2008
Glasgow Office
The most exciting event in 2008 will be the opening of the Glasgow office. Our workload across the whole of Scotland is increasing and it was felt a presence in Glasgow would be advantageous for our clients. It is intended that the office will be open by the end of April 2008. Initially we plan to have a staff of four. Previously, we have been asked by a number of Glasgow architects if we would consider opening in Glasgow and this is our chance to build on these contacts. This a brave move but a necessary one if the Practice is to continue to grow and strengthen.
Dovehills
We are delighted to be collaborating with Alba Town and Gholami Baines Architects on this
exciting new project. Currently in the design phase, Great
Dovehills is a £6.2M project situated just off the
Gallowgate in the east end of Glasgow. The area is
rapidly developing and this is the latest in a series of
developments in the area by Alba
Town. The residential apartment complex will consist
of two towers, one of eleven and the other of five storeys with
a basement car park and podium level between the
towers. There are other projects proposed by Alba
Town in the Dovehills area. Our new office is
located in the same area of
Glasgow.
Culloden Visitor Centre
We have been working with Gareth Hoskins Architects on
the Memorial Visitors Centre at Culloden. The new
building is constructed of timber and steel and is highly
sustainable. The exhibition space has a green roof system
allowing the public to access the roof to gain views over the
battlefield. The centre has been designed to contain the
main interpretive exhibition area and to house a
large restaurant and education
space. A treatment plant and detention basin are
also incorporated into the site. There will be an official
opening of the centre in the Spring.
The whole Practice had a study trip to Culloden in October to see building in the final stages of construction. We also visited the new SNH headquarters in Inverness and another one of our projects in Carrbridge.
Berwick Town Workspace
Located in the heart of Berwick-upon-Tweed, this £3m building
will house 2-3 storey flexible office spaces with shared facilities
for new and growing businesses in the area. Working with
Malcolm Fraser Architects a steel frame has been adopted, a
significant benefit of which has been realisation of large internal
spaces with full heights up to the underside of the pitched roofs.
The site is of archaeological interest and in early 2007 many
archaeological investigations were incorporated into the project
operations. The building is due for completion in January 2008
and will deliver a superb new facility for the local community.
Maryhill Leisure Centre
The Maryhill Leisure Centre will be built on the site of the derelict public baths,
adjacent to Maryhill Road northwest of Glasgow city centre.
Most of the old building, which was built in the 1890s, will be demolished but the listed sandstone facades on the south
and west elevations are being retained, along with the original pool hall steel trusses. The Architect is the Council's in-house
Civic Design section with Graham Construction having been awarded the contract. The new £6.2million public facility
will include a sports hall, fitness centre, dance studio, a 25m long leisure pool and a baby pool. Work on site started in November.
George Watson's College Sports' Hall
The new £700,000 sports hall for George Watson's College in
Edinburgh has been designed by Smith Scott Mullan.
The hall will provide high-grade indoor sports facilities
for the school and will include several new store rooms for
equipment as well as a new viewing gallery into the existing sports
hall. The hall will be used for teaching and coaching of PE and
sports. Construction is currently nearing completion on
site.
Staff News
The Directors are delighted to announce that Ben Adam and Dominic Echlin have accepted their invitation to become Associates in the Practice as from 1st January. This is an indication of both our faith and confidence in them and our belief that they are seen by our clients as highly professional representatives of the Practice. Ben has also qualified for ICE membership. Stephen Farrar has been responsible for larger projects over the past year and the Directors are also pleased to announce that he will be designated Senior Project Engineer from the same date. In addition, to reflect the larger projects they are now handling, both James Lewis and Robbie Templeton will be designated Project Engineers.
The Directors and staff are delighted to welcome Steve Wood as a Senior Engineer with the Practice. For the last ten years Steve has worked in London collaborating on interesting projects including The Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street, St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster and the Theatre Royal & Opera House, Wakefield. He has a keen interest in conservation. He was awarded the SPAB Lethaby Scholarship in 2005 and he is currently on the SPAB Technical Panel.
We are proud to announce that Robbie Templeton was a finalist in the Newcomer category at the G4C New Generation Awards recognising outstanding young achievers in the built environment. At the ceremony, held in the Science Museum in London, he cited coming up with novel and innovative solutions as a highlight of his role with the practice.
Best of the professionals
We are delighted to announce that for the second year running in MRUK's survey on construction professionals, published in the January 2008 edition of Prospect Magazine, David Narro Associates were Runners Up in the Best Structural Engineers category. The article says:
'If there is a rising star in the story it is probably David Narro, the Edinburgh-based practice which is preparing to open a Glasgow office in early 2008. David Narro Associates was runner-up in the structural category.'
'The Practice will open an office in Glasgow in the new year on the back of winning several new jobs in the West Coast, including some housing work for Andrew Bothwick at Alba Town developments and Maryhill Leisure Centre. The Commonwealth Games may also bring additional commissions. The practice's turnover has more than doubled in the last three to four years and staff numbers have risen to 23. Narro is working closely with Gareth Hoskins on a number of projects; the Bridge project was completed last year and has picked up a number of awards. The Culloden visitors centre will be completed in Spring 2008 and Narro is working on the redevelopment of the Royal Museum in Edinburgh with Hoskins. The engineers have also been working with Lee Boyd on the Garrison House at Millport, which has just been completed. '
David Narro Associates are delighted with this result, which reflects how well the company is thought of by Architects throughout Scotland. For the full article on MRUK results, visit www.architecturescotland.co.uk.
