

Affiliation began on the 5th October 2009 and involves the CABE national design review panel and all eight regional panels (covering the whole of England outside London).

Published Oct 13, 2009 - 11:23 AM
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Search is on for accessible beach hut designers

The artist's competition to design and build innovative new beach huts specifically for disabled beach users in Bournemouth, was launched on 27 April.

Professional artists, architects and designers are being invited to submit bold and dramatic concepts to reinvent a row of beach huts specifically for disabled beach users.

Published May 01, 2009 - 05:00 PM
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Building for Life Accredited Assessor Training Now Available from Creating Excellence

Creating Excellence is now acting as partner to CABE (the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) in the South West to promote and deliver specific training on the adoption and use of the Building for Life standard. 

Published Feb 25, 2009 - 11:15 AM
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Inspiring Study Visits to Community Green Spaces

Would you like to know more about how best to revitalise your local community space? CABE Space, in partnership with the Glass-House Community Led Design, are organising three visits to community spaces around England that have been designed through a Community led process and featured in the CABE Space publication It's our space.

On Saturday 4th October 2008 there is a visit to St Neot Doorstep Green, near Liskeard, Cornwall.

 

Published Sep 16, 2008 - 12:20 PM
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Ethical Property Foundation launches 7 point plan for community involvement in planning obligations.

The Ethical Property Foundation, a charity committed to empowering charities and community groups to make the most of property, and to improving the social and environmental performance of the commercial property sector, is calling for communities to become equal partners in the planning obligations' process with the recent publication of its new community guide to planning obligations.

Published Sep 15, 2008 - 12:04 PM
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RIBA Town and Country Design Awards 2008

The award scheme looks at the impact of new and converted buildings in both rural and urban settings and aims to highlight the contributions made by talented architects who are working within the Wessex and South West Regions or the Channel Islands.

See more information and booking form here.

Published Mar 20, 2008 - 01:21 PM
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South West Built Environment Awards 2008

Following the inaugural success of both the regional and national awards in 2007, this is the second year of the Constructing Excellence Awards.  

This year eight regions will be hosting regional awards' ceremonies to celebrate the best of construction from their local industries. The winners from within each region will go forward to a national final on 30th October 2008 in London.

Published Jan 30, 2008 - 11:12 AM
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Review of South West Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) Suggests Housing Numbers Increase

The independent panel which looked at the South West draft regional plan has recommended a significant increase in housing for the whole region, increasing the annual rate of new homes from 23,060 per year in the draft RSS to 28,000.

To see the full report visit the Regional Assembly's web site here.

Published Jan 11, 2008 - 09:33 AM
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Urban Design Compendium

English Partnerships (the national regeneration agency) has recently published an update to their Urban Design Compendium.

Published Dec 12, 2007 - 12:31 PM
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CABE Space design skills scholarships launched

On 1 October 2007 CABE launched a new design skills scholarships programme.  It offers grants to fund a work or study trip and the deadline for applications is end of November 2007.

Published Oct 11, 2007 - 02:48 PM
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New Heritage Qualification Launched - NVQ in Heritage Skills

A new NVQ Level 3 in Heritage Skills has been launched as part of a package of measures to address the skills crisis in the built heritage sector.  Thousands of new recruits are needed annually in order to meet the high level of demand for traditional heritage skills used in the repair and conservation of historic buildings.

Follow the link for further details:

 

Published Sep 03, 2007 - 11:39 AM
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Guide to Maximising Regeneration Funding

The British Property Federation (BPF) has recently published a new guide for developers on how to take advantage of public sector funding for regeneration schemes.

Published Jun 18, 2007 - 03:17 PM
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Expressions of interest invited to build 150 homes in Bristol.

Housebuilders were invited to submit expressions of interest to build England's first large scale development of zero carbon homes today, as national regeneration agency English Partnerships published its pre-qualifying questionnaire (PQQ) for a 150 home site in Bristol.

For the full text of this story, please see the press release entitled "English Partnerships fires starting gun in race to develop England's first zero carbon communities" on the English Partnerships website.

Published Jun 05, 2007 - 03:57 PM
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BURA AWARDS FOR BEST PRACTICE IN REGENERATION 2007 Open for entries

Do you know a project that represents best practice in regeneration?The BURA Awards embrace diversity, recognising projects across the UK on a variety of scales and celebrating the enormous range of people and organisations involved in regeneration. Our independent awards, established in 1992, help to define excellence in regeneration.

Anyone from any sector can submit an entry.

Published May 22, 2007 - 03:28 PM
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Bristol Urban Design Forum

Bristol City Council has commissioned The Architecture Centre to set up an Urban Design Forum for Bristol.

Published May 10, 2007 - 11:12 AM
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Expression of Interest for Design Services, Greenway Project

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) intends to select a landscape or urban design practice from five short-listed practices in response to advertisements placed in the trade press in February 2006.

Published Feb 12, 2007 - 01:48 PM
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Creating Excellence is Helping the Region to Address Housing Audit Design Issues

In the light of today's announcement of the results of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's (CABE) South West Housing Audit Creating Excellence, the South West centre for sustainable communities is highlighting the opportunities recently developed, and now available in the region, for people to help improve leadership, skills and guidance on design for the built environment.

Published Feb 08, 2007 - 10:45 AM
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Housing Associations Encourage Design Champions

Design South West has worked with Spinnaker Housing Group to produce, 'our design, your inspiration', a brochure to encourage more people in Housing Associations to become Design Champions.

The six page document explains what Design Champions do and how their work can benefit their organisations and the wider environment in which we all live.

Published Sep 18, 2006 - 10:05 AM
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Sustainable Professional Development

The Nationally renowned Genesis Centre in Taunton, Somerset is currently one of the best venues in the country to see and learn about the integration of natural, low impact, materials into the mainstream construction environment. The Centre, in one building, demonstrates the use of straw bale, rammed earth, cob, earth blocks, timber frame and fired clay block construction along with the use of both traditional and modern approaches to Lime.

Published Aug 18, 2006 - 11:52 AM
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South West Checklist for Sustainable Development - Consultation Launch

Future Foundations, WWF-UK and BRE have launched a consultation on the draft ‘South West Sustainability Checklist for Developments’. The Checklist is a tool designed to help developers and planners in creating more sustainable communities and covers a broad range of planning and development issues from Climate Change, Transport, Ecology, Resources, Placemaking, Business, Community and Buildings.

Published May 24, 2006 - 02:33 PM
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People Would Pay More for Energy Efficient Homes

Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of adults in Britain say they would pay more for an energy-efficient home, according to a study by Wolseley UK, the largest distributor of plumbing, heating and building products in Britain.  Despite a stagnant housing market and slow consumer spending, the research reveals that almost a quarter of adults (24 per cent) would be prepared to pay between £1,000 and £5,000 on top of the property’s asking price for an energy-efficient home.  Over one in 10 (11 per cent) would be happy to pay up to £10,000 more.

Published Mar 28, 2006 - 09:07 AM
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Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award - deadline 20 April

The Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award is now in its sixth year.  The award, which is jointly sponsored by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Office for Government Commerce, recognises both design and procurement excellence in building projects from across the public sector.

Published Mar 27, 2006 - 09:36 AM
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Design and Historic Environment Champions

Creating Excellence and the Architecture Centre, supported by CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) and English Heritage, are working together to develop a support network for Design and Historic Environment Champions in local authorities, development partnerships, and urban regeneration companies across the South West Region, as part of our effort to raise design quality and share best practice.

Published Mar 21, 2006 - 12:16 PM
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Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment, Part-time Masters

The University of Cambridge has announced that it is looking to expand its Part-time Masters Programme in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) following the largest intake of students in the course's history last year.

Published Mar 20, 2006 - 12:14 PM
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